Three Little Things: January 2019

Whoooah! Writing about food is difficult when you're hungry, huh? Anyway, I'll have to fight my cravings and daydream about the food we ate in Korea while finishing this entry.

I am the type of traveler who makes an effort to research about food to try in the country I am going to visit. To prove that to you, here's a screenshot of the google sheets I made. Feel free to use it if you're interested.

If you notice, I did not only make a sheet specific for food but everything that has to do with our trip. I am meticulous when it comes to planning :D

Sadly, we weren't able to try everything on the list but happy that we found some good places to eat that is not on the list. I'm keeping this so I have a guide on my next visit.

Alright! Enough of the intro. Let's go to my top three favorite food in Korea (for my recent visit).

1. Kimchi Jiggae (김치 찌개)

I can say that this became our favorite food while on vacation. We ate kimchi jiggae three times! It was our first meal, we ate it on our third day and while waiting to board on the plane. We've tried three different kimchi jiggaes in three different places.

Let's talk about Yookssam's (육쌈) Kimchi Jiggae.

Yookssam : Kimchi Jiggae, Kimchi, Diced Radish Kimchi, and Charcoal Grilled Bulgogi

A closer look of our Kimchi Jiggae

Oh God! I love Yookssam because every meal comes with a free bulgogi. It's affordable too! Our bill was just 9,000 won (around 420 PHP) for this set plus two orders of rice. For Filipino standard, one order is good for sharing already. As expected, the kimchi jiggae was spicy but flavorful. I loved the bulgogi too as it was tender and that aroma you get when something is grilled enhances the taste.

Next on our list is Saemaeul Restaurant's (새마을식당) Kimchi Jiggae

This one is my favorite! My Korean friend brought us in this restaurant and she said that they are known for their kimchi jiggae. How can we miss the opportunity to try it, right?

Saemaeul : Kimchi Jiggae

It's not that spicy unlike the other two that we tried. I like this the most because of the generous amount of meat. I hope you can see it in the photo. Just order rice and you are good with this already.

Their kimchi jiggae is best paired with seaweed flakes! Oh my! I can't remember how much seaweed I had! It was a perfect combination. I even bought some seaweed flakes in the grocery because of this. Aaaaaah!! Will definitely come back here to eat this again.

Last on my list is the Kimchi Jiggae in the airport.

The only thing I remember about this one is the generous amount of tofu and it was SPICY! I was starving that time so this was definitely a good one.

Moving on...

2. Naengmyeon (냉면 - Cold Buckwheat Noodles)

I was intrigued by this dish because it originated in North Korea. I was planning to try it from a restaurant owned by a North Korean in Seoul which I learned from a vlog that I watched but wasn't able to visit the area. Luckily, Yookssam happens to offer this dish.

Yup, I got it from Yookssam as well. I ordered this on our last night in Seoul. It was a simple dish and the bowl was HUGE! Well at least for me. It was a noodle soup with sliced pear, cucumber, and boiled egg. The special thing about this is the iced broth. Yes, it's cold! As you can see in the photo, there are bits of ice on it. Oh, I remember how refreshing the soup/broth was! The taste was tangy but savory at the same time with a bit of sweetness. To be honest, buckwheat noodles isn't my type but I'm all for the broth here! YUM!

Last on my top three favorite is....

3. Golden Olive Chicken of bb.q Premium Cafe

bb.q premium cafe

Oh my goodness! How will I even start? Okay. If you are a fan of kdramas and you watched Goblin then you already have an idea about this chicken place. It was used as a filming location for Goblin. Nope, I did not watch the drama but I got interested on the good reviews of the chicken. So it's like hitting two birds with one stone, right? Visiting a kdrama filming site and eating the famous olive chicken.

So, what makes this chicken so special? Well, it was fried using olive oil. It was amazing to taste the flavor of olive oil in the chicken. I am telling you, it is beyond delicious. It was juicy and it tasted so clean and fresh. I don't know if clean is the right word to use but it taste really clean. Oh, I forgot to mention that one order comes with eight pieces of chicken! For Filipinos, eight pieces is already for the whole family but according to a Korean I met, one order is just for one Korean! She said "one chicken (one order), one Korean" Whoah! I managed to eat three pieces in one sitting and my mom finished two.

I am the type who loves to eat with sauce. I think fried food is boring without a sauce. This chicken comes with a pickled radish and that sweet and spicy sauce which I think was made of gochujang (red chilli paste) and maybe strawberry sauce? Not sure but it tastes like that. Gosh, I wish I am in Seoul right now!

Another thing that amazed me about this chicken is that when we ate our leftover for dinner, IT WAS STILL CRISPY AND JUICY!! It is as if we just ordered it. Except that it wasn't hot anymore, of course. Can you believe it? I can't help it. I AM MISSING THIS CHICKEN SO BAD! I guess this is where I will head first when I go back to Seoul. Best fried chicken for me!!

Okay, I know I should limit to three but I just have to add this one. It's not a Korean food so I guess I am still in line with my theme so here it is..

Shake Shack

Do I still have to explain this one? But I gotta say, I LOVED THE STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE even if it was cold outside. HAHA!

Shake Shack Dongdaemun Branch

Shack Burger, Cheesy Fries and Strawberry Milkshake

Food will always be my favorite topic. Did you enjoy my post? Did I make you hungry?

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HAPPY NEW YEAR! This post is my first blog entry for 2019. I have so much to share about my recent trip to South Korea but I'd like to start with the first step which is applying for a visa. Unfortunately, Filipinos have to apply for a visa if we want to visit South Korea. The thought of applying for one is quite intimidating and nerve-wracking. I remember the first time I applied for a visa, I immediately searched for reasons why people get denied. HAHA! I was terrified but luckily I was granted a single entry. Even if I've been to South Korea once, I was extra anxious this time because I'll be applying with my mom and I will be supporting her in our trip.

To prepare for our application, I googled...

"Applying Korean Visa with mother"

"Applying Korean Visa financially supporting mother"

"Requirements for Korean Visa with sponsor"

"Sponsoring mother for Korean Visa"

and the list goes on. However, I did not find a blog or a post that shares the same situation like ours where the daughter will support/sponsor her mother's trip. Here's our background:

MOM

- 53 years old

- No job; Housewife

- No bank account

- No travel history for the past 25 years

MARIA (me)

- Working in an ad agency for two and a half years

- Traveled to Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea

Based on the blogs I read, there is no perfect formula for you to get a visa. But your background will make you stand a chance to visit your favorite country. Sharing with you three little things which I think worked for us in getting a Korea visa:

1. FINANCIAL CAPACITY

It is important to prove to the embassy that you can afford to travel to their country. I used my payroll account for my bank statement. I saved and did not touch my salary for the whole month of August and deposited a large sum of money in that same month. We applied for a visa in September so I was really anxious because the embassy might be suspicious of why I deposited a big amount to my account two months before my trip. The good thing about using a payroll account is that there are a lot of transactions to be reflected in your bank statement. Every 15th and 30th day of the month, I get my salary. I also use the same account to pay for my bills like Meralco, PLDT, and credit card. I also have withdrawals and bank transfer transactions which I think was good.

If you are wondering how much money I had in my account, it was around 90,000 PHP. My mom and I stayed in Seoul for 6 days so I assumed that we will spend 5,000 PHP each per day. If you will do the math, we need 30,000 PHP per head. I think it's safe to say that I proved that I can support our trip with the money I have in the bank.

But of course, your financial capacity should be tied to your background which leads me to point number two.

2. STABLE JOB

I read blogs that says this isn't a guarantee but a plus point to your application. I think that you should be able to prove that the money you have in the bank coincide with the salary that you get from work. I've been working in my present job for more that two years and I was able to present documents such as certificate of employment and ITR to prove my ties in the Philippines and money in my bank account.

The first time I applied for a Korea visa, I was just 4 months old in my present job but I presented my ITR from my previous job.

My best friend applied visa with me and she only had around 30,000 PHP in her bank account but she's been working in her present job for six years. She travels a lot as well.

3. PROOF OF RELATIONSHIP

I think this is pretty easy. I just attached a copy of my birth certificate to my application. Take note that my mom and I do not share the same last name but of course her name is on my birth certificate.

In a nutshell, if you will sponsor a family member to a trip, make sure that you have enough money in the bank, you have a stable job and provide document/s that will prove your relationship to that person. I think those three things helped us get a visa.

My mom in Seoul Forest - I Seoul U

I applied our visa thru Rakso Travel. I was very happy with their customer service and I think they found a loyal client in me. More likely, I'll apply again thru them next time. If I remember it right, the Rakso staff attached the copy of my birth certificate and COE to my application only. She did not include it in my mom's anymore but she used my bank certificate and statement to support my mom's application.

Oh by the way, you can check you visa status here. I checked mine and found out we were granted a visa even before the travel agency messaged me.

I hope that my visa application experience will be helpful to you. Good luck in your application!

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