For Christmas I braved the freezing temperatures and ventured into the Jongno area for some Middle-Eastern food and cupcakes. I met a like minded friend who wanted to enjoy this holiday season and we had a jolly good time.
We picked up cupcakes from Goodovening near Euljiro-1 station.
In fact I based my Christmas-fun location on the proximity of an Indian or Middle Eastern restaurant to a cupcake shop (that would be open). My favorite cupcake shop is really in Itaewon but they were closed this season, so I went with Goodovening. Their cupcakes are pretty good, except the cake is really dense.
Our dining experience was at Saffron in the area where Myeongdong starts (at the Ibis hotel).
From reviews I read online, people said this place was authentic and that the prices were decent. When we stepped inside we were seated at a table near the window, where we had a view of decorated trees. It was quite lovely and cozy.
Once opening the menu we realized the prices were certainly in the "special occasion" arena. Main dishes were around 20,000 won. Since my friend is vegetarian we ate mostly off the appetizer menu, getting the hummus mixed plate and falafels. I also ordered a vegetable curry and some naan and pita bread.
The taste was very good and quite satisfying. There were generous amounts of hummus and dippings on the plate to fill us both. Afterward we enjoyed the cupcakes, one a caramel concoction and the other a "bird's nest" of roasted coconut on top. I particularly liked the coconut one more!
We enjoyed a good amount of time sitting in the restaurant and catching up over old times and also talking about the future. It came time to move on home before things got too cold. On our way we enjoyed a Christmas tree in the lobby.
Yet what we enjoyed most wasn't getting our picture taken in front of it, but watching a couple spend a glorious amount of time photographing each other and posing in funny ways. Indeed, Christmas is a couple holiday in Korea, which is hard to explain to other people not familiar with it. So everywhere you looked there were couples acting all cute together. I'm over being single and wasn't really bothered by the site of it all. Christmas is still a special time of the year for me, no matter the status of my love life!
Well hope your holidays are shaping up nicely and so Happy New Year!