Dinner di Geum Gang San 금강산

Masalahnya ini bukan geumgangsan yang ada di Korea Utara, tapi hanyalah nama sebuah restoran yang sering kita datangi apabila Prof. Yang mengundang kami semua.
This is a place near our campus where only the certified fresh food are served.
We were all happy to meet over the dinner.
Three professors from Malaysia (Encik Zaharani Bin Ahmad and his beloved wife), Encik Lim Kin Hui,  one professor from English Linguistics Dept. (Mr. Lyman McLallen), one professor from Indonesia (Pak Mohtar Masoed), two students from Indonesia, one from Malaysia, one from Korea, and Pak Yang dan Prof. Park Jae Bong
A sumptuous meal.

Roti Boy in Seoul

The first Roti Boy I had in Korea:)

Just got back from having dinner with Seonhee and Hannah, two of my close friends we met in Jogjakarta a couple of years ago.
Having acknowledged that we cannot eat pork or any meat, they invited us to have dinner at all-fish restaurant near campus. It turned out to be quite a nice and clean place where I can eat beoseot suntubu (버섯순두부) while Wawan had his 구이참치, well I did not know what that was, but all I knew was that it was fish. ^.^
The price was the same as that in other places, around 4,000 Won.

But, the thing that made us want to come back to this restaurant again was the fact that the rice was cooked/steamed with other ingredients like peanut-like vegetables..so that the rice was differently nice and delicious.
For sure, we want to go there again.
Then, we had a coffee afterward at Roti Boy.
Yes, this Roti Boy sells Coffee as a set menu.
We bought a set menu consisting of one cup of Americano coffee and one bun of Roti Boy (3,300 Won).
Since we really miss Roti Boy we used to have back home.....having this Roti Boy right in front of our campus was a treat in itself.
For sure, it will be helpful should we miss home:) ^.^ Especially since it is a bit different from what I had back home, this Roti Boy bakeshoppe sells coffee and ice cream!

Dinner time @ Home Plus (part two)

LOTTERIA.
There used to be a chain store in front of my present campus. But, I don't know why it stopped operating.
This Lotteria Store is dubbed the best national brand for fast food franchise store in the country.
Oh, one new notion that I was particularly interested in is...a device that each customer receive after ordering. It was like a beeper with lights and vibrate mode on it. Once our order is done or ready, the device will light up and vibrate so as to inform the customer that their orders are ready. The thing is that...there are not many servants here, so everything must be done solely and voluntarily by the customers.....even the clean-up process after having a meal in the restaurant. I think this is one thing that differentiate Indonesian fast food restaurant and its counterparts in Korea.

I guess lots of Koreans do come here.
As for myself, there are a lot of things that I can eat here, considering that I cannot eat meat at all. So, there is this particularly delicious burger: no other than Shrimp Burger or 새우버거 (seubeogeo). The set menu costs as much as 4,900 Won. Of course it is a bit expensive, but considering the fact that I've wanting to eat this one.....I could not stop my temptation of having to eat there.
I wanted to try their onion ring and cheese potato, actually.
But, thankfully, I could refrain myself from being obnoxious. Well, I am not sure whether I am using the right term...but it was just that I am not gusto-type of guy. So, I eat decently.:)
Back to my menu.
It was so delicious that I felt a deep relieved of being able to eat there.
Alhamdulillah.

Dinner time @ Home Plus (part one)

So, it was Magrib (dusk) already. I got to find something to eat.
The arrays of Korean food displayed inside the glass were so mouth-watering. They look so real that we almost could slice and scoop them out of the glass.
One thing for sure, they made me feel hungrier and hungrier.

Instead of taking the Korea food, I went to this particular restaurant: Lotteria that used to by my hang out place back then.

I took the pictures of this humongous PIZZA ever displayed or ever existed. Yet, it does exist.
It cost around 11,000 Won...and sure it is BIG.
Can't resist the temptation of eating PIZZA. but, NOpE. It would cost me an arm and a leg.
then, I took a snap picture of Korean traditional food being displayed.
hmmmm...what a colorful dishes whose prices range from 3,500 up to 9,000. Well, I could eat that later.
My eyes and stomach set their appetite for other food.
Lotteria...:)

Kimbab & Rapukki (김밥 & 라볶이), plus Halal Pringles!

kimbab & rapukki

After three weeks of being in Korea,  I finally had my first kimbab & rapukki. 라볶이와 (야채)김밥을 먹고야말았어요!!! . It's just a matter of time. It was actually a coincidentally coined dinner since my friend was actually eager to eat fish. Since I do not (yet) know many places, we just ended up going to the place where kimbab being the main dish. Upon finding the menu, we were excited as I myself could find the rapukki that I had been wanting to eat since my arrival 3 weeks ago. Then, as for my friend, he got what he wanted in the first place, it was something like kongchikimchibab (꽁치김치밥??) I am not sure whether it is correctly spelled. :)
However, it was comparatively cheap. I got to pay 4,300 Won for both kimbab and rapukki that made my belly somewhat full...:)

Then, off we went to E-Mart (again and again) for another shopping of (nothing more than) rice and more snacks--only this time, I got a halal snack, since it is made in P&G Malaysia's Original Pringles that I love so much. I bought 4 cans of Pringles for only 6,500 Won. It means it only cost me a mere 1,600 for each can. A good bargain considering one single can cost 2,500!




See the small Halal sign there?
How come that this Halal-signed product could ever be here? Because it is marketed in Asean and Korea.
I think Korea should start considering having most of its products verified Halal since more and more foreigners (especially those coming from Muslim world) come to Korea. Just look at Australia and the UK or the States where more and more Halal products are increasingly marketed into the domestic market.
It is high time for Korea to do so.

Foreign Food Market at Itaewon

The third Jumatan that I have been into. It means that I have been in Korea for almost 3 weeks, then. Hmm..
And this was also the first time that I bumped into a foreign food market. I was walking down the alley towards Itaewon after the Friday prayer. It caught my attention since lots of foreigners were just coming in and out of the store, so I guessed that there must have been something that they can get in there.
So...I paid a visit.
It turned out that it sells lots of international brands from many nationals. I found STMJ, Nyam-Nyam, Kopiko, Indomie, ABC ketchup, tempe !!!!!! my favorite food......and many other things that I may need for further reference.
The prices are also reasonably inexpensive.
The indomie costs 450 Won each or a mere 3,500 Rupiah...which I think is almost the same price should I go in the upscale store in Indonesia. So, it was a great relief that I found this store.:)
Still, my friend suggested that the stores in Ansan ( a satellite city on the outskirt of Seou) would sell those stuffs cheaper! Wow, way to go.

what a treat!!!

Anyway, it was a great sight to see.
Then, we had lunch at Mr. Kebab--a Turkish restaurant.
Wawan, Budi, and Yoga (my new friends from Indonesia that I met today), as well as Jobirson were having our lunch there. Since I am a vegetarian, instead of mutton, I asked for a Kebab with potato wedges in it.:)
It was alright, though.
Afterwards, Budi showed us a place in Dongmyo station. It turned out it was a place where we can buy bargain stuffs from bric a brac, knick knack to all luxurious or antique stuffs at bargain cost.
Jobirson and Wawan bought this Korean - English dictionary for a mere 9,000 Won.--only one fifth of the price of those at the bookstore. Wow. what a bargain.
Indeed, we had a great day, today.

COEX Mall & Megabox Cinema

My first BK in Seoul

Megabox Cineplex

It has been like 8 years since the last time I visited Coex Mall. I guess so. This time around, I was so excited of coming there again since it used to be my hang-out place. But...the feeling was different now. I did not find the excitement as I used to have back then. It did not entice me the way it wooed me years ago. In fact, Grand Indonesia Shopping Town and Central Park in Jakarta are more far better than this one. I guess because it was built in the early of 2000's. But, still...this place still attracts lots of people since it is located in the World Trade Center where lots of foreigners come to do business and leisure.

The only reason why I visited this place is the fact that I was once more into the Bandi and Luni's Bookstore there. I used to be a member and I just reapplied again to confirm my membership. I spent like two hours strolling and skimming the books that I love. It is such a haven for such an avid reader like me:) aha.

Bandi & Luni's

Then, something caught my attention, there was a section where all Disney books were discounted up to 70%. I bought this sticker book for only as much as 5,400 Won, or a mere US$ 5. What a bargain. I was thinking of having it as a present to my kids when they are coming to Seoul this November.

Then, I got a chance to go to Megabox Cineplex. I still remember it as the biggest cineplex in town. Now that I am accustomed to having this kind of Cineplex back home in Indonesia, I did not find it interesting as I did the first time I was here. And..the price of movie ticket is also
comparatively expensive...it is about 8,000 to 13,000 Won depending on its movies. The most expensive one would be those in 3D.

Since I did not have a plan to see any movies, I just entered the hall and checked out somte posters of the movies and learned a bit about the atmosphere of the place.
This time around...I found out that the blockbuster movies being screened are Final Destination 5 (3D), Colombiana, Planet of the Apes: Rise of the Apes; The Champs (챔프), Shark Night (3D), 도나기, and Korean animated feature (쥴리의 육지 대모험). The Korean movies I mentioned earlier are both that are intentionally premiered for Chuseok (Thanksgiving Day) in Korea.
Oh, I also managed to have something to eat at Burger King. Well, I could enjoy the french fries!!! The price is the same as that of Jakarta's. So, it would not be such a good idea to coming there or eating there often; for it would not be a wise thing to do.
Here are the snapshots that I took for my trip today.

The book for Eyra & Freya

- My burger and french fries @ Burger King
- Bandi & Luni's facade
- Megabox Cinema (Korea'a answer to Blitz Megaplex since it also features independent movies). I found an Indian movie titled "Three Idiots" being screened there. I wonder if there were any moviegoers watching this movie in Korea.
- Link O where I bought the stationary. It is one of the famous stationary chain store in Korea. This place used to be the place where I bought most of my office utensils back then. I had to buy stapler, its staples, some glue, and a clear book to keep my paper and other notes; oh and a box of Post-it for my daily use.
- The facade of Coex Mall where the Hyatt Park is visible (though vaguely)

For those who want to get there, just google it. Coex Mall.

Stationary from Link O

I myself....just hopped on Seoul Metro from Hufs station and went to Sinseoldong to tranfer to Seongsu where I got to take the green line up to Samseong station where Coex is located.
It took me about 45 minutes from where I live to get there. So, it would be a good idea to go there again. But, on second thought, I was thinking of going to Konkuk ibgu (건국입구역) since I spotted a great place to hang out or to see on my way to Coex. I guess it would be a nice place to go to some time. :)

Lunch with my friends

from up front (left): Jobirson, Elmira, Borey, me
From up front (right): Felx, Nassef, Maya

For the first time....after a week of living on our own money or expenditure, today..we received our scholarship. It means I could give back the money I borrowed from my friend. It means my friends do not have to spend their own money on daily stuffs. It means my friends could start eat something decent starting from now on. No...it really DOES.

We were off to a restaurant where fish is served. Nasseff, our friend from the Phillipines, suggested a restaurant he went to yesterday. Off we went. It turned out that Maya, my friend from Algeria, loved it so much since it was the first time that she ate something decent. Out of 8, six of us are Muslim, so it is a bit hard for us to find a restaurant that serves only fish or any food with no pork or ham in it. But, eventually, we did it.
Nasseff ate 3 bowls of rice in addition to the already huge fish he had.
Felix, my friend from Ghana, turned out to eat not that much. I was wrong about him, though.
Wawan seemed to enjoy the fish he had, so did Jobirson, my friend from Uzbekistan.
As for Elmira, a friend from Kazakhstan, she found the fish she had as something delicious, too.

A Decent Meal at Last

Too bad, that my friend, Borey from Vietnam did not like the food she ordered simply because it did not look like the picture she saw on the menu. (imagine a McDonald ads. which looks so yummy with lots of veggies on its burger...yet it has only small amount of it.....) just like that.
Since I am the only one who cannot eat met or fish, I ordered dolseot bibimbap as usual.:)

Nasi Biryani

Since it is our first week in Seoul again, I still got to adjust myself (again this time) to the food around here. Not that I never ate Korean food, NO. I did many times eat lots of Korean food back in my hometown, Jogjakarta. But, the thing was that...it is so different here. I have to worry about whether the food contains pork, ham, or any meat that comes from piggy piggy:)

As for me (actually), it is somewhat acceptable in the sense that I do not have to worry that much because I am a vegetarian which kind of gives me an (unexpected) advantage of being a vegetarian in a country where pork and ham are widely used. But still, I got to make myself alerted.
So, this time, when we were at Itaewon--a district where the only Mosque available is right there--I got myself a chance to buy any halal food available. So, we went into this Indian restaurant and treated us with a big box of Indian biryani rice. It is a good thing that I take it out instead of dining in there--so as to be able to enjoy it at the dormitory while doing something else.
Hmmm..it is so delicious since it has lots of vegetables in it. One thing for sure: the color, the smell, the ingredients, and the taste are all familiar. Such a nice treat in the first week of my 4-year stay in Korea. Bismillahirrohmanirrohim.

Dolseot Bibimbab: the real one

starting as of today..
I am just going to jot down things that I found interesting. It may not be written in time order since I would just write what I find interesting.

So, I am just going to upload the pictures of me and my friend, Wawan, when we were having our dolseot bibimbab. It was a bit tough time for Wawan being the first timer to Korea to get himself accustomed to Korean food. Not to mention.....that we are being Moslem. So, I think it is a good thing that I have been here before so I know my way around and what to eat. That is the reason why we ate together. I was explaining and showing him what he can eat and cannot eat. But, since I am a vegetarian...I already told him that should he follow along my way, he would never find any meat or chicken or fish along the way of any culinary experience in Korea. And he said that it would be just fine. At least for the first few weeks or days, since he had to adjust himself to the life around here.
So, this dolseot bibimbab that we ordered is meat-free. I deliberately asked the ajumma to just get rid of the meat and just served us with lots of veggies.
Oh, we were eating at a small sikdang 'restaurant' where students usually eat. It was tagged at 4000 Won each. Well, comparatively cheap and still affordable. I was actually looking for a special sikdang that I used to eat when I was here 10 years ago...it turned out that the alley was changed. so, instead..we just ate at this newly found restaurant where an ajumma was kind and friendly. She even added some dishes and dwenjang (my favorite tempe (soybean)-like soup)

Soto Branggahan

Soto Branggahan: Pak Munir

One of the things that I would miss from Kediri is soto branggahan. I am a vegetarian? Still. I cannot eat soto? WrongJ. Well, soto has this chicken flavor in its soup. I just do not eat the chicken, but the broth is fine, especially this soto branggahan that never fails to captivates my appetite for more.

I don’t know as to why I like it. I guess it was because it is cooked in a coconut milk that makes it so tasty and yet …light to slurpJ.

So, every time I go home back to Kediri, I always take the time with my sister and brother to eat soto branggahan.  Soto pak munir, pak sumali and others are all the more palatable when it comes to talking about soto.

nasi pecel dan tumpang Kediri

Pecel tumpang

I just want to talk about the pecel and tumpang dish: two specialties from Kediri, my hometown. So, it was Ramadan and I still remembered that we had actually had our dinner already. But, the idea of going to town and having the traditional food to enjoy while being home was so intriguing and hard to put down that we just decided to go and eat.

It was pretty late and a bit windy. We were sitting on a plastic and bamboo mattress(?) on the side walk. Yes, this is a lesehan ‘ no-chair’ restaurant where we had to sit on the floor or mattress available. The kids loved it, too I guess. But, mostly..I was the one who was so excited of having this tumpang simply because I know that it will be a long time again..for me to taste this tumpang. So, it was a great time for me and my wife who turned out to be an avid lover of pecel and tumpang.

I think it was a good time to eat tumpang at the birthplace of tumpang itself. Hahaaha…I think I am being sentimental here. I guess it was pretty much a good time we did have. One more thing: tumpang has been in my life since I was a kid, I presume. So, having to eat this particularly interesting and delicious traditional meal is a feat in itself; for many people are looking to have one of those.

Buka Bersama at Daejanggeum

On Saturday night, we finally made it to Dae Jang Geum with the whole family for the first time. It has been our plan to take the whole family to taste the Korean food at Korean restaurant. It finally happened thanks to my sister-in-law (Yuni)’s generosity to use up all of the voucher as much as IDR 195,000 she received from Happy Land Hospital. She kept collecting the vouchers from scratch. I mean…she got an IDR 5,000 to around IDR 20,000 voucher every time she visited the hospital for her pregnancy check-up for the last 9 months. Then, it occurred to her that she may not be able to use the voucher unless she asked us out. In fact, she is not sure of whether she might like the food.

Yes, for most of us..it was the first time ever the we ever tried the Korean food.

My mother-in-law and my brother-in-law had their first taste of Kimchi, Kimbab, Dolseotbibimbap, suntubu and other food we ordered. They found it strange and weird. Of course, it was natural that they had to find it hard to taste. Well, I think it was simply because it was their first time. I myself began to like kimchi after 6 months of living in Korea. AHA. So, it was natural.

But, the most important thing is that they now have experienced the Korean food and how it tastes.

The best thing about it is that…we can make the best deal of the food thanks to the voucher we had :). We only had to pay one third of the total we spent. What a treat.

Last minute Change of Plan for Dinner

Ms. Han Sang Mee, KOICA volunteer, who served her 2-year term at our university from 2007 -2009 just arrived in Jogjakarta for a 5-day visit. She told us that she misses Jogja...and that is her simple reason of coming back again.
Two days ago she surprised us by showing up unexpectedly at the office. Some of us just could not believe that she just dropped by like that without any hints of visiting... but hey..it was a great thing indeed that she is here now.
So, she told me that she kinda planned it lightly. Booked a flight from Seoul - KL - Jogja and flew right here.
As she did not bring any oleh-oleh from Seoul, she told me that she would take me out for dinner with the rest of my family and our gang:) Well, who wouldn't want that?
...One day passed by...
On second thought....it would be so weird of having to be together...but she is the one who invites us for dinner. Wait...!!! Wait...Wait....!!! something seems a bit odd and not right...
So....on the last minutes of being invited to Ms. Han's dinner....
I confirm the situation once again.....which is ....the simple fact that she is our guest at the moment. She is now visiting Jogjakarta to meet us.
....Without further ado, I decided to tell my colleagues that we would never let Ms. Han Sang Mee invite us and pay the meal for us. Nope.
...Instead...we should invite/ask Ms. Han for dinner.So, I invite her to come for dinner, as for us..it is breaking the fast together.
Coincidentally...today is my 9th anniversary of marriage. ....So..I have the more reason to invite some of my colleagues...
Since today is the only time she has time, and so is for us....(She has an appointment of meeting her students on Friday and on Saturday she is flying to Jakarta for vacation).
So...today we ended up having dinner a.k.a. breaking the fast together at Hartz Chicken.
Once again...this was also the last minute change of plan.
Everything went well and it was a great dinner and break the fast together.
Ms.Han Sang Mee unexpectedly also give us a pair of gifts that we love.
I just hope that she enjoys her stay in Jogjakarta and hopefully we could meet again in Seoul.

Tugu Jogja

Though it is barely visible since the Tugu is far beyond as the background, it is still in the vicinity of Tugu Monument—one of the landmarks of Jogjakarta.

It was taken after we had lunch at Kedai Tiga Nyonya—a fusion restaurant combining Malay and Chinese food. This particular restaurant is famous for its mouthwatering delicacies.

It was so hot that day that we got to take a shelter from the heat. I guess it was around 2 pm in the afternoon. Eyra and Freya just did not have the slightest idea of where we were. But, this picture will surely become a testimony of their being there....in Tugu.

Ayam Ucul Restaurant

So, we spotted this funny looking sign of a restaurant on our way home. I never thought that This is a name of a restaurant. I guess the owner deliberately and intentionally name his restaurant like this so as to attract the curiosity of people passing by. It is located at the Candi Gebang, a small area near the newly developed Maguwohargo stadium in Jogjakarta. It is so funny that we decided to stop to take the picture of it. Well, never been there ourselves, just stopped to take this picture.
Oh, for anyone who's wondering what it means, ayam ucul 'loose chicken' literally. But what behind the line is what makes it funny. It implies that the chicken is so terrified of being slaughtered that it ran away or escape its cage. :) But that would raise an  intriguing question, Supposed... the chicken has run away, whose chicken was then on the plate? A stolen one? * chuckles*

Green-Eyed Freya

What I mean by ‘green’ is simply because Freya loves anything green. Green t-shirt, green cookies, green trousers, green books, green lights, green sandals, and everything greeeeeeeeeeeennnnn. J

These photos were taken when we just attended a family-day outing at campus. We strolled along the campus and took a rest at some place (still inside the campus). Eyra & Freya got excited about the activities.

One picture shows Freya being a gate keeper in kid’s soccer field. I guess this photo was taken at Pringsewu Restaurant in Jalan Magelang, Jogjakarta.