The one and only Tristan, who is the owner and mastermind behind all the ice cream flavors. I think some visitors (especially natives) get confused and think that there are two owners because they think ‘Fell’ and ‘Cole’ are people’s names, but they’re just two street names in San Francisco, which is where Tristan used to live~ I love SF and it makes me happy to see little homages to the city.

I love the interior because it’s so bright, immaculately clean, and refreshing. It FEELS like an ice-cream shop should— a blast of cool.

Little signs of SF everywhere, like the postcards with the different SF districts~

The best spot is definitely the tables and cushy chairs by the front. The shop is so pretty and such a stark difference from the old F+C shop, which was a humble hole in the wall with hardly any sitting space~ It’s great to watch a business expand and take things up a notch.

Fell+Cole isn’t a vegan (or even vegetarian) ice-creamerie, but they usually have at least one vegan option, so there’s something for everyone. When I went, there was vegan blueberry-banana sorbet in the fridge, but he also had a secret stash of grapefruit champagne sorbet with candied orange peel, which he was updating the recipe for. I was more than happy to be his taste-tester. Some of my favorite sorbets is the Szechuan pepper & red wine sorbet, and the lemon sorbet.

Desserts from Oliver Sweet.

Since it’s Hongdae, there are plenty of hip, stylish, and also some celebs (if you’re lucky) who stop by the shop. When we were there, one of the singers from 2NE1 came in with her entourage. I didn’t recognize her but found out after she left that it was her~~ typical of me to not recognize Korean celebrities.

You can get a small cup, or a pint. They’ve also recently added ice cream sandwiches~ too bad it’s not vegan though.

The grapefruit champagne & orange peel sorbet. The grapefruit pairs so well with the boozy champagne and the candied orange peel adds a chewy texture and a little bitterness as well. If you’re not a fan of bitter flavors, this may not be your choice, but I really liked that it wasn’t super sweet and it felt very refreshing and clean.

The texture isn’t icy at all, but rather a little sticky/creamy, if that makes any sense. It’s lovely– you just gotta try it for yourself.

Hanging out with Tristan.

Directions to Fell + Cole, Hongdae

Sangsu Station, Line 6, Exit 1. Come out the exit stairs and turn around and begin walking towards Hongik Univ. Turn left into the very first small alleyway, maybe one building after the exit. Follow the exit as it goes curves and goes downhill. As the alleyway meets a T-section, Fell + Cole will be on your left. You can’t miss it. 3-minute walk from the station.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think! :)

So needless to say, things have been quite busy with all the preparations for the studio, and also baking~ and now you guys know why blogging has been less frequent. I truly hope that this is the start of a new era, both for the bakeshop and also for this blog.

And now onto some random eats:

I’ve been making smoothies every morning for breakfast because the muggy heat is so icky, right from the start of the day. My smoothies usually have the same basic ingredients: one frozen banana, about 1/2 cup of soy or almond milk, 1 Tbs ground flax seed or chia seed, tons of ice, and maybe a pinch of xanthan gum to thicken it up. Then the variable is usually something like wheat grass powder, berries or cherries, which gets blended with the rest. And then I always top it with crunchy raw cacao nibs, nuts, and maybe some more fruit, for texture.

For this one I threw in a few pitted dark cherries. So refreshing.

I almost always eat my smoothies with a spoon. :)

I like to tempt Bunny with a sniff. But she doesn’t like the smell of the cacao nibs. It’s okay. All the more for me.

I got all these fresh, homegrown, organic veggies from the ladies at Botton. Gnoa’s mom grows everything in her backyard! Everything from romaine, chicory, kaetnip leaves, celery, cilantro, basil, and tons more. It’s so impressive~ I was feasting on these greens all week long.

Huge basil leaves and fresh aromatic cilantro~~ I think they also packed some dill in another bag! Seriously cool, especial knowing that it was all grown right in the city, in someone’s back yard.

A simple salad made from the greens. :)

More of the greens mixed with cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, and corn.

And because I’m a generous person, Bunny also got to enjoy some of the lettuce.

Ew. sweating at my gym. When there’s a lot on my mind (which is the case these days), that’s when I need to make physical activity a real priority because it keeps me sane. I’m still dealing with shin splints because I keep running which delays the recovery and aggravates the pain, but I have reduced my distance and time considerably…..

From all the previous smoothie and salad photos, you guys probably think I eat super healthy all the time… but I also eat more than my fair share of sweets. I guess that can only be expected when you bake for a living. Since it’s cherry season, I made some chocolate cherry-cream cupcakes for next month’s Bakery Magazine issue.

Ready to go~~

Raspberry cake for TaiLor Coffee~~ I’ve been on a big raspberry kick lately. There are farmers selling boxes of them for 8,000 won in my neighborhood~ It’s definitely more expensive than other fruits, but I love raspberries and the season for them is so short, so I figure I should enjoy as much of them as I can now, before they disappear again.

Making pink raspberry frosting.

I also made this lemon cake for Botton and piled a bunch of raspberries on top~~

Bright, zesty lemon cake is so perfect for summer weather~

Here’s something totally random. I saw this American guy on the subway wearing Vibram FiveFinger shoes. I asked him about them because I’ve always been curious…. and he said they’re the best shoes he’s ever owned. And then all these ajumas sitting infront of him started asking about his cool shoes and he just started talking with them in this perfect Korean! O.o. wow. I’m always so impressed when a foreigner can speak fluent Korean- better than me, an actual Korean.

Grocery shopping in my ‘hood. So hot and humid.

Well that about wraps things up for this post. It’s Monday morning and it’s time to get moving…. let’s make this week awesome.

I love hearing feedback from you guys! Feel free to leave a comment by clicking here~~ :)

As you guys probably already know, for the past 2 years or so, I’ve been selling baked goods online. It all started out with me selling vegan thin mint cookies through this blog, and then in the fall of 2011, I set up a separate website and got a business license etc, and it became legit! Since then, a lot has happened and I’ve had the pleasure of sharing vegan baked goodies with so many wonderful people~ I’m so grateful for all my business partnerships, and also for all my individual customers who have supported and allowed me to follow this baking passion that I never really knew I had.

So with the bake shop slowly but steadily growing, I’ve been feeling that it’s time to move forward and take the next step. I have a friend, Yona, who is also an independent baker (not vegan) and cook, and I’ve mentioned her a few times on this blog. We are both currently working out of our home kitchens, and while this is convenient, it also has many downsides, one of which is not having any separation between work and personal time/space. I never thought I’d say this but I actually miss having a set schedule where I get out of my house and commute to a work location or office, and I also miss having coworkers! There are a ton of other reasons which I won’t bore you with, but anyway, after a lot of talking, Yona and I decided to create a baking studio together!

Starting at the very beginning of this year, we began actively searching for studio space. We checked several locations all over Seoul. Back in February, we actually came super close to contract-signing on one location near Hongdae, only to have it completely fall through. That was a bit of a shock and set back for us, but we picked ourselves back up and continued looking.

Meetings, conversation, planning~

And now I have some big news!!! After months of searching and feeling frustration on numerous occasions, we finally found a great little spot in one of the back alleys of Itaewon, and we signed the contract. The space is great for what we want to do, and in a good location. And now construction and renovations will be starting any day now!!!! What?! Yes, I’m totally overwhelmed and quite the ball of stress these days, but I’m super excited too! I wanted to share the news as soon as we found the place, but I was nervous and decided to wait until things were more finalized first.

Here is the front of our future baking studio– we’ll be on the first floor! :)

Looks a little dumpy right now, but I promise we’ll do our best to make it as purty and inviting as our limited budget will allow.

The previous tenants used the space for a tattoo parlour. haha. From tattoos to baked goods, yeah.

So this is really happening. I know some of you thought I was opening a storefront~ Although I would love to do that, we will be focusing on setting up the workspace first. Yona and I have both been dreaming about having a proper commercial kitchen to bake, work on a bunch of recipe-testing, do some food photography, meet customers, and just work together in a bright, creative, professional environment. So that will be our focus for now, and depending on how things go with the studio, perhaps we will set up a small storefront in the future. One thing at a time? :) While this news may not be as huge as you were expecting, even moving into a baking studio will be a huge step forward, and I hope I can manage everything responsibly.

Phew~! This whole thing is quite overwhelming, especially for someone like me who has limited Korean fluency and business experience. I definitely struggle with fear too, but I’m gradually learning to overcome that. This whole bake shop project has been a total learn-as-you-go experience for me. Still is. Many times I feel out of my depth, but when I get positive feedback from a customer or I see Koreans’ growing interest in vegan baking, that is so gratifying and it makes me want to do even better, work even harder. Just as it is with this blog, the online bakeshop has been a labor of love, and with the support of my readers and customers, it has been able to grow from nothing. *tear* So thank you everyone! :’)

Imagine all the baking experiments that will take place…!

Anyway, in closing, I’m expecting the next month to be a crazy nail-biter, but it’s also very exciting~ I’ll try to keep everyone posted on the progress, and once the studio space is fully set up and the dust has settled, we’ll invite y’all over. Maybe we can have a veggie event there or something. :) So much room for activities!

So what to you think? Click here to leave a comment and let me know~~ :)

It was a very short 50-minute flight from Kimpo to Jeju. I brought some cherries on the plane for us to enjoy~ My first fresh cherries of the year.

Once we arrived, we rented two SUVs for our big group of 13 people~~ Road trippin, yeah!

Beach!!!!!

On the way to the guesthouse, we stopped here~ words can hardly describe how happy I was to feel sand inbetween my toes.

Tons of seaweed every where. Let’s make miyuk-guk!

*Cue the beach montage music*

A random spread of garlic cloves drying in the sun~

We stayed at the ever-so-relaxing 수상한 소금밭 게스트하우스 (Mystery Salt Guesthouse). We had the whole place to ourselves, so we pretty much took over everything. There wasn’t much around it except for some farms so the whole area was super peaceful and quiet.

Countryside view in the morning

The cafe/lounge area. We basically hung out in this room most of the time when we were there and it was like being in our own house or living room. If you ever visit Jeju, I highly highly recommend this guest house. The owners are sooo lovely and the whole place is super clean, modern, chill, and cozy.

At the guesthouse, there was this momma dog and her puppy!

I fell in love with that puppy…. so floofy and huggable. He was ridiculously cute and just wanted cuddles and belly scratches every time I got near him. I soooo wanted to just smuggle him back to Seoul. I miss this little guy~ waaaaah!

For our first meal in Jeju, we prepared a big Korean bbq outside. Here’s Yona, Botton bosslady, and Etoffe getting busy in the kitchen.

Barbequing veggies on one grill and meat on the other. Too. much. fooooood.

Talking way late into the night with drinks and snacks.

The guesthouse owner made us breakfast one morning. Lovely salad with tofu, tomatoes, and melon. Coffee and OJ too, naturally. Others also got cream soup and milk bread toast. It’s so awesome waking up and having someone else make breakfast for you. Everything tastes better when you didn’t have to make it.

The best thing about going on a trip with cafe people is that there is an endless supply of great coffee~ Botton brought beans and also dutch coffee, and I brought my own soymilk. Collaboration, yeah!

On the second day, the weather was crap but we made the most of it.

One of our friends knows the chef of this restaurant/cafe called GirinR, and while it’s known for its meat dishes, the chef promised to make some vegan dishes too! I got to eat an amazingly fresh salad, potato wedges, and mini fajitas. Every thing was delicious and made with the best Jeju-do ingredients.

Apparently Jeju has some of the most delicious carrots and other root veggies. And indeed, the carrots in the salad were so sweet and crunchy. I should’ve brought a whole box of carrots back with me to make Jeju carrot cake. hehe.

Somehow, we ended up at the Innisfree make up shop where they had a section where people could sculpt and scent their own soap bar. Hahaha, we look like we’re little kids on a school field trip. Craft time!!! I don’t know much about Korean cosmetic brands in general, but I know Innisfree emphasizes its use of organic, natural, eco-friendly ingredients, and they also supposedly do not use animal testing (although this will have to be researched more). Not to sound like their spokesperson or anything, but I definitely think it’s one of the better make up brands in Korea.

About to make some soap with ‘Volcanic Pore’ powder.

Green tea fields at O’Sulloc. This is a famous green tea farm in Jeju~

At the O’Sulloc giftshop/cafe, all the omnis gobbled down green tea ice cream and cake, while I sipped on this delicious hot tea. It was the best pure green tea I’ve tasted. Super flavorful.

Jeju is famous for its hallabong oranges and clementines. We stopped at one of the orange stalls along the road and picked up some boxes and also some gyuul-popsicles, which happened to be vegan.

Old Jejudo man statues everywhere.

For our last night there we had a pasta night, with two omni pastas and one vegan version. As the only vegan in the group, I was soooo touched by the way my friends would go out of their way to make sure I didn’t feel left out of the food scene, like making sure there were veggie options at every meal and everywhere we went. These guys are the best.

Holy steam! My friend Yona made this amazing vegan pasta dish which was honestly the best vegan pasta I’ve ever tasted. Made with homemade basil pesto, tomatoes, mushrooms, pine nuts, and eggplant. Yona is an amazing cook and she does everything by ‘feel,’ rather than measuring everything out. I could go on and on about how delicious this was, but instead I’ll just share more photos.

Seriously, best thing I ate in Jeju. Thanks Yona! :)

Beautiful salad with fresh organic baby greens, tomatoes, chickpeas, and balsamic vinaigrette.

Our communal table.

We also had some birthday celebrations~

Happy birthday ㅅㅈㄴ and ㅅㅁ!

Botton’s dutch coffee with soy milk, and my first watermelon of the season.

Curry and dwenjang soup for breakfast. I usually never eat savory food for breakfast, but for a lot of Koreans, eating rice, kimchi, and soup in the morning is totally normal.

Found an olive tree near the guesthouse. First time seeing fresh olives on a tree in my life. :P

Our final lunch in Jeju was at a small restaurant famous for its seafood stone pot rice.

However, since the stone pot rice wasn’t vegan (it was made with abalone), I got a bowl of plain rice and enjoyed it with the banchans.

I honestly was still full from the pasta the night before and the curry for breakfast, so I couldn’t eat that much for lunch. Just a few bites and I was done.

This is what everyone else ate. 전복 or abalone in English. I’ll just go ahead and say what we’re all thinking. A platter of va-jay-jays.

Ok now cleanse your mind with this view of the ocean.

Our seaside stop before heading to the airport.

Just our luck that the sun would come out right as we were leaving. Thanks a lot Jeju. sarcasm.

So that wraps up my Jeju Island trip. We all wished it could’ve been longer, but alas we all have work to do in Seoul. I had a blast and I’m so grateful for this awesome group of friends~~ and now, back to reality!

I love hearing feedback from you guys! Feel free to leave a comment by clicking here~~ :)

Anywayyyy. Before summer really hits and all I want to do is stay inside and blast AC on my face, I’ve been trying to spend as much of my free time outside, going to the park, hanging out on my patio or rooftop, and working at cafes rather than at home. And this weekend I’m going with 13 other Botton family/friends to Jeju island for three days! One quick vacay before things get real crazy. We’ll be flying there this Sunday and coming back on Tuesday. I’m hoping to de-stress and clear my head a bit. I’ve been to Jeju a few times before, but those trips happened ages ago so I think it will be a totally different experience this time, and ofcourse going with 13 other people will certainly be an adventure. I’ll try to post pics on the FB page or twitter~~

Anyhoozy. I went to Boramae park again this week and just hung out on the grass. I just love the feeling of grass in between my toes!! There was free wifi in the park so I was able to get some work done right there on my laptop too. Korea’s so connected…. I probably should unplug myself from the matrix more.

Doing some random doodling. I miss drawing…. I haven’t drawn anything in so long because I’ve just been so focused on baking lately. Booo.

My friend and I were busy getting some paperwork done at MayB cafe (love the windows). She was helping me with some English-Korean translation~~

Lunching at Ahn Hyun Pil buffet. It’s not the best vegan buffet by a long shot, but it’s got the basics and just simple good Korean food. I wouldn’t mind eating there every day.

Just a bunch of namuls and mushrooms~

Made this chocolate-mint cake for Botton a while ago but didn’t post it~

One of my favorite breakfast foods lately: green banana smoothie with lots of cacao nibs and walnuts on top! And occasionally I’ll have oatmeal.

I was running some errands in Hongdae and saw this pimped out car that looks like a wind-up toy. haha. There is definitely no shortage of cool things and hip people on the streets of Hongdae!

While in Hongdae, I got to hang out at TaiLor Coffee~ I brought some soy milk with me and they made a yummy iced soy coffee for me. If you go during the week, you can get vegan muffins, and on weekends vegan cake, provided by ADO bakeshop~~ :)

And what’s a blog post without some Bunny pics? She’s in major shedding-mode right now, in preparation for the hot summer. I wish I could just shave her like a poodle, but then she wouldn’t look cute. hehe.

Like a typical bunny, whenever I put her on her back, she goes into a little trance. And then I get to wave her little stiff arms about like she’s directing traffic.

Have a good weekend everyone~ I’ll be heading to Jeju-do tomorrow and I’ll be back in Seoul on Tuesday. Ta ta~!!

I love hearing feedback from you guys! Feel free to leave a comment by clicking here~~ :)

I made these vegan cinnamon rolls a while ago. I was testing cinnamon roll recipes for the Bakery Monthly magazine, trying to come up with one that worked best~ I submitted the recipe and was going to wait until the magazine was published to share the recipe with you guys, but I’m just too impatient, so I’m sharing it now, except with a twist! Instead of making cinnamon rolls, I used the same recipe to make pull-apart bread! Tadaaaa~:

대 to the 박. This is seriously probably one of the best things I’ve baked in a long time… Do you ever have those baking moments where you surprise yourself because you didn’t know you had it in you? This was that kind of moment for me. I rarely bake things that require yeast because after all these years, it still intimidates me. And so for it to turn out so deliciously, I was kind of in awe. ‘Ahhh, the baking gods have favored me today~~”

Now admittedly, making cinnamon rolls or pull-apart bread isn’t exactly a walk in the park. As much as the optimist in me wants to be all like “You’ll be amazed at how easy this is!”, it’s actually is a bit of work. Even though a good chunk of the time is waiting for the dough to rise, you should still keep an eye out on it and make sure that the resting temperature is right, etc. And if you’re like me, you’ll keep coming back for a peek, fussing with it, and stressing over whether the dough will really rise. So yea… it’s a hassle, but you gotta trust me on this one. It will be worth the effort. And you’ll feel like a badass when you achieve success.

Vegan Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread with Maple Glaze
makes 2 small loaves

For the dough:
45g warm water (around 45C)
15g organic cane sugar
8g dry yeast
60g non-dairy vegan butter (brand: Nuttelex)
110g organic soy milk

45g organic cane sugar
4g organic pure vanilla extract
2g salt
280g all purpose flour (plus more for rolling)

For the cinnamon filling:
60g organic cane sugar
5g ground cinnamon
25g non-dairy butter, melted
20g raisins
20g walnut pieces

For the maple icing glaze:
70g powdered sugar
20g non-dairy butter, melted
30g organic soy milk
2g maple extract
1g salt

METHOD:
1. Place the warm water and 15g of sugar in a small bowl. Let the sugar dissolve. Add the yeast and stir for a few seconds then set it aside for about 10 minutes, until the yeast has bubbled up and doubled in size. if the yeast does not expand, then the yeast is dead or the water is not the right temperature, and you will have to try again.
2. In a small sauce pan, heat up the butter just until it has melted. Remove from heat and mix in the soy milk, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the yeast mixture (after it has been proofed), and stir.
3. In a larger bowl, sift the flour. Pour the wet mixture in and mix everything together. After a while, use your hands to knead the dough for about 5 minutes. The dough will be a bit wet and sticky, but still manageable. If it is too sticky, add a little more flour. Next, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or damp kitchen towel, and set aside in a warm place for at least 1:30 hours, until the dough has risen and doubled in size. I heated my oven at the lowest temperature for about 5 minutes and then turned it off and placed the dough bowl in there to rise.
4. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and turn it out onto a floured table top. Knead a few times and then let it rest again for about 15 minutes, covered.

5. Preheat oven to 170C. Line baking pans with parchment paper.
6.On a floured surface, roll the dough out to a 45cm x30cm rectangle.

7. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle the melted butter over the rolled out dough and brush evenly until the surface is all covered. Generously sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over. No holding back. Add the raisins and walnuts on top (if using).

8. Using a sharp, floured knife, cut the rolled out dough into four even strips. Layer them on top of each other and then slice those strips up into 8+ squares.

The size you cut the squares will depend on the size of your bread pan. My pans are quite small, hence the thin strips. If you are using one larger bread pan, then maybe cut 3 strips and then cut those layers into 6 squares.

9. Carefully arrange the layers into your baking pans lined with parchment paper. Some of the raisins and walnuts will no doubt try to escape, but just stuff them back in later. Cover with a cloth and let the dough rest and rise in the pans for about 15-20 minutes.

10. Bake at 360F or 180C for about 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown on top. If they start to become too brown before they are fully baked, lower the heat slightly and place a sheet of foil over the top and continue baking. Let cool about 10 minutes before adding any glaze.

Fresh out of the oven! The cinnamon-sugar aroma is glorious and all the layers are happily sandwiched together. You can enjoy this just as is, or you can go all the way and top it with some sweet maple glaze.

11. To make the glaze, just mix all of the ingredients (powdered sugar, soy milk, melted vegan butter, maple extract, and salt). Drizzle evenly over the warm cinnamon rolls.

This is best enjoyed while still warm and peeling apart the layers is half the enjoyment of eating this bread. You simply cannot stop at one layer… just one more…. and another… and another. Until it’s all gone. No regrets though.

So sexy, so seductive… :P

The cinnamon-sugar goes so well with walnuts and raisins, but feel free to add whatever fruits/nuts your heart desires. Even chocolate chips!

They also make the most adorable pressies~ And you will no doubt impress the pants off of everyone. Enjoy~

I love hearing feedback from you guys! Feel free to leave a comment by clicking here~~ :)

Because the event was at Botton, Yona and I got to cater the event with our desserts. I made carrot cake, earl grey cake, red velvet cake, chocolate cookies, coconut macaroons, and lemon drop cookies.

The red velvet cake didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped and it was a bit messy to arrange with the frosting. I hope people still enjoyed it though~

Yona made almond florentines, and her beautiful strawberry pie, egg-orange tart, and deep dish quiche. And Botton provided all the coffee and drinks. The spread was quite a sight!

The awesome Botton crew hard at work.

Another lady also provided some savory food like homemade kimbab rolls, fried dumplings, and salad. At the start of the event, the author gave a speech and all the other noteable attendees introduced themselves before everyone dug in. :)

People hanging around outside once it got too crowded inside. So many fancy people~ :) I’m so glad the event went well, and I wish nothing but big success for Jaebom Shim and his book!

And now onto some daily random eats:

I’m still making green smoothies, and even more so now that it’s basically summer. This one was made with a banana, orange, almond milk (a special treat I ordered from iHerb), wheat grass powder, chia seeds, cacao nibs, cinnamon, and some ice. Deliciously refreshing, especially right after a workout.

Made a last-minute, one-day trip to Cheonan over the weekend and my parents and I went out for dinner at this countryside Korean restaurant. They had boribab (barley rice), and a bunch of banchans– my favorite kind of restaurant.

I always want multiple servings of all the banchans… but sometimes I feel bad about asking for banchan refills, even though most places are fine with it.

Cold mook soup

Barley bibimbab.

I also recently got lunch at a new Thai restaurant by Shinnonhyun station. They didn’t have many (if any) veggie options, so I asked them to make a vegan pad thai for me with just a bunch of veggies. It was about half noodles and half sprouts! hehe. Tasted pretty ok… but drowning in a bit too much oil though.

Found this new veggie ramen by Nongshim! I was so surprised to find it at my small neighborhood convenience store, because usually you can only get vegan ramen at big stores like Emart or Homeplus! It’s great that this is becoming more widely available, even if it isn’t the most healthy thing to buy.

Nongshim has (or had? not sure if they pulled it) another vegan ramen, but this one is different in that the noodles have not been fried, and it is much fewer calories. It will make you feel a little less guilty about eating salty junk food. :)

Ingredients label. The warning section says it was made in a facility that also processes buckwheat, peanuts, seafood, pork, milk, eggs, and tomatoes. It’s made by Nongshim, so this isn’t surprising.

Here it is all cooked up. I added the tofu and zucchini~ The ramen was just what the doctor ordered. :P

This month’s issue of Bakery Monthly magazine. My contribution is a hummingbird cake with coconut-brown rice topping and walnuts.

I have also been trying to help my friend find forever-homes for the kittens that he rescued from the street a while back. They have grown up a lot and are just so cute and full of energy. Out of 6 total, 4 have already been adopted and there are just 2 left, waiting for someone to take them home. If you or anyone you know is interested, shoot me an email! aliensdayout at gmail dot com. Just think of all the hilarious cat photos and videos you can post to reddit. Instant karma, yeah!

Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur~ happy kitty, sleepy kitty, pur pur purr~~

I love hearing feedback from you guys! Feel free to leave a comment by clicking here~~ :)

The co-owner Dan is a Korean-American gyopo and a good friend of mine~ We used to work together at a hakwon waaay back in the day when we were young, wild, and free. He’s got a big personality, tons of heart, and is one of those guys that everyone knows. He can get along with anybody and he’s a big happy-go-lucky guy, but also a smart businessman and now a great pizza maker. I admire his work ethic and people skills.

It’s so awesome to see him making pizza like a pro, and to see him achieving his dream and pursuing his passion.

A bunch of our mutual friends got together at Dan’s restaurant to reconnect. Most of my old gyopo friends and old hakwon coworkers have moved back home, but there are a few of us left here, doing different things outside of the hakwon scene. It was so great to catch up and share what we’re up to now. And Brick Oven was the perfect place for us to convene– it’s got a lively, upbeat atmosphere, and large tables to accommodate big groups (make a reservation for large groups in advance). Oh, and the waitstaff are all fluent in English so you don’t have to mime your order.

Garlic fries. They have a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, but I’m sure they could make it without for the vegans.

Garlic bread knots.

All the beer glasses come out chilled for the most refreshing taste.

One of the pies got split in half with one side vegan for me, and the other side basil pesto & cheese. They don’t currently have a vegan pizza on their menu, but there is a vegetarian one, so you can just ask them to leave out the cheese, and the dough is totally vegan. Dan is super accommodating to veg*ans.

Aww yiss~~ veggie pizza! The pie is huge, but the crust is fairly thin so you can enjoy several slices before you get stuffed. There was no way I could eat that whole half-pizza myself, so other people got to sample it too~

 
Delicious. Probably the best vegan pizza I’ve had in Korea. The crust is just how I personally like it– a little on the thinner side (very fold-able if that’s how you like to eat pizza), and they load it with veggie toppings: marinara sauce, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, garlic, onions, bell peppers….

Dang, looking at these photos is making me crave pizza again.

So wot you waiting for? Go get your pizza on~

Directions to Brick Oven:
Gangnam Station, line 2. Exit 11. Come out the exit stairs and walk straight along the main road. When you reach the CGV theater, turn right and walk up the hill. Walk straight up for about 5 minutes (you’ll pass several coffee shops/restaurants) and Brick Oven will be one of the buildings on your left. You can’t miss it.
Location: 617-4 Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 2nd Floor
Tel: 02.508.1325
https://www.facebook.com/BrickOvenPizzaSeoul

I love hearing feedback from you guys! Feel free to leave a comment by clicking here~~ :)

Bubbly goodness.

Vegan Mandu Jeongol

For the spicy sauce /marinade:
2 Tbs soy sauce for soup (국간장)
1 Tbs red pepper flakes
1 Tbs crushed garlic
pinch of pepper

For the Jeongol:
8-10 vegan mandu dumplings. (or as many as you want)
5-6 cups vegan soup stock
4 shittake mushrooms, sliced
100g enoki mushrooms
1 onion – sliced long
1 block tofu – sliced
minari – cut the stems to about 7cm
1/2 spring onion shoot
1 green pepper sliced diagonally
1/2 red pepper (optional, depending on how spicy you want it)

Prepare your vegan stock in advance. Make the spicy marinade by just mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside. Next, begin arranging the jeongol ingredients. Place the same items on both sides of the pot, across from each other. Or you can go rogue and throw them in any which way you want. Pour in the stock til the ingredients are just covered and place a spoonful of the spicy marinade sauce in the middle. Start with one heaping tablespoon. If you want it more spicy, you can always add more later after you taste it. Place the defrosted mandu in the middle and bring everything to a boil. Once the ingredients are all cooked, enjoy!

Premade vegan mandu dumplings, ready for cooking. If they are frozen, set out to defrost at room temp.

The soup we made was pretty light and mild, compared to most jeongols that you get at restaurants. We prefer to keep things less spicy and salty, but you can add more of the pepper sauce for a more intense, spicy jeongol. Enjoy with rice and plenty of banchans. :)

I love hearing feedback from you guys! Feel free to leave a comment by clicking here~~ :)

Hi Seoulites!

My friend is hosting a bake sale fundraiser this weekend at Bao restaurant in Noksapyeong. She is raising money to help bring a North Korean defector in China, over to South Korea. Stop by the bake sale on Saturday if you can~ you’ll be helping someone in need and you’ll get to enjoy some vegan/gf treats! :)

Directions to Bao:
Noksapyeong Station (Line 6), exit 2. Walk straight down the hill to the underpass. Cross under and exit left from the underpass. Walk straight to the traffic light. Bao is across the street in between Noxa Lounge and Kolon Motors BMW.