There are some days that are just WAY more fun than others, this was one of those days.
I got an extra ab work out because we laughed so much on our journey to Grano's Italian restaurant.
 On this rainy, rainy day  Jerri was our leader. 
We were accompanied by our new pals Thunder and Lightening.
Umbrellas were involved of course and we were fearful we might be conductors for the lightening.
Lightening is somewhat rare here in Korea.

Once exiting the subway you still have about a 10 minute walk to get to Grano's.
We discussed jumping in a taxi but decided to hoof it instead.
In the rain.
Our pals Thunder and Lightening had not made an appearance as of yet.
Then the rain REALLY started coming down.
You know that Korean sideways, knock you over type rain.
Yeah, that rain.
Then our friend Thunder BOOMED right beside us.
Our umbrellas weren't helping much.
We were wet from our waist down.
Then Lightening made an appearance.
And another, and another.
Jerri ask us to tell her family she loved them and she was sorry she was being so careless all for good Italian food.

In the end we made it.
Soaking wet, but alive.

See, we clean up pretty well.

During our adventurous trip Jerri was a little nervous, hoping it was 'worth' it and that we not be disappointed after we all risk our lives to get here.

They had me at 'black truffle pesto'.

The prices were a bit more than we like to pay for a lunch out with friends, but oh baby it was SO WORTH IT!!!
I had the sea bass, served on a bed of spinach, tomatoes and some sort of scrumptious sauce.
Typically I would never order sea bass because most people don't cook it properly and I'm always disappointed.
NOT TODAY!  The chef cooked it to perfection - it was melt in my mouth deliciousness.

The Alfredo was divine.
And the spicy eggplant pasta dish was a little slice of heaven.
It was a win, win all the way around.
(except for my pictures - I had a rough photography day.  I blame it on the rain.)

Remember the rain?
There was so much they had to use a snow shovel to remove it.

Thank goodness the trip home was not as eventful as the trip to Grano.

I apologize, I cannot give you directions to Grano.
However I can give you the address.

Just jump in a cab and give this information to your cab driver:

645-1 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
(02) 540-7330, 8330;

Reservations are not required, but encouraged.

Hours:
Daily
11:30AM - 2:30PM
5:30PM  - 2AM - last food order 10:30PM

PS...and this place is pricy.  Expect to pay no less than 50,000 won per person.

Sinsa Subway station is located in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
As I have stated before this is one of my favorite areas in Seoul so far. 
Not too touristy, totally eclectic and loads of fun.
After stuffing our faces over at Pier 17 we headed out to see what else was happening on Garosu-gil street when we happened upon this awesome store.
I think I will bring Boy 1 here to shop for school clothes:

The worker girl (who followed us around the ENTIRE time - that's the way they roll in Korea, they want to be there to help if you have any questions or need anything) was wearing a shirt that says "I'm cute".
Isn't that cute?!

Everything in this store was a little spendy, so I was surprised to see this box of emergency underpants dispenser for sale.  Although I'm not really sure why anything surprises me here anymore.....

Need a teapot and teapot mask warmer?
No worries, they only cost 290,000 won, or a mere 261 USD.
I bought a few for Christmas gifts.

After a little shopping our exploration took us to this quaint little "Beer Storage" place.  I'm sorry I can't tell you exactly where it is, but if you find it you should totally go in. 

It is kind of like a 7-11 with indoor tables for drinking your beer.
You can get practically any type of beer you want and for Seoul it was pretty darn cheap!  Beers started at 2,500 won and went up from there.    You walk in, go to the self-service beer cooler, pick your own beer, grab a glass if you would like one and head over to your table.    They also have a snack counter where you can buy chips, crackers, dried squid or any other type of 7-11 food your little heart desires.

When you are all done put your empties in the bucket on your table, head over to the counter with bucket in hand and pay!  How fun is that?! 
How can you NOT love this country?

Oh my goodness, a little Louisiana in Korea.

Even though Pier 17 is not on a pier, but in a posh upscale little area near the Sinsa subway station, it is a gem of a find!
My girlfriend Beth has been wanting to try Pier 17 for MONTHS now so when we were discussing what do for our next date night we remembered....PIER 17!!!
And we are SO GLAD we did!
Even before we ordered we were totally digging this place. They deliver a cute little box to your table with napkins, gloves, wet napkins, hot sauce, forks, knives, spoons and they deliver a nice little bucket to put your leftover shells in, but when it arrives at your table it is filled with these groovy little scissors.  Way better than crab crackers.

I'm not going to mention any names, but someone had a hard time figuring out how to use these groovy little tools....we were a bit afraid he was going to take off a finger.  :o)    Notice his gloves?  Yea, that's the way we roll.

Pier 17 has an oyster bar...you can get fried oysters, baked, oysters Rockefeller (but they were green!), raw (when in season) or au gratin.   The fried were HEAVENLY.  Maybe it is because I haven't been eating much fried food lately, or maybe it is because they were DELICIOUS.

When you go, you must order a  SHARK ATTACK just for the pure fun of it.
9,000 won for a big 'ol blue margarita where a shark pukes red bloody (grenadine) goodness into your drink.
The drinks are sweet, but tasty.
Just as a side note:
Hubby ordered a Hurricane, everyone at the table except myself liked the Hurricane better than the Shark Attack.
But the Shark attack was way more fun! :o)

The oyster's Rockefeller were simply OK.  Not my favorite....they look cool when they came out, but alas save your money on these, a little on the bland side even with the green breadcrumb mixture.

The star of the show was the crawfish boil. 
YUM-O.
The seasonings were RIGHT ON.
All the seafood was cooked perfectly.
Nothing was overcooked or soggy.
I couldn't believe they got it right.
The only thing that could have made this better is if Hubby had not eaten all the bread.
We had nothing to sop up the juices with.

Great dinner, super fun night.
We ordered a party set for 79,000 won which was more than enough to feed the 4 of us.
It included, fried oysters, oysters Rockefeller, jambalaya and the crawfish boil....I feel like there was something else that came with it, but I can't remember right now.

The aftermath....

And just a little something to make you smile. :o)

To get there:
Sinsa Station exit 8.  Walk straight to Garosu-gil street - take a left.
Go one block (I think it is just 1 block, mabye 2 ) to Apgujeong-ro 8-gil street.
TURN LEFT.

Go to the 1st intersection and Pier 17 will be on your right....you actually need to turn the corner and it is RIGHT THERE.  Go up to the 2nd floor.

Address:
532-4 Sinsa-dong (13 Apgujeong-ro 10-gil)
Gangnam-gu, Seoul
02-549-5324
They accept reservations

Enjoy,
Trish

A few weeks ago the girls and I tried out Butterfinger Pancake! 
Everyone RAVES about this place so I had to get in on the action.
The only problem - no one could give me directions, so I devised a plan.
One that has worked well for me all these years I have lived in Korea.
We took a cab to Butterfinger Pancake so I could figure out how to drive here.
That plan failed when the cab driver got lost.
True Story.
Our cab driver GOT LOST.

What I can do is tell you what I thought of Butterfinger Pancake and give you the addresses of the numerous Butterfinger Pancake joints around Seoul.

First off, it was kind of hidden, tucked away in little alley like streets.
We went to the one in Gangnam.

At first I was excited...
And then this came out:

Really? I thought.. 
This is what everyone is raving about?
I can make breakfast WAY better looking than this.
But I gave it a try.
Seriously...not good.
OK, but not good.
I would definitely NOT come back for this meal.
Way to expensive and basically just B.O.R.I.N.G.

Then came the cream cheese and mozzarella pancakes.
I wasn't expecting much.
BUT HOLY GOODNESS.
These were divine! 
Melt in your mouth cheesy goodness!
But not too cheesy...just the right amount!
I was in heaven.
They didn't even need syrup, however it did work well with them!

Yes, yes, I will go back for these pancakes.
I'll just skip the sausage and the rest of the breakfast.

I found 3 locations:
85-6 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 02-3448-1070
1317 Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul 02-532-5740
9 Jeongja-1-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam 031-785-9994

                                         And make sure you are prepared, Butterfinger Pancake is not cheap!

I am just going to claim it.
Rest With Coffee & Books is my hands down FAVORITE café I have been to so far.
I loved EVERYTHING it had to offer.
Books, internet service, a computer for people to use, comfy chairs, FREE bread and coffee, nice background music, waffles, coffee drinks of all kinds, gelato and of course, Dr. Fish to chew the nasty off your feet.   

The main room:

Need a book?  They have bookshelves full. 
They were all in Korean, so if you can't read Korean then bring your own book.

Self bar.
Gotta love it.

At the self bar you can have all the free bread and coffee you can eat and drink.
As long as you order 1 item from the menu.
They even have toaster ovens to toast your bread
AND
They give you butter and jam when you place an order at the counter.

Sampling of the free bread:
It taste better than it looks.

Girl said the hot chocolate is THE BEST she has EVER HAD.
In fact it was so good that she ordered a second one.
She told me that she wishes she could make hot chocolate this good.
Give her time and I'm sure she will. 

She is just so cute I couldn't help snapping a ton of pictures of her.

Don't worry, I'm not posting all the photos I took, only a few of my favorites.

She really is this sweet too.  She is a great daughter and sister to her brothers.
Plus she has an amazing heart.

I tried something new, a cinnamon honey latte.  It was very YUM.

I'm not sure if I have told you this or not, but Koreans are WILD about waffles. 
Just not for breakfast - they don't want them for breakfast. 
They only want them for dessert.

When girl and I were finished warming our souls and filling our bellies we were ready to dip our feet in a tank of little fishies to get our 'poor mans' pedicure.

First the lady comes over and washes your feet off.

And then it is time to dip your feet!

Ahhh, sweet little fishies.  This is no big thang.  We have done this before.  It tickles, but it is a good tickle.

And then....we decided to switch tanks.
OH MY GOODNESS.
I have NEVER seen Dr. Fish this BIG!
And ready...with mouths OPEN WIDE!

Sticking my heel in.

Oh my goodness.  This TICKLES and FREAKS me out a bit!
But I think I can do it....

...I only lasted for a little while before I had to take a breather....
I mean check them out.
Savages.
I'm kind of afraid they will take off a toe.
Girl doesn't want to have anything to do with this tank.

Going in again.
This time all the way.

OH MY GOSH...

This is really FREAKY!!
AND TICKLISH! 

I can't take it much longer!!

Feet out.
Relaxing.

Oh my gosh ~ that was crazy fun! 

We spent about 18,000 won on a latte, a hot chocolate, a chocolate waffle and 2 doctor fish.

There hours are 10AM-midnight everyday.
Credit cards are accepted.

I hope you have as much fun as Girl and I.

I think this would be an awesome place to have a date night.

Next time you are in Hondage or Gangnam make sure you don't pass up The Ho Bar.
This picture was taken in Hondage, but I saw one in Gangnam on Friday so this must be a chain.
And it makes me chuckle every time I see it. 

                                                                                    I hate to admit this....
                                                       It is something you might have a hard time believing.
                                                                                    I'm a little ashamed.
                                                                             You are curious aren't you?

Confession: This past weekend was the first time I have gone out into Seoul and watched a movie at a Korean theater.  EVER.

Seriously.

Shocking I know.

When we lived here before movies at the theater on post were FREE.  That's right, they were FREE!!  So we really had no reason to go off post and pay for a movie.

This time around the movies are not free. (Dang it...I really liked that perk!)
 
They are still cheap, ($5USD) but the movie theater is a 'post' style movie theater.  You know, 1950's auditorium style.  The post movie theater kind of reminds me of the auditorium from my High School, but smaller...not that I went to high school in 1950's, heck I wasn't even born in the 50's,  But I'm sure some of you know what I am talking about.  So anyway, since the movie theater on post isn't free anymore I don't feel as obligated to frequent the theater as often...and since the movies off post aren't much more money than the ones on post ($5 vs. 8,000 Won - or $7.52USD) and it is a MUCH NICER theater with ASSIGNED SEATS, cheaper drinks/snacks...PLUS you can get Jagermeister Energy drink at a movie theater in Seoul.  I mean really..what more can one ask for? 

I did a little research and I found out that the movie theater at the Coex Mall is supposed to be the nicest theater in all of Seoul....some say all of Asia.  I can't say as I haven't been to them all.  In fact I have been to none of them.  How about this...I'll let you know if I find a nicer one.

So, trying to see a movie here in Seoul is not as easy as in the states.  You don't show up 1/2 an hour before the movies start to buy your tickets.  You order your tickets online several hours or DAYS in advance to guarantee you get a good seat.   Seriously, people around these parts PLAN their movies outings.  I ordered our tickets online more than THREE HOURS EARLY and this is the text they sent me:

We had to sit on the 2nd ROW!!  NO JOKE!!  Did I mention I ordered tickets more than 3 hours in advance?

To order tickets online anywhere in Seoul go to this website:
Cine in Korea
and you will see how easy it is.
They like it if you have a Paypal account.

This is the entrance to the movie theater.

And then you have to go down stairs to get to the ticket box.

All Korean movie theaters have little ATM type machines where you can buy tickets and print tickets.  We tried to print out tickets there but I couldn't figure it out so I when I went over to the information desk to ask how to print out the tickets they ask for my ticket code and printed them for me.  Easy peasy.

After getting our tickets we headed over to the snack bar for some yummy popcorn and we were intrigued by what all they have to offer.  As you already know you can get Jager Energy drinks, but did you know you can also get a Jager combo for a mere 14,000 won! 

It seems a little crazy to me that the Jager combo is less expensive than the Asahi combo!

And check out their nonalcoholic combos - this has got to be the best kept secret in Korea.   They are AFORDABLE - for movie prices anyway!  2 pretzels, 2 sodas & a popcorn for 9,500 won!  I'm super excited about this!

We ended up buying a popcorn combo...2 types of popcorn, 2 sodas and a hotdog for 12,000 won!
That is right...2 types of popcorn!
Cheese and caramel baby!
I liked the cheese more and Hubby liked the caramel more.
He says it is because I am cheesy and he is sweet. 
I'm not sure I agree with that. 

Isn't this bucket of popcorn AWESOME!?! 
Oh and the popcorn.... 
A M A Z I N G ! !
It was so good I wanted to go out and buy butter popcorn when we finished this bucket, but I resisted.
This way I have another 'new' thing to experience the next time we go to a Korea movie theater.

OH....I almost forgot to tell you.
There was NO CANDY counter!
How great is that?

                                                              It's the most wonderful time of the year!

If you have been around for a while then you know how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the flower market at the Express Bus Terminal.  I just love filling my house with beautiful (and super cheap) fresh flowers. The flower market was one of the things I was most excited about when moving back to Korea!  I mean where else can you get 10 roses for 2-3,000 won - or lilies for 3-5,000 won - or gladiolas for 3 - 5,000 won....I could go on and on, but you have heard it all from me before.  

But what you may not have heard as much about is the 'other side' of the flower market. I refer to the 'other side' as 'Michaels on Steroids'. Seriously.  You can get almost anything there from candles, amazing fake fruit, arts and craft stuff, fake flowers, baskets, wrapping paper, ribbon, boxes, bags and SO MUCH more (imagine me saying that super fast without taking a breath....)  Just typing about it makes me smile from ear to ear.   I am in love with the flower market on a normal day, but then when fall is over and winter is on the way the flower markets turns into a magical place of Christmas, Christmas and MORE CHRISTMAS!  There is a different feeling in the air - an almost magical feeling....

So if you are new to Seoul (or not) and you didn't (or did) bring all your Christmas treasures with you, hop on a bus, or take the subway to the Express Bus Terminal, head up to the 3rd floor and enter a winter wonderland......

(Just a reminder - the flower market sides opens about 1AM and closes about 1PM - I know the 'Michaels on Steroids' side opens later, around 9AM and I'm not sure what time it closes.)

Happy shopping & Merry Christmas!!