Itaewon Nights

Ok Ok team,

I know you are going to slander me as being a typical foreigner in Seoul for doing what I did last Saturday Night.   And yes, I deserve to be slandered.   You have a fair point.   I did the thing that basically every foreigner does at some point yet regularly wishes they didnt do.    I did the debauche.   I did the unsavoury.   I did the regrettable.  

I went to some clubs in Itaewon on a Saturday Night.  

Yep it was the first time I had really been out on a Saturday Night here in Korea for a while, so I decided to head to an old stomping ground of mine, Itaewon.  

During the daylight hours, Itaewon is an interestingly cosmopolitan mix so it is.   Cafes, Markets, the odd clothing shop, and plenty of food stalls on the street add to a nice little eclectic mix of things to be mixed in to give a strong resonant positive feel and vibe for a place. 

At night however, the place can indeed become a lot on the seedy side and whilst not overbearingly bad, it can indeed get a little irritable. 

The place is basically jam packed with Koreans, US soldiers, English teachers and well... any one else tagging along for the ride. 

Two bars I went into on the night include Helios and the UN bar.  

Helios is by far the better of the two.   Its basically set up like a sports bar.   You can the usual things you do at any given bar there.   The grub is good, the vibe good, and the time good.   Its generally not so bad.

UN Bar on the other hand is a different thing altogether.   Basically it has a lot of filipino waitresses and US soldiers in there, and it has an unfortunate ghetto like feel to it.   It plays Hip Hop until it can play it no more.   And it gets really repetitive and boring.   Not to mention that the place still has a very dirty grungy feel to it.   A place to avoid in the future I think.  

You can have a look at some youtubes of Itaewon here..



Thats UN bar for you .. and more ..








Generally speaking, Itaewon is not too bad.   But well... I will leave it up to you if you wish to go there at night.   Cheers.  

Foreign Food Mart - Itaewon

Another staple on the list of foreign food markets in Seoul is the foreign food mart located right next door to What the Book in Itaewon.

Foreign Food Mart is pretty recognised for its ample supplies of Indian and US foods, as well as decent International Calling Cards. You can also get deodorants, body products, European foods, and other well known foreign nicknacks.

To get to the Foreign Food Mart, you walk along the main street in Itaewon, until you get to the UN club. Turn right and walk straight up the hill and you will see the foreign food mart right up at the top.

Enjoy !!!

hannam supermarket

Alas !!! Decent foreign food supplies !!!!! yeeeaaaaah hoooooooo !!!!!

Hannam supermarket is the place to come team, especially when you are missing home and although you love that delicious Korean Cuisine, you just need a little something to remind you of the joys of your home. 

Located on the basement floor of the Volvo Building in Hannam Dong, Seoul, you will find a nicely stocked little market full of goodies from various parts of the world.  If you want Italian pasta and pasta sauce, you can get it here.   If you need Danish Hvararti, its ready and waiting for you.   If you want a Fosters and a XXXX, yes team, Aussie beer can be located here.  

From Quaker Oats to Maple Syrup.   From Gouda to Mozarrella.   From Budweiser and Molsons to Sammy Adams and Psintao.   Its all here team and its stocked up quite nicely.   You can also visit Dandys Grocery Store located just outside the mart.   Its kind of a little entree where as the Supermarket is the main dish.  

If you want to see pictures and all team you can check it all out right here.   

http://www.hannammarket.co.kr/

Alternatively team, you can just go straight there !!!!

Its only about a 5 min walk from Hangangjin Station.   Basically you come out exit 2, you just walk straight, turn right, follow the path around, go up the bridge, cross it, go down turn right and the Volvo Building is right there. 

The address is

726-173 Hannam-Dong
Yongsan-gu
Seoul   Korea. 

Maybe I will see you in there sometime !!!!