Cafe Mayb
Review by Rebekah Morton, ETA ’15-’16 City: Seogwipo Restaurant Name: Cafe Mayb Foods Served: Coffee, Cocktails, Snacks Restaurant Address: 416-2 Seogwi-dong, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do View Map Directions: The cafe is in Seogwipo, in the trendy downtown area called “Art Street.” If you walk there from the Dongmun Rotary, one of the major bus stops in Seogwipo, you should take a right at the 7/11, then take a left when you hit the daily market (marked clearly, a big covered market area). From there, it’s a straight shot at the bottom of the hill. Cost: Espresso drink ~ 5,000, Won, Cocktail ~ 6,000 Won [slideshow_deploy id=’3602′] Cafe Mayb has a very laid-back, bohemian atmosphere. There are tables in and outside of the cafe, which is fairly small–one room, with an open wall facing Art Street. The bathrooms and cafe in general are clean and well-kept, with lots of cute/quirky decor. The drinks (all of your standard espresso drinks, tea, wine/beer, cocktails) are excellent, especially given the moderate prices. The staff, and especially the owner of the cafe, are very friendly and attentive. Most of them speak English, including the owner, who often spends time chatting with customers. You’re likely to run into lots of non-staff English speakers hanging out there, as it is a popular spot for foreign teachers. There is also a sleepy cat and a friendly dog that are known to hang around looking for cuddles. TL;DR: Bohemian, English-friendly, moderate prices, good coffee and cocktails. 10/10 will come again~
City Guide Review: Noodle Tree
Review by Emmy Mildenberg, ETA 2014-2015 City: Seogwipo, Jeju-do (서귀포, 제주도) Restaurant Name: Noodle Tree (국수나무) Food Served: Noodles and Donkatsu Restaraunt Address: 제주특별자치도 서귀포시 동홍남로 54 View Map Directions: In Seogwipo the only public transportation available is by car, taxi, or public bus. If you take a public bus, get off at the bus stop biseokeori on the 780 or Dream Sky Apartment on the 6. The restaurant is a five-ten minute walk from there in downtown Donghong-dong Cost: Dishes range from 4,000~18,000 won The Noodle Tree is not your typical Korean restaurant. Located in the mostly residential neighborhood of Donghongdong, Noodle Tree is a beacon of delicious noodles amidst a sea of convenience stores and gimbap restaurants. It appears to be a rather new restaurant, as it stands out in how bright and warm the inside appears. The fare is decidedly Japanese, although it does offer a small menu of more “typical Korean” options such as mandu soup and dukkguk. The main portion of the menu contains various different noodle dishes followed by several variations on donkatsu. Every time I go to this restaurant I end up calling my friends who live in the neighborhood to see if they would like some of my soup. I am unable to finish my noodles because they give you so many and noodles aren’t good for takeout (or so my host mother claims). My suggestion would be to this restaurant with at least one other person and split a bowl of noodles. The donkatsu is the same size as many other places, but it pales in comparison to the amount of food contained in one of their bowls of noodles. If you’re in neighborhood, be sure to give Noodle Tree a try! Also, Noodle Tree is a chain, so be on the lookout for this restaurant in your neck of the woods.
Opera in the East
“You. Sing.” Cheong Ho pointed to the book he’d just placed on my music stand, a vocal score for Gian-Carlo Menotti’s opera, “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” He flipped open the cover and traced his finger down through the character list, stopping on the last role: The Page.