seoul cafe wrap up

Wrapping up my Seoul cafe hopping post!

Something that I always do while I travel, I cafe hop in foreign cities.
I find it exciting to visit local cafes and try carefully crafted coffee. This time, I planned to
try out at least 5 places but my schedule did not allow me so I only visited 2.
They were both very good in different ways.

First stop, 5extracts in Hongdae. The cafe, a 10 minute walk from Honggik university station, 

has a nice rustic decor that is cool but cozy at the same time. 

I tried a caramel latte, something I rarely have but I was glad to get a little sweet kick in my
coffee. The result was not disappointing, very warm and the latte art was beautiful!

My second stop was Coffee Lec. Located in a small alley in the fancy area of Garosugil, 

cafe owner Sean An was Korea's Barista champion from 2011. 

Coffee Lec reminded me of a Jazz bar with a 1920's vibe. I spent about a good hour or two chatting with my good friend
while taking a break from shopping. The mocha I ordered tasted wonderful and the service was amazing as well. 

Definitely had a great coffee experience in Seoul. I'm so glad to see people dedicated to making good coffee!
Please check back for more updates to come at Milk+Toast+Honey. I will cafe hop at local cafes in Tokyo again!

Spring salad

Inspired by my trip to Aroina Tabeta, a very authentic Thai restaurant around Yurakucho area, 

I made this spicy and fresh salad dish. The original was a spicy crunchy fish salad, 

but I tried to kick it up a notch by using calamari! 

 

Ingredients:

-red onions or shallots, thinly sliced

-leafs and soft stems of celery, thinly sliced

-halved mini tomatoes

-diced red or yellow peppers

-Fried or baked choice of seafood. I like using fish or calamari.

-sprouts

-handful of cilantro

-peanuts

-lettuce

Sauce:

- lemon or lime juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime

- 2 garlic cloves

-1 + 1/2 chili

-sliced ginger

-cilantro roots, thinly sliced 

(this is optional but it will make the salad more aromatic)

- fish sauce (nam pla) 1 +1/2 tablespoon

- brown or white sugar 1 tablespoon

directions:

-mix the dry ingredients together (except the fried seafood and lettuce), set aside

-crush the garlic and chili together, add the sauce ingredients and make sure to mix well

-add the sauce ingredients to the dry. mix thoroughly.

-layer the lettuce leaves and then decorate the plate with the salad. 

-add the fried seafood on top and voila! it's done!

Recipe and photos by Fern.

Souvenirs from Japan, V. 1

If you are travelling to Japan and not sure what get for your friends and family, why not check out some of my lists?

Hiragana bookmark for book lovers / Onzen bath salt / Greentea flavored KitKat is definitely a must! /

Sushi USB / Last but not least, Jagabee (I find this to be very addictive!)

You can find these everywhere in Tokyu hands, Loft and drugstores :)

The Jamism

 I was introduced to the Jamism by my good friend, Clair who designed the logo for the cafe.

The Jamism focuses on using organic products to make great tasting jams without using any

sugar or preservatives! Instead of my usual coffee, I opted for Kiwi and lemon soda which

tasted refreshing and totally suitable for summer.

Soomin, the Jamism's owner decorates the cafe with a warm atmosphere. I feel very at home

once I stepped in. Furthermore, I tried the Jam Plate which is served with

croissants and fresh jam selections to try out. 

Before I left for Japan, I did not forget to bring along some of her fresh jams with me.

It was super difficult to make up my mind since they all tasted amazing but I

decided to bring back kiwi and blueberry.

 

If you ever have a chance to visit Seoul, please pay the Jamism a little visit. 

The cafe is located in Pangyo station! Totally recommended! 

For more information, visit the Jamism's website here!

Off duty

Zara faux leather sweater / Bag and Shoes I bought in Tokyo / GU pants / Canmake nail polish in smokey beige

Short stop to Seoul!

Last week, I went for a short trip to Seoul. Since this is my second time in the city,

I didn't want to do too many touristy things I did on my last trip. Instead this time,

I went strolling and experience things local Koreans do on typical weekends. 

A view from Dongdaemun.

This is the newly launched design center, DDP, located in downtown Seoul. The center, designed by

renowned architect Zaha Hadid, is super futuristic and suave. I felt like I was in outer space. 

Strolling in Seoul's fancy shopping area, Garosu-gil, which means tree lined street.

A Street musician in Hongdae.

All in all it was a great long weekend. I feel refreshed and am ready to tackle another month at work!

 More updates on cafes I visited in Seoul soon!

All Photos taken by me. :)

streamer coffee company

Time to hop another cafe. For my latest expedition, I hopped Streamer Coffee Company in Shibuya.

I've always wanted to try this place out since it is owned and operated by Hiroshi Sawada,

Japan's very first free pour latte art champion. 

The cafe indeed lived up to its reputation. We were lucky enough to get latte made by Mr. Sawada

himself. I must say this is the most beautiful latte art I've ever seen, so precise and crisp.

The latte was smooth and delish as well!

If you are around the Tokyo or Osaka area, be sure to check Streamer Coffee out, it's totally worthy!

february wishlist

a.p.c. boots / The seventh duchess tea / archipelago soy wax candles / baggu duffel bag /

 i love ugly six panel cap / korres hand cream

today

I'm loving everything about this look! oh spring, please come soon!

via Aritzia

5 minute healthy rice

one of my resolutions this year is to eat healthier. 

although i vow to be more stern about my diet choices, i sometimes find it challenging to come up with an absolutely healthy dish. 

i accidentally stumbled upon this quick and healthy recipe from a complimentary lunch at work. after trying the bento, i couldn't resist replicating this fresh and easy recipe! The best thing about this entrée is that the ingredients are easy to find, plus it only takes around 5 minutes to make!

ingredients for 1 serving:

- a handful of your choice of sprouts

- half of one avocado, diced

- halved 5 mini tomatoes

- salmon flakes ( you can leave this in case you are a vegetarian )

- 3/4 cup of cooked brown rice

- 3 tbs boiled beans and peas

- sliced green onions to garnish

sauce ingredients:

- 2 tbs soy sauce

- 1 tbs mirin

- 1 ts sesame oil

- a couple of pinches of black and white roasted sesame seeds

directions:

- mix the sauce together and set aside

- add the beans and peas to the rice. add a couple of table spoons of the sauce and mix well.

- simply decorate the dish however you want. I like to layer them and top with salmon flakes and green onions.

- add in the rest of the sauce on top of the rice and voila! your healthy rice is ready!

Japanese charming tea review

There are new trends in Japan on health and wellness these days and this "charming tea" is my recent discovery! I'm not sure what charming tea is, but I guess it's similar to a healthy tea (based on the ingredients).

I received this tea from an acquaintance as a new year gift. It comes in 30 tea sachets. They are mixtures of tea leaves such as corn tea, rooibos tea, rose hip tea, gobo root and candle bush.

I like that the tea is very mild and it doesn't taste bitter at all even if I leave the bag in too long.

I'm not sure if I will buy this tea myself. I find it a little too pricey for a drugstore tea ($20).

the roastery by nozy coffee

first cafe hop of 2014!

I've always wanted to try Nozy Coffee but it's a little outside my usual route. I was ecstatic to find out that the roastery, an affiliate cafe of nozy has opened up nearby Meiji-jingumae.

the verdict? awesome. I would say that they kept their coffee menu pretty minimal with only espresso, americano and caffe latte. The Roastery offer single origin coffee plus they roast on site, which basically made the whole place aromatic. I had my 12 oz latte with a side of banana muffin that reminded me of my time in toronto.

great coffee with lots of seating in a cool and suave atmosphere. definitely worth a visit, only minutes away from meiji-jingumae station.

all photographs by me.