Seoul 2012

 Hi there. I know it's been forever since I last wrote anything here, and I know it was really abrupt where I had left off (in the middle of my trip to Paris, 2011..). I apologise for the MIA-ness. I just can't find the energy to carry on from where I had left off. Hence, I guess I shall just pick up from wherever I am, alright? hehe.

Okay, a slight recap. So after my Paris trip last year, I returned to Singapore recharged and worked like a bee for the rest of 2011, in a Japanese patisserie-on-a-hill. And due to major platonic shifts in manpower in the kitchen, I have been (most unceremoniously) upgraded to a leadership position, despite my obvious lack in age and experience, thus I have been leading the kitchen since the start of 2012. Pretty strange huh.

Fast forward six months, I'm finally due for a vacation. This time round to Seoul, Korea. A 5 day, 4 night, do what you like trip.

Seok, my Le Cordon Bleu classmate and good friend, came to pick us up from the airport and brought us to our hotel, The Classic 500, at Konkuk University station. The car trip took us nearly 2 hours! Thanks to Seok's father for keeping up at the wheel. 

The Classic 500 is a brilliant hotel that combines luxury and value. We stayed in a suite which is huge at 125 square metres (a little too big for two persons), complete with a kitchen, separate living room and high-tech facilities; all for about S$250 per night.

I did my proper homework, listing down the few bakeries and patisseries to try. My research brought me to Paul and Pauline, which is famous for their flaky, buttery croissants. Wonderful pain au chocolat, well worth the trip.

344-6 Seogyo-dong Mapo-gu (마포구 서교동 344-6);+82 02 333 0185

 Lunch at a Japanese ramen hole-in-the-wall. Cold ramen.

 Lovely isn't it, being able to see Kim Soo Hyun just about anywhere, despite his over-the-moon expression.

 Michaya, known for its Green Tea Tiramisu. We got the tiramisu and a fromage blanc. Both cakes were pretty blah..

446-59 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu (마포구 서교동 446-59); +82 2 3143 3579

 However, their red bean bingsu made up for the disappointment in their cakes with its super fine ice crystals.

 At a really cute cafe at Ssamziegil, Insadong.

 With Seok, our host cum carry-boy.. haha. Thanks Seok!

 Second accommodation at KunDaeMunJip guesthouse, a traditional Korean house (Bukchon).

 Lunch at a noodle house near our bukchon.

 The pickles.

 The pork ribs stew.

 Really spicy cold noodles.

 Seoul is literally littered with cafes. One of the many cafes in Anguk area, Remini's Cafe. Coincidentally, the owner of the cafe graduated from Le Cordon Bleu.

 Cake and coffee set. Despite the latte art and all, the coffee is only so-so. An occurrence for too many coffees I had in Seoul, sadly.

 The sweet potato tart. A creative combination.

 An almond tart base, topped with sweet potato cream and fresh cream, and a ball of caramelised sweet potato. Nice!

 I can't help but to want to capture forever in my memory this simple arrangement of common flowers sitting so beautifully by the window sill.

 Samgyetang, Ginseng chicken soup. Truly unmemorable.

 Korean breakfast prepared by our hosts at the bukchon. Simple, but really comforting.

 Crossing a canal.

 Onward to Bangsan Market

 The most satisfying lunch in my humble opinion of the entire trip. The common Korean ramyun, Gimbab (rice roll), and cold noodles. Ooh la la.

 Another cute (but of a completely different style compared to Remini's) cafe near our bukchon in Anguk area: Gondry Cafe.

 Orange honey tea. The small canister labeled Honey is actually sugar syrup. ._.

 This is how I see my mum whenever we sit down at a cafe.

 A space for local artist to sell their creations. In this case, it's a button-related accessory shop. Good idea.

 Green tea cake with a red bean cream center.

 Red bean bingsu.

 Korean bath house! Jimjilbang! The experience of the trip where we got a scrub-down, complete with cucumber face mask and an oil massage by two semi-naked ahjumas. haha.. tickles..

 Pork trotter for dinner.

 At the airport before leaving.

Bulgolgi bibimbab

Playing dress-up at the Korean culture centre. In the picture, I am wearing a traditional hanbok for single ladies.

 Goodbye Seoul.

End.

Paris Day 9

It was back to Eiffel Tower in the morning after we have decided that we might as well go up the world's most iconic tower since we're here.

Don't be put off by the long and winding queue for the lift though. It moves pretty fast. On the other hand, you can always choose to scale the over 600 steps to the second level in the lashing wind. Speaking of wind, I did notice that the Eiffel Tower seemed to sway in the wind, as if the entire structure were on springs!

Do beware of black people walking around, selling trinkets and what-nots. One word of advice: stay away.

Lunch at a local bistro in the area. The classic croque-madame et frites and an omelet et frites.

Then, it was off to the awesome Champs-Élysées via train.

Paris must be the only city in the world that is so aesthetic that it has its horse-chestnut trees that lined the street be clipped into uniform box shape.

Walking down the street that is famous for its cafes and boutiques.
Ladurée. 75 Avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris, France

Hence, my pastry pilgrimage continues.

Ladurée's patisserie looked so beautiful, I wanted to try every single one of them if I had the stomach. Damn, why didn't I bring someone who can actually eat along.
Les macarons, millefeuille fraise and a pot of orange bergamot tea.

Saint-Honoré Rose Raspberry.

We kind of stumbled into this chocolate shop. It was Aileen who first alerted me: Heidi! Look! It's Patrick Roger!
Me: Patrick who?
Aileen: The famous chocolatier!
So Patrick Roger, the rock star of the chocolate; an artist who combines sleek design with sublime flavours. This was my first impression of him as I entered the chocolate boutique. He had boxes of neatly arranged truffles lying exposed on the table, not in a glass box mind you, and had these two mountain of chocolate showpieces displayed right at the door. It was practically chocolate everywhere. You'd even smell the chocolate before you see them.

We certainly did buy our fair share of chocolates in there. They were so expensive! but what defenses we had? They were so good..
12 cité Berryer Village Royal 75008 Paris

And we meandered off Champs-Élysées into Madeleine: Fauchon.

24 - 26 - 30 place de la Madeleine, Paris, France

Fauchon is one big gourmet powerhouse. It has everything from wines, jams, pastries, and breads to seafood, poultry, cooked vegetables and boxed lunches. Even their packaging is a thing of marvel. They must have consultants from Japan to achieve these standards. I am impressed.

Fauchon Boulangerie.

When you come to Fauchon, (die-die) must have their eclair. Best eclair I had so far compared to the common flaccid variety. Caramel et fleur de sel.

My mum cannot resist white asparagus. And we got a vegetable sandwich to share. All excellent.

Dinner at Les Pâtes Vivantes, a Chinese noodle house near our hotel that got a mention in the Michelin guide.

46, rue du faubourg Montmartre, 75009 Paris, France

Jellyfish with cucumber in sesame oil (salade de méduse aux concombres et à l'huile de sésame).

Look at this! Tsing Tao in Paris! Eggplant and pork noodle.

Crispy duck (Canard croustillant) and Zha Jiang Mian. The noodles being hand-pulled were okay, but the sauces for both noodles had an over-powering hoisin sauce taste, which I didn't like. Out of everything, Tsing Tao was the best, which tells a lot about the food yeah.

End.

Paris Day 8

I apologize for the long hiatus in updating my dear blog. December 2011 was such a busy period (Christmas) for a girl who works in a patisserie that there was absolutely no time to write! No time even to watch Korean dramas!

From where I left off.
Paris.

Remember the Poilane bread I bought the day before? I had it for breakfast the very next day; with a bit of butter and honey. Heaven.

Our first stop of the day was to return to the Louvre after our failed attempt to enter it.

Lo and behold! There was such! a queue at the entrance.
Do note that there are various entrance fee for different age groups and work profession. For example, I'm a youth, hence had paid for the Youth category which is a little lesser than the full Adult price. If you are a teacher or is with an Art association, you get to go in for free. Alternatively, the first Sunday of each month is free museum day in Paris. :)

The exhibits. The really famous ones.

Victoire de Samothrace.
The most beautiful of all the artwork in the Louvre, in my opinion.

Leonardo da Vinci
Mona Lisa "la Gioconda"; John the Baptist

The crowd viewing Mona Lisa.

A short break, that is lunch at the only available place inside of Le Louvre; Paul Patisserie. Half a cold prosciutto sandwich.

Venus de Milo

Sights.

The Louvre museum is expansive. It has three parts, the Sully Wing, the Richelieu Wing and the Denon Wing, each holds an entirely different style of artwork. Fun fact: There are 35,000 works of art on display in the Louvre. If you were to spend 30 seconds on each piece of art, not counting the time taken walking from one artwork to the next, it would take about thirteen days to complete the largest museum in the world.

It took me an entire afternoon of quick browsing and only stopping at the displays that caught my attention (I even skipped the Egyptian, Near Eastern and Islamic sections), and my eyes and brain were tired as hell when we left it.

A quick stop at the Eiffel Tower for a photo shoot.

Dinner at a quaint bistro in Saint Germain des Pres, where the sky is still bright at 10 in the evening.

Champagne, bread with terrine trio.

A very good dish this one.
Pan-fried scallops with caramelized leeks and pureed potato.

End.