T Magazine: Travel Essentials | Seoul

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 24 Maret 2013 | 17.35

Where to eat, drink and stay in Korea's capital.

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The Meeting Place | Park Hyatt Seoul It has all the trappings of a great metropolitan hotel: heated ondol floors, deep soaking tubs, a top-floor infinity pool with panoramic views of the city. But it's The Timber House bar (one of three drinking spots in the hotel) that makes the Park Hyatt a great rendezvous point. Open nightly from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., the bar is split into three distinct sections: sushi/sake/soju bar, cocktail bar and whiskey bar. Speciality cocktails bring the vacation bar-side with local ingredients like soju (distilled rice liquor) and omiza syrup. 606, Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu; 011-82-2-2016-1234; seoul.park.hyatt.com.

The Hot Table | Vatos Urban Tacos Opened in 2011 by a couple of American expats using Kickstarter funds, the restaurant, serving classic tacos and Korean-Mexican fusion cuisine, has quickly become one of Seoul's hottest eateries. The casual restaurant maintains an ethos of "Eat, Chill and Drink," and the menu reflects the owners' frivolous spirits: of particular note are the kimchi carnitas fries, topped with melted cheese, kimchi, tender carnitas and a hodgepodge of Mexican ingredients to give forlorn westerners a taste of home. Open Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Yongsan-gu, Itaewon-dong 181-8, 2nd Floor; 011-82-2-797-8226; vatoskorea.com.

The World Class Art Space | Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art The contemporary works inside Seoul's international art and cultural center are rivaled only by the complex's somewhat bizarre exterior. While three architects — Rem Koolhaas, Jean Nouvel and Mario Botta — were commissioned to dream up the museum's three buildings, rumor has it that an economic crisis in the late 1990s forced the distinctly different structures to be built virtually on top of each other. Open 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; 747-18, Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu; 011-82-2-2014-6901; leeum.samsungfoundation.org.

The Vine Shrine | Fox Wine Bistro One doesn't expect to come across a great wine bar in the middle of a city dominated by soju, but that's just what you'll find at Fox Wine Bar. The owner Lee Su Yeon fell in love with wine culture while studying public relations in Toronto, and she now stocks more than 400 wines in her bar, with new ones added each month. Choose by the bottle and pair with dishes like mussels or barbecued pork ribs with grilled vegetables. Open Monday to Saturday, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.; 402-14, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, 2nd floor; 011-82-2-3143-7191; foxwinebistro.com.

The Futuristic Spa | Chaum Located in the heart of Seoul, Chaum bills itself as a "wellness, longevity, and aesthetic medical facility." What this means for the average visitor is unclear — among the more extravagant treatments the center offers are stem cell therapy and a "sleep pod" designed to simulate three hours of rest in just 30 minutes of actual sleep — but those curious to get a peek inside can schedule a 90-minute antioxidant vitamin C therapy facial for $160. 4-1, Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu; 011-82-2-3015-5077; chaum.net.

The Luxury Mall | Galleria The Gangnam location of this shopping mecca offers five floors of clothing from the world's top fashion brands. But it's in the basement food court, Gourmet 494, where the department store reaches critical mass. Here, hungry shoppers fuel up at outposts of two of Seoul's hottest restaurants, Vatos Urban Tacos and Pizzeria D'Buzza, as well as at a variety of other sit-down spots and top-quality grocery stalls. 343, Apgujeong-ro, Gangnam-gu; 011-82-2-3449-4114; dept.galleria.co.kr.

The Italian Import | 10 CorsoComo Fashionable 20-somethings and the occasional celebrity flock to this sleek outpost of the Milan-based concept store in trendy Cheongdam-dong. In addition to dining on pan seared duck foie gras or the house special of bitter sweet dark chocolate tart, guests can shop the cafe's carefully curated wares that include glossy art and photography books, designer clothes, quirky knickknacks and art pieces. Open Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight; 79 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu; 011-82-2-547-3010; 10corsocomo.co.kr.

The Hyperlocal Boutique | MIK24/7 Finding great fashion in Seoul isn't difficult, but finding threads by Korean designers can be another story. Luckily, the savvy stylist Raymond Chae, who dresses K-pop stars, helped remedy this problem recently by teaming up with local designers to bring high style to shoppers at prices that won't break the bank. The result: MIK (Made in Korea) 24/7, a shop full of clothing and accessories that would look at home in Gangnam or Greenwich Village. 2F, 21, Apgujeong-ro 54-gil, Gangnam-gu; 011-82-2-3446-8556.

The Top-Tier Cake Shop | The Menagerie Located on the first floor of the high-end retailer SSG Food Market (in the same building as Chaum), in one of Seoul's wealthiest neighborhoods, the Menagerie is a white-on-white confectionery filled with animal-themed cupcakes, flaky croissants and a variety of other aesthetically pleasing baked goods, like a large puppy or teddy bear cake. But the real showstoppers are the elevated sugar craft wedding cakes, housed in glass display cases around the store. 1F 4-1, Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu; 011-82-2-1588-1234; ssgfoodmarket.com.

The Nighttime Stroll | Cheonggyecheon Like New York City's High Line, the $900 million urban renewal project along Seoul's Cheonggyecheon stream found resistance during its initial construction. Also like the High Line, that criticism stopped once the project was completed in 2005. Now the 5.2-mile-long subterranean public recreation space is a favorite among couples and those looking for solace at night, when the area is lit up and noise from the street above gives way to songs from buskers and the idle conversations of locals and tourists alike. Cheonggyecheonro, Jongno-gu; 011-82-2-2236-9135; cheonggyecheon.or.kr.


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