Over the Mountain

Today was my 2^nd time taking a trip outside of Seoul. Unfortunately, the weather was horrible! But that didn’t deter me! 

For those of you that don’t know, taking mini-trips is incredibly easy and fun! That’s partly because of Korea’s pension (not the retirement fund thing) culture. Pensions are little vacation homes that owners rent out like a hotel. Pensions are FULLY stocked too! They have all the amenities that hotels have, plus a full kitchen and living room! Some are often very cutely themed (log cabin, modern, cottage, etc). Some pensions can be expensive, but I would say that they are generally cheaper than hotels. And if you can find a group to go with, it can be incredibly affordable! 

I went to the pension Over the Mountain (http://www.overthemountain.co.kr/) in Gapyeong. I had been there last summer and wanted to go again since I like the location. It’s tucked away in the mountain and close to a popular garden (http://www.morningcalm.co.kr/). 

Oh my god..so dreary!

The thing I like about Korean pensions is that they think of EVERYTHING! For example, Over the Mountain has a BBQ reservation service! You tell them how many people are going to eat BBQ, then they bring a BBQ and charcoal to your pension patio and meat, veggies, rice, stew, etc. all to you! All you have to do is BBQ your meat and you can eat! No need to bring your own meat! Very convenient and it was only 15,000won per person!

On grounds, there is also a store, café, and swimming pool. 

BBQ action

Our back patio

FOOD!

Can you see the snow?

After our night at the pension, we went to the garden the next morning. Unfortunately, spring hasn’t quite sprung. We grabbed coffee and walked around the grounds. It was still pretty cool because the heavy rains from last night resulted in snowcapped mountains! 

First signs of spring!

Overall a very fun experience and definitely a must try if you are staying in Korea long-term! Transportation is very flexible too! There’s a bus that goes to the garden and you just call the pension to send a car to fetch you! How wonderfully easy!

Grill5 in Garusogil

In the past 2-3 years I’ve noticed an increasing trend in Korea: fusion Korean-Mexican food

This probably all stemmed from the immense fame the Kogi taco truck had in Los Angeles about 3 or 4 years ago. The chef of the taco truck used popular Korean marinated BBQ meats and merged them with Mexican street tacos. The rest, as they say, is history.

But what makes Seoul the target of this new food trend? 

Unlike Los Angeles where street tacos have DOMINATED the street food scene for years, Korea has had very little exposure to other cuisines besides Korean ones. Ten years ago, I doubt even 20% of the population knew what a tortilla was. Nowadays, walk along the trendy Garusogil and you’ll bump into one Mexican restaurant and one fusion restaurant: Grill5. 

Grill5 is serving pretty much exactly what the Kogi taco truck serves. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Kogi taco truck was its inspiration. Koreans can be welcoming of other nationalities food, but they will always say Korean food is best. That’s why I’m sure fusion places like Grill5 are experiencing a surge. They are using traditional Korean flavors and injecting something new into them. 

That specializes in the Korean-Mexican fusion trend. I’m a big fan of their kimchi carnitas fries. Grill5 also has a similar version called Seoul fries.

 

To be honest, I found the Vatos kimchi carnitas fries better than the Grill5 one. The Grill5 one is sweeter and the fries were too thin for my taste. I also felt that for the price, Vatos gave you a bigger portion.

I did love that Grill5 offered free tortilla chips (unlimited!). You have you order salsa separately though.

This is a order at a counter, get a buzzer type place.

Overall, I'd say if you can go to Vatos. I think they're food is better than here.

Directions:

The best way to get to Grill5 is to go out of exit 8 at Sinsa Stn. Keep going straight and make a left after Café Benne. Then make a right at the end and an immediate left into the long street. Keep going down and you will see Grill5 on your left.