Month: March 2016

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10 Things We Wished We Knew Before Going To Korea

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Traveling is on everyone’s bucket list right now. For the financial savvy people, they probably even have a savings account tucked away for just this specific purpose.

Under all that glamour and selfies and photo shoots and what have yous, lies the nitty gritty but also exciting part of traveling – planning.  No matter how much you plan or not plan, you will inevitably encounter something frustrating when visiting a different country especially one where you don’t know anyone. You may experience being trapped in a language barrier, getting lost in their intricate transportation systems, losing valuable items (hope not!), etcetera.

Well I and my friends are here to guide you through some of the twists and turns we’ve experienced in Korea. It’s a beautiful and lovely country and we had so much fun there! Will make a post highlighting everything good in Korea but let me tell you the things we wished we knew before going to Seoul, Korea. These tips could have saved us some time and money but don’t worry folks, we’ve charged it to experience so you don’t have to.

1. Learn and PRACTICE  speaking and writing some Korean words  (or learn Mandarin as well)

Every site about travel must have suggested downloading a good Korean-English phrase app or get a good phrase book but nothing will prepare you to the real world if you don’t practice it at home. Simple things such as learning the Korean words for the different kinds of food, calling the attention of the waiter, asking for directions are a must because, hardly no one speaks English in Korea and they have the oddest subway signs. It is a PAIN to get lost and also ordering food because either you look like an idiot to them because you don’t know the difference of grilling skirt meat and pork belly or you look ridiculous to yourself. So yes, bringing the app and practicing Korean before you leave, IS A MUST. Also do download GOOGLE TRANSLATE. It saved our lives when we had to translate pictures with words on them.

Some useful phrases:

  1. Cho-gi-yo = Call Attention to the waiter
  2. Kam-saham-ni-da = Great thanks!

Why learn Mandarin? Because the Chinese tourists are taking over everywhere! Salesladies in beauty shops already know how to speak Mandarin so conversing with them was pretty okay despite not speaking English.

2. Note the difference between ITX and Korail (IMPORTANT FOR NAMI ISLAND TRANSPORTATION)

Download the app SUBWAY for a good map of the Korean subway system.

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We learned this the hard way when we went to Nami Island. After researching how to go there, we knew that it required 2 transfers of trains. We just didn’t realize that the last transfer was moving to a different provincial train line and required separate and different tickets. What we also didn’t know is you had to purchase these tickets prior to boarding (we actually sat in the train before realizing we had to buy tickets. You could just go in the trains without swiping a card or ticket) and you had to tap your T-money on a specific side of the machine that will prompt your card that you have disembarked the Korail.

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Ilocano Dining at Victorino’s

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Pandie Rating: 👍👍👍👍

Since writing this review, Victorino’s has expanded its dining quarters due to incessant demand.

One could say that I’m not an avid Filipino foodie fan. I’ve always been puzzled at the lack of vegetables present during Filipino meals and the abundance of so much oil used in cooking or how they are sometimes all too salty that we even add a salted egg in some fish meals to make it more flavorful. It’s an odd conundrum for me and doesn’t shout healthy at all. But come on, who am I kidding. Filipino food is DELICIOUS (just not my top preference for health reasons). It may give you a heart attack someday but at least life is good. (not promoting eating lechon everyday anyway!)

So when we decided to surprise our friend with a cake on her despedida, one of my barkada suggested Victorino’s, which was tucked away in the little Scout community or Tomas Morato area in Quezon City. Victorino’s is partly engineered by no other than the famous pastry chef/baker Heny Sison who was also the teacher of my (same) friend’s grandmother! Imagine that, Heny Sison has been inspiring decades. I became extremely curious. So with the help of Waze, we found it!
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It’s actually just a modernized ancestral home and my dad likened it to his childhood home with the classic Filipino-Spanish interiors and nostlagic windows. It definitely had a cozy vibe and we were able to get settled in comfortably even when the restaurant was jampacked. It felt like visiting a friendly grandmother’s house. tumblr_inline_n2795u2jUt1qzu0uu

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Ramen Nagi Confessions at SM Aura

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Pandie Rating: 👍👍👍👍

Disclaimer: This review is only applicable to SM Aura branch circa 2014. I have tried Ramen Nagi at Robinsons Ermita Mall and it was one of the worst Ramen experiences I’ve had in my life. Maybe the worst. So this review is only reflective of SM Aura branch.

Everyone’s been riding on a Ramen roller coaster craze here in Manila. It’s akin to the milk tea craze back in the 2009 (exact year escapes me) and now there are ramen places mushrooming everywhere. Unlike milk tea which one can only mix so much, the local and ordinary ramen was thrown into a melting pot of culinary creativity and err experimentation! I liked my good old fashioned Ramen with – no fuzz, no swirls, just me, soup, pork and noodles. What more could a ramen purist ask for, right?

Well that all changed when I tried Butao Ramen in Hong Kong last September 2013 (which will be on a follow up post soon!). I have also tried Ukkokei Ramen’s Tantanmen (which was my current fave that time and deserved a separate post) so I was eager to try this famous ramen place. Ramen again is something which I don’t particularly crave unlike say, cake or something (oh you Desser-loving Tiff!).

So to the advise of my fellow foodie adventurers, we lined up 30 minutes before at Butao and were the first customers in line. Glad to say, the wait was worth it as I tasted the most delicious fusion Ramen I have ever tasted in my life. So when I heard that they decided to invade the Philippine Ramen scene, I was all “YES PLEASE BOMBARD US WITH RAMEN GOODNESS OH LORD ALMIGHTY!” But my inner pessimist and skeptic said “You know, it might not taste as good as the one in Hong Kong, just saying.”

Throwing all worries away, my optimistic self dashed into the doors of Ramen Nagi. To be more precise, I debated and convinced my mom to go to SM Aura since we were in the vicinity and I knew she loved new things and we’ve never been to SM Aura before. Then I sneakily suggested to climb up all the way to the rooftop (why is Ramen Nagi located so far away O_O) and try Ramen Nagi. At first we were a little lost but thankfully despite it being located at the edge of the mall, we found it, thank goodness to those signs!

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Small group or big group, small dude or big dude, Ramen Nagi is a place for everyone! Not sure if they accept reservations as there usually is a long line. But go there before peak hours and I guarantee that you’ll get a seat. My mom and I went there at 5:30pm and surprisingly, they weren’t full!

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