Ganda-Ganda's Guide to LA's Koreatown Eats

Hands down, my favorite area in Los Angeles is Koreatown, but is anyone really surprised? Our friends, Kara and Mike, took us to Koreatown to explore it's finest offerings, which of course involved food. The main thing I wanted to do was eat Korean bbq. It's very good in Chicago, but it's not like how it is in Korea. It's close, but not quite there. I've heard that in LA it's like eating in Korea, so I wanted to see if this was really true.

Every where I researched, the only place consistently recommended was Kang Ho Dong Baekjong. As usual, the critics were right and the bbq was just like Korea. We decided to order the Pork Combo ($39.99) that consisted of pork neck, seared pork belly, pork short rib, steamed egg, kimchi and kimchi stew. At that price, it was a steal and more than enough to feed four people. We obviously supplemented the meal with soju, beer and cider to really make it authentic! It was a delicious meal and the perfect start to our day in Koreatown. 

After stuffing our faces full of delicious barbecued meats, we decided to walk around Koreatown and see what other delights we could find. We passed by the Wiltern, which is a great vintage concert venue and theater. After picking up a few little kawaii things from Daiso, we came across Caffe Bene, one of my favorite Korean cafes. When Markus and I lived in Korea, we spent many nights at a Caffe Bene in Seomyeon brainstorming for Yehey. We have such fond memories of that place, so it was only natural for us to stop and have an iced Americano for old times sake.

After taking a lengthy coffee break, we realized that we were a bit hungry and headed over to Myung In Dumplings, a place that Anthony Bourdain recommended. We ordered the king steam dumpling pork and kimchi ($8), the spicy steam roll dumpling with pork and shrimp ($10), and fried dumpling with shrimp, pork and vegetables ($9). I could see why Bourdain recommended this place. The king steam dumplings were so fluffy and the kimchi wasn't overwhelming. The spicy steam roll dumpling was meaty, savory and just the right amount of spice. The fried dumplings were crunchy, juicy and everything you want in a fried dumpling.

Our last stop of the day was another popular spot that I kept seeing all over Instagram.  California Donuts is known for being fun and colorful, but most importantly the panda donut! When I saw them in the window, I definitely squealed in delight and each couple had to get one of their own. There was no way I was gonna share that cute panda with anyone but Markus! We sampled the Panda, Reeses, Chocolate Bacon, Fruity Pebbles and Samoa donuts ($18). They were all good, but my favorite was the Panda donut, but let's be real there was never any real competition.  

Even though Markus and I spent a whole day eating our fill in Koreatown, a few days later we returned with my cousin and visited another hot spot, Yu Chun. One of my favorite Korean dishes is naengmyeon, or cold noodles. I can seriously eat it every day in the summer, it's so delicious and refreshing. So, I made it a goal to have some before we left LA. We ordered the BBQ and Bibim Naengmyeon Combo ($17.50) and Mul Naengmyun ($8.50). I'm so glad we decided to eat at Yu Chun, because everything was perfect. Eating that food was like coming home and felt so familiar and comforting. I swear to you, I almost cried it was that close. If I lived in LA, I think I would be in Koreatown every night or at least every weekend. The food there is that good and I worth a visit if you're close by! 

Koffee Pot, Town Hall & More | Manchester, England

Even though Markus and I visited Manchester and other parts of the United Kingdom in 2012, we've always wanted to go back. I think we always will, it's such a wonderful and amazing place. On our previous trip, the three days we spent there were really great and something that we always reference when we talk about the U.K. When we were planning this trip, we had to fly into Manchester to meet our mates before we traveled on to Stokey Town for Christmas. I was ecstatic when our flight arrived early in the morning, that meant we had a full day in Manchester to revisit old haunts and find new ones as well! 

After 12 long hours of travel and an interminable wait at baggage claim, we spotted our friends, James and Ari at arrivals! Thankfully the first thing they had planned was breakfast at Koffee Pot. We ate there back in 2012 but it was worth a second trip. Markus ordered a Full Irish Breakfast and I ordered the Rarebit. The Full Irish came with sausage, bacon, bury black pudding, white pudding, tatty cake, beans, fried egg, hash brown and grilled tomato. The Rarebit was made of smoked haddock, cheese, mustard and Worcesteshire sauce on sourdough bread topped with poached egg and tabasco tomatoes on the side. Both meals were incredibly delicious. The haddock wasn't too fishy and worked extremely well with the cheese and other sauces. Everything on the plate for the Full Irish was so satisfying. It was greasy, tasty and the perfect beginning to seventeen days in the United Kingdom. 

After we ate breakfast, we walked around a bit trying to find a Christmas market, but for some reason we couldn't find a single one. Which was surprising considering it was December 23rd. You would think they would be all over the place. I did want to see something really Christmasy and while we were wandering around, we found the Santa monstrosity that was erected in front Town Hall. I know I wanted Christmasy, but that was kind of cheesy and not at all expected. We ventured inside hoping to see some grand ornaments and decorations, instead it was business as usual, but it was still quite pretty. After looking around a bit, we left and sought out other fun places in Manchester, which will be included in another post! 

Joyeux Noël 2016 | Chicago, Illinois

For the past two years, Markus and I have sent out Christmas cards from some of our travels. The first year was from the woods of Michigan at this quaint bed and breakfast. I loved that photo and was worried that the next year wouldn't be as good. Thankfully, Markus and I went to Iceland last year and took an awesome photo at Jökulsárlón, Iceland's Glacier Lagoon. Since our apartment was featured in Apartment Therapy this year, I thought it would be nice to showcase some of our favorite pieces in our home. All of the pieces are vintage and most of them are from our favorite shop in Chicago, Vintage Quest. I was really pleased with how the photo turned out and I'm already thinking of what next year's photo will be! I hope all of you have a Happy Christmas and a Wonderful New Year! 

Harpa, Icelandic Hot Dogs & Popular Sites | Reykjavík, Iceland

Well we've finally reached the end of our Iceland trip and it only took a year and a half! For our last couple of days in Reykjavík, Markus and I tried to pack in as much as possible. I think it was the best way to end our trip, since we spent so most of our trip rushing from place to place. We spent most of our days walking around the city and taking in the more popular spots in town and all of them were great!

It's strange to say, but I had the best hot dog in my life in Iceland. When I was doing research on Iceland, every person suggested going t Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, a famous hot dog stand that has been in business since the 30s. It's been voted "best hot dog in Europe" many times and I couldn't agree more. The hot dogs are steamed and lamb-based and mixed with beef and pork. We ordered "one with everything" and it came with ketchup, sweet mustard, remoulade, fried onion and raw onion. We liked it so much that we went two days in a row! I never tasted anything like it and seriously still crave those sweet dogs. 

Markus and I wandered the streets and came across the Sun Voyager, this awesome Viking Ship sculpture near the shore. We also found this cool mini-arcade where we ended up visiting twice since we enjoyed playing vintage arcade games. They also had vintage toys and Markus was able to find some rare ones too! 

After we stuffed our faces with hot dogs, Markus and I headed over to Harpa, a famous concert hall known for it's beautiful design. The hall was completed in 2011 and was inspired by the basalt landscape that is found throughout Iceland. I loved the look of this building and that the Icelandic people are so proud of their beautiful country and try to emphasize their uniqueness, even in architecture. Reykjavik is truly a beautiful city and one that I wish we had more time to explore. 

So that's it for Iceland, I know it seemed like I was living in that country for the past year with all the photos and posts! I'm so happy to finally be done and now onto the next trip! 

Diving Silfra | Þingvellir National Park, Iceland

Even though it seems like it's impossible to top going inside of a dormant volcano, whale watching on a death boat or hiking on a glacier, but we definitely saved the best for last! Hands down one of the coolest things Markus and I have ever done is diving between two tectonic plates at Silfra. It was an incredible dive and the photos don't even do it justice. 

The Silfra fissure is located within Þingvellir National Park and you can either snorkle or do a dry suit dive. Since Markus and I hadn't gone diving since we got certified in Cambodia, we decided to do the dive. I mean, when will we ever get the chance to do something like that again?! Silfra is one of the top diving sites in the world because it is where the North American and Eurasian continental plates meet and have started to drift apart, about 2cm every year. It's also known for having the clearest water and a visibility rate of over 100 meters. I did a lot of research and found the best tour company, Scuba Iceland Dive Team. At the time, they were the only ones that offered real dry suits and the reviews were great. 

The dive itself is very short, but so worth it. The water is so clear and so beautiful. The whole time I was diving, I felt overwhelmed that I was actually experiencing that moment. Through the years, Markus and I have traveled and experienced some awesome things, but it feels good to know that I can still be awestruck. With our day tour, we were given two dives, but after the first one, I felt really dizzy and sick. I hadn't dove in a while and I think all the traveling finally caught up to me, so I passed on the second dive. While Markus was on his second dive, I walked over to the park to see what we missed the other day. Þingvellir is so beautiful and it makes sense why it's one of the most visited sites in Iceland. If you have a chance to go, I can't recommend Silfra enough. If you can't go diving, you at least have to snorkel. Trust me, you won't regret it!