Taste of Korea(1)-오리27年

Last weekend, I went to 27年(franchised) in Daejeon with my roomate. I read about this restaurant in a magazine when I was staying in Seoul Backpacker Inside. It was recommended by Mr.Tsai (蔡澜）， my favorite writer. Mr.Tsai told that it is called Ori27  because the founder spent 27 years researching the recipes before opening the restaurant. I definately should try the food whose recipes are even older than me.


It's opposite to the back gate of Homeplus in Yosung



Clean and traditional Korean restaurant interior

Side dishes for 연훈제오리 (smoked duck): peabuts, turnip, onions, garlic, salad, green vegetables and so on

something we have in China too: song-hwa-egg, made from duck's egg
I like the way they made it as an appetizer: (egg slice+ cucumber slice+ pear slice)* sauce(pear juice+wasabi?+xxx) haha

Korean vegetables are really nice to me, I can eat them with main food and very fresh.
Nice a-jung-ma added more vegetables for us as I really consume them quick^^

Smoked duck served on a heating pan with mushrooms
The duck meat was very tender and was just slightly smoked and the excessive oil could be filtered by this pan
It costs 25,000won per half and the whole one is 40,000won
Half is abundant for two girls

I like to play with vegetables
A great joy when having Korean food

sesame's leaf is one of favortie

Can some Korean friends tell me what this leaf is? It was very refreshing, I guess I ate it somewhere before, but not a fresh one, rather, the one after kimchied (peakled, sauced)

I know that duck was enough but this Yakbab(Oriental Medicine rice) is a must-try. (14,000won)
There are sticky rice, peanut, sweet potato, blackbean, sesame, date, gingko nut, sun flower nut, fig fruit, cinnamon, 표고버섯(a black-skin tender-texture mushroom) and something else for sure.
It tastes like oriental medicine but in a delicious way.

The Yakbab came with its own matched side dishes too.
I took most of it home since our stomachs ran out of space

The unexpected dessert was impressive, high-quality tomato with light-sweet sauce
I realized it was a full course Korean meal, then

A perfect ending with Hazenut coffee

 In Korea, Korean traditional food is always the best in my mind. Ori-27 again proved it!

Ling at Ori-27

Ms. RedByBeing got the big slice!

Bali, love at first sight - Lovina Villa Agung Beach Inn

I got off the beloved Perama Bus, kept walking another five minutes, went through a small rice peddy and here I was - Lovina Villa Agung Beach Inn-a beach-front inn with a small garden.
The first time I met the owners of the hotel was at my first dinner there.  An elegant couple were having dinner, facing to a romantic sunset view; country music was in the air. The lady did make-up as well. "It is our place", I could judge from their eyes.
We talked for a while.The gentleman is from America and the lady is from Britain. There must be some beautiful stories between them that they finally decided to settle down in Lovina - a land of peace.
Looking carefully to details in their small hotel, from room ornaments to food, you could notice they are people of great taste.

Lovely room - simple and clean

Going to the beach-front cottage-2nd floor is a relaxing area with a small library and 1st floor is a restaurant.

Where I read books and listen to the sea



 Located in a quiet place, a hotel needs a great restaurant to keep their guests stay longer.Here, we did not have a single meal outside Villa Agung Beach Inn. It certainly succedded. The restaurant was so cheap and nice; it was just like tasting delicious food in a local family.Homemade bread was baked every morning and  the setting of dishes was very beautiful.

Indonesia-favorite Bintang was always served with a side dish: chips with homemade sauce

Bubur Injin: Balinese black rice pudding

Balinese chicken curry and tuna satay

Best bread in the world!

Except for super clean room and a lovely restaurant, they offer many other services such as a lift to town Lovina or town Singaraja, or a fish market, SPA treatment, yoga classes reservation, Indonesia cooking classes and so on. One pity was that my stay there did not meet a Sunday, the only day that a morning yoga class is available.
Not sure when could be the next time to visit there, but someday, I must return. See you, Lovina! See you, Villa Agung Beach Inn!
Finish with Lovina beach boys(?) !*_^


Happiness is just simple~!

 ps: Having heard that 2 posts shall be in augument style before end of this semester, I decided to create another blog and keep this blog recording something I would like to share about my life.  After writing for a while, I love blogging now and will keep doing it; the Bali stories are not the end yet^^. Here, I would like to thank Prof.Clarissa for encouraging students to share their ideas and stories through blogs.

Bali, love at first sight -a blue romance- Lovina, Bali

In Bali, the great feel of riding the wind through the country roads and mountains made me a bus lover. From Ubud, it took a Perama Bus 5 hours to drive all the way from central Bali to the North. No airconditioner, open window.

Lovina is located in the northest part of the Bali Island. Near town Singaraja, which used to be the Capital during the Dutch colonial period, now, Lovina is a very quiet and peaceful destination for an escape from one's busy life.
Once upon arrival, I knew I had reached a right place.

Thank to the holy vocalnos in Indonesia, the land is full of magic
The peaceful Lovina black beach



I lived in a beach-front 6-room hotel called Lovina Villa Agung Beach Inn.
Love that tree!!!
(I shall make another post for lovely Villa Agung Beach Inn:D)


Have waked up from a short nap before starting my journey in Lovina, I was indeed shocked when I went to hotel's restaurant for dinner. What an incredible dinner with such a luxurious view!

Sunset, feels like in the movie scene

sunset sky - mua!

There are actually not many activities you can do in Lovina. My days in Lovina were like sunrise-breakfast-reading-lunch-nap-reading-sunset-dinner. One impressive lovely event might be to ride a spider boat to watch dolphins in the sea. Though I did not like the scene that tens of boats driving after dolphins, taking a boat to watch sunrise in the Lovina sea is highly recommended. Our boat took 4 people, mama, I and a German young couple. We had a morning tea about 5:30am and set off at 6, when Lovina was still in dark. As our boat getting farther away from the beach, the sun started to sprinkle light on the deep blue ocean. And, dolphins probably got up around 7 and began excercising their jumping skills in groups.



Sun just woke up^^

Sorry, dolphins! I should not have disturbed your life.



Our captain!



Back from sunrise boat tour, we were welcomed with fresh home-made bread and jam, fruits and coffee.  I guess mum was so impressed by such a special morning; she stood on the black beach and watched the sea for a pretty long while with something in her mind. Maybe this is how life slows down here.
Luckily, in Lovina, the sky is still blue and the water is still clear, and what more I could say - let us preserve the environment that one day, one day that we may still have a chance to hug and kiss the lovely nature.

Bali, love at first sight - fruits in Bali

Having been to Seoul for a short while, I will direct my blog back in Bali again. As a food lover, I learned about Balinese local fruits and crop plants. Bali does not export these cultivation products, rather consumes them inside the island only. Indonesian cooking is keen on using fresh ingredients and this is probably the biggest secret of delicacy.Typical fruits are mangosteens, mangos, bananas, avocados, pineapples, papayas, guavas, jackfruits, starfruits, oranges and so on.
Avocade had been my favorite during my stay in Bali. Avocado itself looks like a fancy word to me without knowing why. In Chinese, avocado is intepreted as "butter-fruit" , "oil-pear" or "crocodile-pear" that reveals 3 features of it : rich nutrition, pear-like shape and crocodile skin.  Balinese avocados are different from American ones. They are bigger in size and more crispy in texture. I will introduce three joyful ways to enjoy avocados in Bali.
1. Avocado juice
Avocado is a refreshing and light-sweet fruit.Young-avocado juice is watery and ripe-avocado juice is creamy. So, if you feel like a cool-off in the hot day, try the young-avocado juice and if you feel like a sweet dessert, try the latter one with chocolate sauce in it. See pictures!

Avocado juice

Avocado juice with chocolate sauce inside

2. Avocado in sandwiches
Avocado is not a sweet fruit and it can replace vegetables in the sandwich. A great match!

Avocado shrimp sandwich with chips

3. Avocado hair treatment
This is not for eating. Avocados are made into hair treatment products in Bali and you can find them easily in SPA houses. I am not sure whether it is the reason why Indonesians have good hair texture.
Finally, let's end this post with a glance at a fruit stall in the way to Mt.Kintamani and a mango tart bitten by mom@_@.

A fruit stall in the way to Mt.Kintamani



A mango tart with many mango slices only costs about 1.8USD^^



Midterm weekend@Seoul

Unfortunately, I had a GRE test in Seoul on Saturday during the midterm. It was my second time to take this super difficult English test in Seoul and since the October test is sort of more popular, this time, we even didn't have an individual desk for each exam taker.
The good thing was the test center was near Anguk station (line 3), which is close to Insa-Dong, Samcheong-Dong, Gyeongbukgung and so on. Samcheong-Dong is a very artistic hidden gem in Seoul. To reach there, just get out at exit 5 of Anguk station and walk across the street and keep going until you see a tourist information center on your right. In Samcheong-Dong, there is Bukcheon, a traditional Korean village, where  many museums, private galleries, cafes and restaurants hidden inside. It seems a great place for a weekend hangout or a date, very impressive, somewhere may only be found in Seoul.

People enjoy a walk in Samcheong-Dong

Private shops, galleries, cafes all around Samcheong-Dong

Another great place to spend a day is Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art. Take line 6, get out at exit 1 of Hangangjin and go straight and there would be clear signs "Leeum" to guide you there. It is very near Itawon, you can see many foreigners and fancy restaurants there. Leeum has two permanant museums. Museum 1 has a rich and high-quality collection of ancient Korean art works produced in different periods. The whole museum 1 adopts a white background, a great match to traditional Korean art works, simple, neat and elegant. Museum 2 is for modern and contemperary art works made by both Korean and foreign artists and adopts a black background. Leeum, is very nicely designed based on simplicity even to details such as elevators and toilets. They also offer a digital guide equipment that you can learn much while seeing around. An one-day pass that costs 12.000won is of great value. You can enjoy both permanant and special exhibitions. Or you can select part of exhibitions that you are interested in.

Gate of Leeum

Lobby

After lost myself in Seoul for two days, I was refreshed spiritually but exhausted physically. Now, it is time for me to do some yoga and study intensively.

Bali, love at first sight - the Karma SPA, Ubud

Have you ever experienced a SPA treatment? Indonesia is said to be the birth place of SPA. In the ancient kingdom, only royal family members could enjoy such a splurge treatment. Nowadays, in Bali, there are so many professional SPA centers with a wide range of price.
I discovered an hidden dream cottage with a green garden - the Karma Spa.It has well-trained aromatheropists, fine-quality herbal oil, clean treatment rooms in good condition. The location is right behind the Three Monkeys restaurant on the monkey forest street.

My favorite spa in Ubud - Karma Spa



Green garden in Karma

The treatment room is set in the green rice peddies and there are a massage bed, a shower area and a bath tube. The featured treatment in Bali is Javanese Lulur. The procedure is feet wash->one-hour-massage -> body scrub->body yogurt mask(spread cool yogurt on the body for a short time:))->shower->flower bath. During the bath, you can enjoy ginger tea and fruits. It takes two hours and half. The products including massage oil and scrub are all made from natural ingredients, such as rice, herbs and so on. I went to Karma once arrived in Ubud from the airport. I felt so refreshed and energized after the treatment and it was a good start of my Bali trip.
By the way,I just received an email and Karma changed its name to Kayma. 

The treatment room in the rice paddies

Wall ornaments

Generally speaking, the SPA price in Ubud is somewhat higher than that of the south downtown. But it is worth every penny of it since in Ubud, the treatment room usually has a great view and is located in the rice peddies or mountains.
Luxurious brands such as Shisedo and L'OCCITANE also launched their SPA centers in Ubud. The price is at least USD 100><.  If you have enough spending power, an experience there will be unforgettable. But if the budget is a little bit tight, try a reasonable-priced one like Kayma, about USD 30 for Javanese Lulur(2.5hrs). There are other SPA centers even cheaper (<USD 20) for the similar treatment but you get what you pay for according to travelers' reviews.

Plus:
In Ubud, there is another famous shop called KOU whose owner is a Japanese. It sells handmade soaps made from natural coconut oil and herbs. It can be one of the best gifts for your dear friends.

KOU handmade soaps



Bali, love at first sight - all about restaurants, Ubud

I will continue my journey in Ubud. Ubud is a town of artists. Restaurants in Ubud are super nice both in setting and food quality. In Ubud, you can find all tastes, from local food at a warung to international cuisines. Delicious food is available over a wide range of price. Let me warmly introduce several great restaurants.
1. Naughty Nuris
Naughty Nuris is a street-side hangout opposite to Neka Museum. Its star menu including barbeque spare rips and sausages, martinis and so on. Many people reviewed the spare rips as the best one in the world. The restaurant is always busy and people just share large wooden tables and benches. For me, it was fun to share the table with an Indonesian family and an Australian couple. The price is very reasonable. A must-try in Ubud.

The open-air setting
The lady was doing BBQs:)

The star menu: spare rips.
It's so painful for me to look at it when I am in KAIST:(

My lunch set: Bingtang Beer, spare ribs, cap cay(Indonesian vegetable soup with chicken in it), rice and papaya juice!

2. Three Monkeys
Three monkeys is another favorite international restaurant of mine in Ubud. It is on the famous monkey forest street and waiter boys there are very cute^^. I don't have many nice photos of it, but I insist introducing it to you since it cannot be a wrong choice any time you go. The atmosphere is perfect for lovers.

Oh, the vietmese prawn spring rolls were mostly gone and the nasi goreng with shrimp was the best nasi goreng in Bali.
Do not miss its homemade peppermint lime juice!

Wall ornaments

3 monkeys in day time: mum enjoyed sitting right near the rice paddies.

3. Black Beach
Black Beach is an Italian restaurant whose owner's wife is an Italian. The restaurant is an open-air space on the third floor where you can overlook the Ubud town (there is no tall buildings in Ubud, 3rd floor, kind of on the top ). The food is in homemade style and you feel they are truely Italian. This was a small restaurant I found by searching hard and it was worth all my efforts. Love the style!






Homemade Italian: Pizza Margarita, pesto gnocci and caesar salad

Fresh strawberry tart was very fresh!

There are other restaurants and cafes I would like to introduce.They will show up in the later posts. I guess I probably made some of you hungry. Bali is really a heaven and Ubud is the heaven of the heaven. Once I have a chance to travel back there, I will take Indonesian cooking classes. Delicious food is one of my religions! I believe in it,haha:P