Book Cafe(Horse Man) @ Sangnamdong

Tucked away on the outer edges of Sangnamdong, the Horse Man Book Cafe(from here on just the Book Cafe) is a cozy, quiet little house located in the middle of a residential area. This cafe is great for two things. Studying and imported German coffee. It has a very relaxed atmosphere that would make it easy for anyone to concentrate on any assortment of tasks that they wish to accomplish. It is also true to its name. The Book Cafe has hundreds of books that you can browse while enjoying a nice warm drink. With winter rapidly approaching, this little shop provides a variety of beverages that can be enjoyed while relaxing on a nice evening or quiet afternoon.

True to its name, the cafe is covered in bookshelves like this one. Inside of the book shelves you can find books in one of three languages: German, Korean, and English. They have magazines as well as children's books and everything in between.

This was the table that we sat at. To the right there is a fake fireplace and the mantle has some decorative plates. One of the cool things about this cafe is that it doesn't try too hard. It feels more like you are visiting a friends house than visiting a cafe. 

There are two private rooms in this cafe. Complete with doors and seating for around ten people. There isn't that much seating in this cafe but that really isn't a problem. I have yet to find a better place to study. Libraries are full of people and they are kind of awkwardly quiet. They play some music here and one of the great things is that none of it is Korean pop. I find that while trying to study, repetitive, electric beats don't really help to invoke my passion for studying Korean grammar points. More like my passion for six hour long Noraebangs. Yes, I've done that. More than once.

The menu comes in book form. You need to untie the bow and then you will have about ten pages, front and back, with menu items. They have teas, coffees, sweeter drinks, and some side dishes like honey bread. The price is pretty normal. Around 4-7,000won for most drinks. They have a lot of tea. I love tea. They also have a lot of coffee, but I didn't try any. All of their tea and coffee is imported from Germany.

I ordered the Peppermint tea, pictured on the right. The lady enjoyed some Darjeeling. I preferred my tea as I am a huge fan of peppermint. Gum, patties, tea. 
You name it; I'll eat it. It was all pretty delicious. The crackers they gave us were pretty awesome.



 PROS

- Great atmosphere. 

- Great place to study.

- Quiet.

CONS

- A bit out of the way and difficult to find.

- It is closed every Sunday.


LOCATION

 It's located behind Daedong Department store to the left. It takes about fifteen minutes from
Holly's Coffee in Sangnamdong. Just walk down the main road that goes through Sangnamdong.
This is the road with Lotteria on one end and Dunkin Donuts on the other. After that, follow the road
and go toward and past Dunkin Donuts. You will have to walk for about ten more minutes from here. 
After heading down the road and crossing a few major intersections you will see a school on your right. 
Turn down this street and make your second right. Follow this road until you pass a park on your left.
Soon enough the big house that is the Book Cafe will appear. Enjoy!

Coffee Bean @ Shinwoldong

 If you are looking for a nice place to go after a meal to settle things down, then I would suggest you check out Coffee Bean. Located not too far from DaeDong Department store, this cozy little coffee shop is pretty great. In Changwon, there are so many coffee shops everywhere. Starbucks, Angel In Us, Coffee Bean(not this one, the chain), and Dunkin Donuts can be found in almost every neighborhood. Coffee Bean gives you excellent coffee and service while also offering a wide variety of other drinks. I'm more of a frappe drinker myself.

 When you enter Coffee Bean you'll first notice the counter where they make their drinks. As you begin to wander throughout this tiny little shop you will begin to notice that you are breathing in a wonderfully addictive blend of different coffees that they offer. All of their coffee is hand-dripped. They also import a fair amount of their coffee. I can only remember Brazil being a place mentioned a lot.

One thing that keeps me coming back to this place is the elegant way everything is laid out. I enjoy my occasional coffee-drinking piano round-table as much as the next the guy. There are about ten booths spread throughout Coffee Bean as well. I prefer the booths. I usually go with Seongyoung,(again thanks for the awesome pictures!), so sitting at this piano table isn't usually an option.

Here is a giant ladybug. What does a giant ladybug have to do with coffee? I am still trying to figure that out. I like it though. It has kind of a protective feel to it.

This is an example of how some of the booths are laid out. Usually two identical couches and a small table with see-through dividers. They are small. 

 There is also a small patio outside with limited seating. We went here on the night before Sanba , so, as you can see, it was a bit damp. This place has great parking. This is a rare find in Korea. It is a little difficult to find but it's really close to DaeDong Department store.

 Now we can get to the coffee. All of the coffee that Coffee Bean offers comes with a nice little design on top. If you really like cute things or drinking down some coffee art, then you will enjoy Coffee Bean. Sadly, I have no picture of the frappe that I had, however, I do remember it to be quite excellent. Definitely has my recommendation.


LOCATION
Relatively easy to find, Coffee Bean is located on the street going up towards Sapadong opposite DaeDong Department Store. If you get to Daedong, go straight across the main road by McDonald's. Continue walking up on the right side of the street. After passing a traffic light, keep walking a bit more and eventually you will see the sign for Coffee Bean. Enjoy!

PROS

-Quiet, calm atmosphere that is pretty relaxing.

-Coffee here isn't that expensive and they give you a fair amount. The highest priced thing on the menu is 6,500 won.

CONS

- You can not come here alone unless you order two drinks. Sadly they have a two drink minimum. If you come with one other person this shouldn't be a problem.

- A little difficult to find if you don't know your way around Changwon.

HOURS
Closes at 10pm

Pizza Da Gennaro @ Hapseongdong

Finding good pizza in Korea is like climbing a mountain in flip-flops. Sure, you can still do it, but it isn't easy. Luckily for everyone Pizza da Gennaro is an easy to find establishment that will leave you satisfied. In terms of pizza in Changwon it is in my recommended top place to go and it is also my favorite place to take out from. I wasn't a big fan after the first time I had it, but that was probably because I didn't really give it a chance. After reconsidering and going in to the restaurant to sit down and try what they offer. I was blown away. Hands down, this place is the best pizza you will get in Changwon.

I want to start with the pizza because it is that good. This pizza here is their 8,000won option. It is heaven. Wonderful thin crust pizza with the right amount of cheese and sauce. Highly recommended.

The next pizza we tried was a potato pizza that had some real ham baked under the cheese. I'm not usually a fan of pizza with potatoes inside of it. However, if you are craving the more Korean style pizza options than this will satisfy you. It was still delicious, I just preferred the other one.

Because it was cheap and I was hungry, I decided to order some Paninis. They were, dare I say, better than the pizza. They use all handmade bread for the Paninis and I am probably going there tonight to get two for dinner. They were seriously awesome. My words cannot reflect the groaning and watering my mouth and stomach are doing respectively. I can't wait till 5 o'clock. 

I don't know if you can tell what this is, but it is the menu completely translated to English. This is awesome if you don't speak Korean. The woman and man who are usually running things behind the counter are just awesome. I can't explain adequately enough how nice they were. It really helps to meet nice people. It brightens everyone's day. Pizza also does this. Why not have both at the same time?

This is what you see when you walk in. That is the oven that they use to bake the pizzas. It smells awesome here. Seriously. Go now. 

To finish up I'd like to point out that there is a patio that you can dine at. It's awesome. Patio=win. It's unfortunate it was a bit chilly when we went and there weren't many seats. A hippo and a dog were reading and drinking coffee. They must have been there for hours. 

PROS

-Easy to find.

-Cheap. Not one pizza was over 17,000 won and the most delicious won is 8,000 won.

-Excellent staff. Very kind.

-Delicious. Beyond delicious. Magnificent pizza.

CONS

-The only con is that it is thin crust. I am deep-dish through and through.

LOCATION

This is located on the main drag in Hapseongdong. Any bus that goes to Masan will let you off on the main drag, just listen for Hapseongdong. After getting off a bus from Changwon you will need to use the underground cross-way to get to the proper side. Once there, while keeping the main road on your right-hand side follow the sidewalk a ways down. Keep going until you see the patio. Use this number to call ahead for take-out--> 055-256-5545  


Pizza Da Gennaro is next to the building with the yellow square. 


 

2012.9.18 | 지도 크게 보기     ©  NHN Corp.

O Spoon @ Sangnamdong

O Spoon is an Italian themed restaurant located on the same floor as Lounge Groo in Sangnamdong. There are a few things that set this restaurant apart from a few others in the area. Firstly, all of their food is organic. I don't know if you are a fan of this or not. I really do not care myself, but if you are into this kind of thing then be sure to check it out. The other thing that makes it interesting is that it has an open kitchen. You can see your whole meal prepared for you, step by step, and then delivered to you by one of the many servers that are standing by. It has nice large glass windows with a few tables situated next to them. If you plan on having a window seat you should probably call ahead and reserve it.

Sadly, I do not have a better quality photo from this view. (A quick shout-out to Seongyoung for providing some of the awesome high quality photos I have.) This is how O Spoon is laid out. There a few tables on the green to the left with the majority of them being situated in the back on the slightly elevated area. The kitchen is over to the right.

Here you can see the kitchen. The servers are usually waiting around in front of the counter for customers to signal them when needed. They also list all of their menu items above the counter. It was interesting to watch our food being prepared, but it was also pretty intimidating having up to six servers standing around looking at you while you are eating.

Now onto the good stuff: The food. I'd like to start by saying I shamelessly ordered the Couple set. It was a bit pricey at 49,000 won, however, the food that came out was delicious and filling. Two of the most important parts of eating. (for me!) We started out with this bread. It was pretty delicious. It reminded me of some of the breads I have had back home in America, but it still can't beat Outback or Olive Garden, but really, what can?

After our bread we enjoyed some pumpkin soup. The amount they gave us was kind of small but it tasted decent enough. And this from a man who thinks pumpkins are only good for holding candy that you gather on Halloween. 

Next up was Antipasto which turned out to be a piece of tiny breaded chicken. Along with that came this salad with these ginormous mushrooms. They were really good. I enjoyed them more than I did the salad.

This turned out to be the Chef's Spaghetti. It was pretty good, mostly due to the large amount of avocado that they cooked it with. I'm addicted to avocado. The lady really enjoyed it. One of the best parts of the spaghetti was that it had only one shrimp with the shell still on it. I, for one, am not a fan of food that looks at me while I chomp it down. There were quite a few shrimp mixed within the pasta as well. 

The pizza that came out was actually pretty good. It wasn't the best I have had recently. Within the pat three days I have already had two different pizzas from two different places and they were both ahead of this one. However, that doesn't mean that this one is nasty. This pizza had lots of mozzarella and even some sauce! Sauce is important in pizza. Extremely. Don't forget that, aspiring pizza makers. It was pretty large and I ate my fair share. Ok, so 5/8 isn't really my fair share, but, come on, it was thin crust. 

Coming out last was our dessert. It wasn't just coffee or tea, which was provided. It was actually dessert! It was small, but it was great. It was basically Tiramisu with lots of whipped cream on top. I was just happy to get dessert for once. It was delicious, of course.



PROS

- It was delicious. Always a pro.

- It was a lot of food. I was full afterwards. (This is rare.)

- Extremely Accessible. Located in the middle of Sangnamdong it is an easy place to get to.

CONS

- The price is a little bit much, but it would be a nice place to take a date.

- If you do not have a window seat the seating is in the middle of the floor. A little awkward being surrounded by waiters staring at you and couples on dates.


LOCATION

It is located on the third floor of the building that Hakoya and Kraze Burger reside in. If you can get to the huge Angel In Us on the first and second floor getting here is easy. It is the store adjacent to Lounge Groo. It is the big building to the left of the park on this map. (642-010) 경남 창원시 성산구 상남동 23-6번지 에이스타워 301호.

 

2012.9.18 | 지도 크게 보기     ©  NHN Corp.

Pearl Paradise @ Jindong-Myeon

Few times in my life did I think that I would be saying, "Wow, that was the best smoked duck restaurant located on the shores of the ocean that I've ever been too." Thankfully, I found this little gem in the middle of nowhere (but still within Changwon!) to be exactly that. The best smoked duck restaurant I have ever been too. Welcome to Pearl paradise. Named so because of the pearls that are strung throughout  the restaurant.  Located in Jindong-Myeon, Masan Happo-gu, Changwon. It is a long drive(40 mins by car) or a one hour and 30 minutes bus ride to get there. I would say that it is well worth trip for the scenery, museum inside the restaurant, English speaking ability of the owner, and the magnificent duck that is placed in shell-themed plates and bowls to enhance your overall dining experience.

Let's start with the view. Located on the border between Changwon and Goseong, Pearl paradise is built on a hill adjacent to the ocean. As you can see the Yard is peppered with trees and benches as well as flowers and walkways. You can take a walk down the pathway to a small pier where some fishing boats are docked. At night the wind can pick up a bit and  watching the waves crash in can be pretty entertaining. Along with this view is an outdoor patio where diners can go to enjoy complimentary tea, juice, or coffee after the meal.  The second floor of the restaurant is a museum of things found in Papa New Guinea that the owner brought back with him from his trips there. He is a very interesting guy and talking with him is a blast. His English can be a bit tough at times, but he is one of the friendliest owners I have met. 

Within the restaurant you will see tables that look like this. They have glass tabletops so that you can see many different shells, pearls, and other rarities from the sea. There are also these collage-like things that have different shells hung on them. It is all very aesthetically pleasing. They also have a store that sells pearls, watches, necklaces, and their unique shell plates.

Now this is something. This is an actual shell. If the duck does not fill you up, then this Su Je Bi surely will. This was a really unique dining experience. To eat this soup out of a real shell was all sorts of awesome, not to mention, delicious!

Smoked duck. The essence of happiness. This is not how much they give you. They give you maybe 3x this amount, but I was so hungry I had to eat before I could take a picture! They give you three different kinds of dipping sauce. So-called by Koreans, Chili Sauce, Mustard Sauce, and Onion Sauce. I am a huge fan of the Onion sauce, but if you put too much on your duck it might taste like an actual onion with duck flavoring. (Not a bad thing depending on the person.) It was 30,000won for this duck and it sure did fill us up. This is one of those places that I had no idea existed until a friend mentioned it. I went to try it out with the lady and boy was I impressed. If you are tired of the average duck samplings you get at regular BBQ joints, I would encourage to make the trek and try this place out.



PROS

-The food is amazing.

-The view is spectacular. 

-The Owner is one of a kind.

-The place is unique.

CONS

-The tables are a little short. I'm 6 feet tall or (183-185cm) depending on shoes, and it is a bit uncomfortable to eat close to the table when the tables are so small.

-It is far. I mean the farthest you can go without leaving Changwon on the Masan side.

Location, Hours, Menu.

Closes at 10PM.

Menu also includes Sam-gyup-sal.

It is located in Jindong-Myeon. By car you should use navigation and put in 펄파라다이스. Otherwise, you are going to need to drive through Masan toward Jinju, then get off at Jindong-Myeon, make a left at the stop light and continue down a long and twisting road until you see a Pearl Paradise sign. Buses that come close to here are 63, 64, and 65. You can ride these buses from Sodap-Oncheon. This is the big bath house on the main road that Sodap-dong runs parallel to.



 

2012.9.13 | 지도 크게 보기     ©  NHN Corp.

Punjab @ Jungangdong

Looking for Indian restaurants in Changwon is kind of a hobby for my friends and I. I have visited all but one that I know exists within the city. I'll be writing up a Bombay post sometime in the future. The problem is that I can pretty much say I am addicted to Punjab. The service is great, they speak English well, you can order ahead, and the thing that makes me keep coming back to satisfy my curry fix is the quality of the food. This makes Punjab a wonderful place to go for an evening meal or a date. If you need an introduction to Indian food in Korea or just a change of pace from the usual place you go, Punjab will provide you with some great food and service at a reasonable price.

If you have ever met me on a Friday or Saturday night, there's a chance that you may have found me roaming about in search of a roaming chicken wrap establishment more commonly known as a Kebab truck. My infatuation with Kebabs begins with the trucks that I found parked on the main road in my neighborhood. Innocent as I am, I was coerced into buying an average of 7 a week. Ask my friends. 7 might be low balling. Punjab's Chicken Kabob seen here is pretty decent. It isn't the best I have had in Korea. That would still be the ones straight from the truck. Still this doesn't detract from the pure taste of this Kebab. Punjab is especially good at balancing the amounts of ingredients in their food. This Kebab can be taken as a whole or split in two to share with that special someone that might be sitting across from you. Kebab sharing=love. No denying that.

I happen to be a big fan of naan. Dipping it into whatever curry I have is always a blast. Punjab has a wide variety of chicken, lamb and vegetable curries. I used to be a huge chicken curry fan but these days have decided I should watch my health a bit so I usually just get the vegetable curry. (Which is equally delicious) The Chicken Vindaloo has such a wonderful blend of tastes and the aftertaste always leaves you wanting more. If you have never tried a chicken curry dish, I would suggest you take a chance on this one.

 One of the best thing about Punjab is the portion sizes. They give you a TON of curry. It's awesome. You need about 3 naans if you would like to eat curry in the same fashion as myself. I would like to present the absolute best curry I have had in Korea so far. This is the Special Navtalan Vegetable curry. It is made so perfectly. This huge portion of fresh vegetables and potatoes is so delicious that I have ordered it for the past 7 times I have gone there. Sadly, I can't really recommend any lamb or prawn dishes as I have not tried them, but if they compare even slightly to what I have eaten I would expect mouthwatering perfection.

What can I say abot the interior? They recently expanded the seating area and added this wall between the main section and the cornered off section. I like this because it gives you more privacy and freedom to talk with your friends without having to worry about a table being a meter away. Punjab has excellent decor. The lighting is fantstic. It has a blend of dim and bright lights that really enhance the dinner mood. There are different relics that resemble Indian type things littered throughout the restaurant. Some traditional looking clothes are hung throughout. It has a very neat and crisp feel to it.



PROS

First and foremost the food is delicious.

The decor enhances the dining mood.

The prices are reasonable from around 10,000-18,900 per curry. 

Very friendly hostess and waitress. She speaks English very well. Awesome.

CONS

If you go and order their lunch special, the amount of curry that you recieve is significantly reduced.

It is in the same building as two other Indian restaurants.


Menu
055-286-1947 Use this number to order ahead. They are very friendly.

Location, Hours, etc.
Open everyday from 11:00AM-11:00PM Break time from 3:30-4:30

Punjab is extremely easy to find. If you know where the O'briens building is in Jungangdong, go there and go to the third floor. It is directly across the hall from Bombay.