We love aquariums so we went to see the one at Coex Mall in Gangnam. The aquarium was pretty good, lots of sharks and rays. The Coex Mall itself was not that interesting. Just lots of shops and food courts, same as any big mall. There were some cool places to take photos but otherwise, not for me.
LED screen wrapped building at COEX in GangnamPretty white koiThese boys want to eat kalguksu tooJelliesEye to eye with a Pacific Giant Octopus. He was my favourite…HUGE!Offspring with ReefThis is a big fish just under the surface. I like all the smeared colours from the moving water.
COEX Aquarium …in case you want to visit. If you like aquariums there are a few pics of Sumida aquarium in Tokyo in this post.
Kalguksu 칼국수
Kalguksu at 할아버지 손 칼국수… one of my favourites. Young husband and wife team make fresh noodles by hand every morning. Delicious and only 5$ a big bowl. Look at this place ♥️. Everything covered in flour! This is my favourite kind of restaurant. One or two things on the menu made with pride and care. They make the noodles outside on this table every morning.This basically says that each person has to order a menu item. The place is tiny and there is usually a lineup outside. This sign is no-doubt aimed at people who ask to share a bowl of soup so they only have to pay 2.50 each 🙄. I think that’s what it says… probably aimed at cheap tourists or food bloggers. Kenny Shopsin had the same rule at Shopsin’s in NYC.
Hwanghak-dong Flea Market
These are just a few quick snaps of Hwanghak-dong Market. It goes on for blocks and blocks. You can buy anything here but you have to do a little work to find it. It is a fun place full of clothes, books, records, electronics, food, antiques, army surplus, kitchenware, ingredients, car parts…everything!
One of the bookstoresKorean made guitar and backpack shopThis was my favourite things from the market today. One seller had a big wooden bucket full of random black and white photos mostly from the 60s and 70s. Family photos, weddings, army photos, candid shots. Looking at them was like traveling through time. And the aesthetic impact of the paper photos…there is something ghostly and beautiful about them. Probably most of the people in them are very old by now, if not gone altogether.Hwanghak-dong is like the opposite of COEX mall. I like it so much better ^^
For a more detailed look at Hwanghak-dong check out this post.
I think that shaker is black pepper. There is ground ground pepper, chilli flakes and a spicy paste on the counter. I just used the chilli flakes…the broth is very well seasoned already.
What is the Pudr you shake on top of the kalgaksu?
I think that shaker is black pepper. There is ground ground pepper, chilli flakes and a spicy paste on the counter. I just used the chilli flakes…the broth is very well seasoned already.