Korean winter has been freezing cold, and I have not been out of the house in such a long time. Feeling really bummed that I would not get to spend Chinese New Year back home, I thought a quick trip out of Seoul might make up for the void in my heart. I have heard about Daejeon city being the 노잼도시 (no-jaem do-shi, no fun/boring city), but I am not here to judge! After living in Seoul for about 6 months now, an escape to a slow-paced and quiet outskirt sounds like music to my ears. Besides, I wanted to visit places that I have not explored before, so Daejeon it is.
Since it was quite a spontaneous trip, securing transport out of Seoul right before the golden week public holiday is not an easy task in itself, in addition to that, due to the COVID social distancing regulation, only 50% of the seats are available for sale which makes it that much more challenging. Being someone who suffers from motion sickness even on a car ride, I did not consider taking the bus. I have had experience taking the KTX from Busan to Seoul, so this time around, I chose to travel by 무궁화호 (Mugunghwa-ho). The whole journey from Seoul to Daejeon took around 2 hours.
Train to Busan Daejeon
I made sure to reach the station as early as I can for my 9:40am train as Koreans are really punctual. I heard the train door shut at 9:40am sharp! One of my traditions before any trip, is I always start the journey with a Mcdonalds' breakfast haha. After a Sausage & Egg McMuffin + a hot cup of drink + HASHBROWNNN in my tummy, I am good to go.
Arrived at Daejeon at 11:40am. I got really blessed with the good weather. Look at how clear the sky was! Despite popping 2 motion sickness pills before taking off, I still was not feeling my best. And I need food in me ASAP to end my hanger.
Oooh also, I bought my first-ever lotto ticket from a lotto stand right across from the Daejeon train station. Apparently, they have a record of Grand prize - 3 times, 2nd prize - 9 times. I bought it as I was feeling lucky and why not, it was quite a way to start the trip! (p/s: I did not win 💔)
As I was on my way to search for food, I passed by this HUUUGE traditional market, 중앙시장 (Jung-ang Market). Since it was the weekend before Chinese New Year, the crowd was overwhelming. Families were out stocking up on fresh produce before the holidays. There are 'dry' and 'wet' sections in the market and the latter section reminds me a lot of the markets I used to see back in Malaysia. Felt nostalgic for a moment right there.
I love these little food stalls in the market. The smell of deliciousness, like an invisible hand, grabbing for my attention as I pass by.
Look at the variety of seafood!
Finally arrived at 월산본가 (Wol-san bon-ga) after a not so long walk from Jung-ang market. And I was starving! I heard that they are so good that before the pandemic, buses and buses of tourists would visit here. However, the crowd did not seem to be affected even during the pandemic, the place was busy as a bee.
And good news, there is no such thing as an off-day for them. They are open daily from 11:30am to 9:30pm. If you want to avoid the crowd, you should visit during non-peak hours.
I came for the 돼지 석갈비 (Stone pork ribs). PS: The price has been increased to 16,000KRW.
Look at that spread! The main dish was stunning and I was very impressed with the selection of side dishes they have. It is uncommon for restaurants to serve meat side dishes, let alone 양념게장 (spicy marinated crab) and 육회 (beef tartare). However, my favourite out of them was this side dish that looked like a 곤약냉채 (konjac salad) which definitely caught my attention. The konjac itself does not have much flavour on its own, however, it was so well seasoned with vinegar and sesame oil. It was a burst of flavours and texture that I did not expect. I had to ask for a refill. Also, a shoutout to the very cute sweet potato mash that looked like a scoop of mango ice cream.
Food came out at a reasonable pace considering it was peak hours, service was quick, and not to mention, food was amazing. All and all, it was a great dining experience.
'Once you have checked in here, your Daejeon trip is completed' said one of the girls in the queue. And she is right! 성심당 Sungshim-dang is one of the main reasons why people travel to Daejeon. There is always a long queue out to the streets at any time of the day (even on a weekday according to locals). So just get in line as soon as you reach, and no worries as the line moves pretty fast. Before coming, I did some research on what I should get, and turns out that there is no must-buy list as EVERYTHING IS GREAT. Basically, you could never go wrong with Sungshim-dang.
Look at the crowd!
Pampered with choices! (this is only a quarter of what they are offering)
The portion size of the baked goods/ pastries is very generous. With the given price point (2,000KRW-4,000KRW on average), you could not get a better deal than this. Especially not in Seoul. Now, a breakdown of what I got from Sungshim-dang:
1. 초코소보로 2,000KRW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Chocolate streusel bread filled with chocolate cream and fresh strawberries
2. 미니초코메아리 3,500KRW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Cream pastry dusted with chocolate powder
3. 타이거브레드 2,500KRW ⭐⭐⭐
- Tiger bread filled with lemon cream cheese
4. 카레고로케 2,300KRW ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Curry Croquette
5. 튀김소보로 1,500KRW ⭐⭐⭐
- Fried streusel bread with red bean filling
6. 16겹 과일 데니쉬2,800KRW ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Layer fruit danish
7. 딸기 순수롤 14,000KRW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Strawberry roll cake
Time for a walk after a heavy lunch and pastry haul. I took a bus to Shinsegae Department Store, which just opened on 27th August 2021. The building is enormous and brand new, but it is no different from the ones in Seoul. However, they have a sky deck up on the rooftop (Level 8) where you can have the best view of the Daejeon city skyline.
Again, very blessed with the weather!
Lots of scenic spots in the sky garden
Getting some Vitamin D(aejeon)
The next day lunch, I went to a family restaurant called 'Mad for Garlic'. Like its name, you can assume that every dish is going to feature garlic in it, one way or another. As there were 4 of us dining, we opted for the group package menu.
1. Melting Camembert Kale Salad 19,300KRW ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Look at those colours! It does taste as good as it looks. The greens could not have been fresher.
2. Garlic Pane 6,200KRW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Well seasoned garlic baguette. Toasted on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside.
3. Caesar Salad 18,500KRW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Classic.
4. Garlic Carbonara Pasta 24,500KRW ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Definitely not stingy on the cheese and cream. Those who love carbonara will love this.
5. (Right) Triple Garlic Pasta 23,800KRW ⭐⭐⭐
- Seafood spaghetti with Shin ramyun-level-spiciness.
6. (Top) Herb Ribeye Steak 47,000KRW ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Steak was a little tough. Nonetheless, everything was well seasoned. The side of cheese fondue was delightful.
7. (Bottom) Brussels Sprouts & Tornado Striploin Steak 45,400KRW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Steak was tender, crispy skin fluffy inside Hasselback potato was yum, caramelized brussels sprouts crisps were a hit!
Mad for Garlic has branches all over Korea, you do not need to go all the way to Daejeon for this. We were all extremely stuffed after the meal. I was deeply impressed that we managed to finish it all as the portions were extra generous. Also, the group package was meant to feed 7 people.
After lunch, I went back to Sungshim-dang main branch to get more pastries (I later found out that you can place an order through their website and they can deliver it to you by KTX. Talk about customer service!). And then caught the 4:40pm train back to Seoul.
Till we meet again, Daejeon.
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