I’ll wind-up my posting for year 2015 with a short write-up
on several K-Pop places of interest, especially if you are Big Bang’s ardent fans.
First stop - G Dragon’s
newly opened “Monsant” café at Aewol, Jeju island. I was there back in Oct and
it just had its soft opening. The menu was not extensive, as expected.
However, the view from the café is simply breathtaking ! More so, if you visit
during sunset. Overlooking the enchanting
JeJu ocean, the exterior of Monsant café is just like huge mirrors that reflect
the sky. From the main road, you gotta
walk a short distance to Monsant café. Along the path, there are several small
cosy cafes. One of which is Bong Bong bakery (situated right behind Monsant),
which is frequented by many K-Pop personalities. I had the good fortune of bumping
into Hwang Kwanghee and Kim Dong-jun of
boyband ZE:A. I’ll be back, Monsant !
Next up is “K-live”.
If you adore YG stars – Psy, Big Bang and 2NE1, you should not skip this
place! You would be absolutely bowled over by the amazing surround sound and state-of-the-art
visual effects at the hologram concerts. I watched Psy and G Dragon’s “Awake”
hologram concerts – oh man! you'd feel like GD and Psy are just right in front of
ya. There is also interesting virtual interaction with the fans and stars.
Lucky me ! I won a K-live bag ! Also, fans stand a chance of being serenaded by
GD. Let’s not forget the appearance of
Krunk (the celebrity bear/mascot of YG Entertainment), dancing with the
audience. K-live also has the official merchandises of many K-Pop stars.
Unfortunately, most of Big Bang’s hot items are sold out already. Sure, the ticket
price might be a bit steep but I assure you, you will not be disappointed, bae
bae !!
“AND here” café is owned by Seungri and currently run by his
mom. It’s a chic place to chill and the
marshmallow waffles (imported from Belgium) is simply mouth-watering. The café is adorned
with gifts from fans, autographed mugs of Big Bang members, Krunk bears, Pandas
(it’s Seungri ! Of course, you’ll see pandas in his café! ) a giant gorilla (a
gift from T.O.P) and huge Iron Man figurines. The café is spacious and service is good. You can also pen your thoughts or pour out your heart to dear ol' Seungri on the guest
book.
I also made my way to “Jaksal Chicken” restaurant, a joint
venture between Kim Hyun Joong (former SS501 boyband leader) and his elementary
school mates. I chatted briefly with his biz partner and he’s such a friendly
chap (speaks pretty good English, too). The interior is nothing fancy, decorated with his Kim’s posters and aliens
(his official cartoon character). It
serves very flavorful spicy and mild Korean style fried chicken. Beer + scrumptious fried chicken with rice cake
= To die for delectable combo. Jaksal Chicken is seriously yummy !
