When in Korea: Raccoon Café Kkukkune

I've been to various kinds of cafés. There are the common ones like dog and cat cafés and more interesting ones like owl café. But on my trip to Seoul, Korea, I chanced upon another quirky cafe. A raccoon café! 

Hello, Raccoon Café Kkukkune!

Apparently, raccoon cafés are now the craze in Korea and we were lucky to experience this one of a kind trend during our stay in Seoul. 

First Bite: Brick Burger

"Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you’re part of a team. Everything is awesome! When we’re living our dream.” Those lines have been stuck in my head ever since I watched The Lego Movie. I still go crazy whenever I hear it and I just have to sing along! And I got crazier when I found out that a Lego themed burger joint opened a few months back, I just have to visit it soon!

Hello, Brick Burger!

The place was packed with families on a rainy Sunday afternoon but we were lucky to score the last vacant table. 

We were quickly assisted to our table and were handed menu cards. There are not a lot of dishes to choose from as Brick Burger focused on comfort dishes such as chicken wings, pasta, hotdogs, fries, nachos and of course, burgers. After much thought, we went with Cheesy Mac (PHP210) and Fries (PHP65). 

Foodie Alert: Noche Dine in the Dark Manila

It is absolutely fascinating how social media changed our dining habits. Back when phones are bigger than the remote control, we start the meal with a prayer. These days, we start with a flatlay. Just 5 years ago, we choose our meals based on taste; now, we choose base on appearance. We have been so concerned with how dishes look and if it'll generate a lot of likes or regrams. We take so many shots that we get used to cold food and lukewarm drinks. And in the age of digitalization, most of us simply have lost the ability to enjoy food the right way. And this is one of the issues Dine in the Dark aims to address. 

Hello, Dine in the Dark! 

I was so thrilled when P messaged one weekend informing C and I that we will be the looloo representatives for Noche Dine in the Dark's VIP Preview. I have been eying to try it out with R ever since I saw its teaser. Though I've tried dining in the dark before, I know that it'll be a totally different experience when you're with different company. 

Days before the preview, C and I had to choose among fish, meat, vegetarian and chef's surprise for our 3-course meal. We both chose chef's surprise because it sounds exciting!

And finally, it was 10.05.16!

Noche is located at the 4th floor of A.Venue Suites Hotel and before entering the dark realm, one had to proceed to the holding area where diners will be briefed. 

While waiting for everyone, several braille cards were given and we tried to learn how to read using it. I actually enjoyed memorizing each letter and I plan to master it soon. It was also a very engaging way to introduce us to the world of the visually impaired.  

When in Japan: Visit Owl Family Hakata

My recent Japan trip was a dream come true. I have been dying to visit Japan for the longest time and it finally happened this year. And nothing would have been more perfect than being there during the time when cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Obviously, I went crazy over the cherry blossoms and dragged R towards every sakura tree I spotted. It was expected as I have always wanted to see those beautiful trees in real life. But I would have never known that I would also go crazy over… owls. 

Hello, Owl Family Hakata!

The Owl café was an accidental discovery and it happened when R and I were trying to find our way to visit this temple near Hakata Station in Fukuoka, Japan. 

After struggling to ask the locals for directions with my survival Nihonggo, we found ourselves walking along this sad looking shopping district. That was when we spotted a bunch of foreigners in front of this quaint café. Curious, we stopped and check the place out. And to our surprise, we saw several owls inside!

Owls of different sizes were all lounging around the small establishment. We were so fascinated by it that we thought of joining the group of tourists outside. But there is a limit with the number of customers who could go inside. Also, we wanted to wait for R’s friend to join us. 

We headed back to the place after a couple of hours and there were still a handful of people waiting outside for the next batch. We got scared that we might not be accommodated as the ones ahead of us made reservations. But we managed to get in. Yay!

We were first ushered to the second floor of the cafe where we were given instructions on how to handle the owls. It was a bit of a challenge as the server was speaking 95% Japanese and 5% English. We only understood the essentials through body language. 

Thankfully, they also have some reading materials in English for us which also explain the same things the staff was trying to convey. 

Before heading down, we placed our orders which were inclusive in our JPY1,000 per person café fee. R and I got hot chocolate while R’s friend, M, got coffee. 

Giddy to mingle with the owls, we didn’t drink our beverages right away. Also, the second floor was a bit too cramped to stay put.

We were given a quick rundown of the names of the owls but the one that got stuck to me is Sumomo, the adorable small owl with eyes that could melt the coldest heart.