I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I love coffee. Despite not joining the coffee world until I was 25, I have now become an ardent fan and have been making up for lost time ever since. I really don’t think I could make it through the day without a cup or two. If it wouldn’t leave me financially bankrupt  I would probably drink about 3 ice vanilla lattes a day, but the 5,000 price tag generally puts me off. The other problem is that there are no coffee shops in the barren wasteland of countryside that I work in, which really seems to limit my coffee intake. That’s why I am thrilled to have come upon this method. It’s cheap and I can whip up a coffee before I leave for work and take it with me.

Now I am no slouch in the kitchen and I’ve always figured it must be pretty damn easy to make my own bloody coffee, but alas I’ve never quite managed it until now. Vanilla syrup is insatiable easy to make or buy. Milk and ice are everywhere, it’s just the coffee that posed a problem. I bought a little coffee maker on Craigslist but the espresso just wasn’t quite good enough. I was waxing lyrically with my friend about the lack of a good espresso in my life when I was round his house one morning using his incredibly expensive hand pulled contraption, when he suggested cold brewing. A quick search on the tinternet and all my problems were solved. It’s so easy a monkey could make it. This cold brewed method provides the best coffee base for my latte ever. You could also drink it as an americano.

Ingredients

1 cup of ground coffee

4 cups of cold water

1 jar

1 coffee filter

Directions

1. Measure out your coffee beans and grind as finely as possible. If you don’t have a coffee grinder or blender attachment then buy them from your favourite coffee shop and have them grind them for you.

2. Measure out one cup of coffee grounds. Then put them in your jar and top with the four cups of cold water. If you want your coffee even stronger you can just use 3 cups but I find this works perfectly. If you are planning on drinking it straight you may want to add more water depending on your preference. Give the jar a shake then put it in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.

3. Strain your coffee through a filter or use a mandu cloth bag that you can get in all supermarkets and places like Daiso. You can then keep the strained coffee in the fridge for at least 5 days. Also if you don’t throw away the coffee ground you can use them to make a revitalizing and cellulite busting scrub.

4. Use your lovely cold brewed coffee to make your favourite coffee drink and go about your day with a superior air of thrift and smugness as you pass all those people lining up for 5,000 drinks.

Urghhhhhhhhh I can’t move. I am filled to brim with free coffee, juice, smoothies, beer, ades, and free food samples. I am now seriously paying the price for overindulging in all those goodies. You would think with all that sugar I would be bouncing around like a beach ball… But no, although I do look like one.

The expo is on for the next four days so there is still time for you to go and enjoy all the freebies. When you first arrive you will need to fill out a form, unless you have pre-registered. I would advise you go as early as possible as when we left the expo there was a huge queue. They do have a special queue just for foreigners though which was far shorter than the K0rean one, so be sure to hit that one.

Once you have your pass it’s time to go enjoy the show. At this point we were all desperate for a coffee, there were dozens of places to choose from but I went to the Metier stand and they made me this amazing ice vanilla latte completely for free! There were a lot of big brand coffee stalls in the franchise part where you can buy a coffee, but there are tonnes of smaller places just waiting to give you the free coffee of your choice.

As we walked around the stalls we were given cup after cup of coffee and other juice like beverages. There were smoothies, ades, juices, dutch coffee, drip coffee, and frappes. I took them all. It’s hard to turn down a freebie right?  Most of the stalls also had their products on sale for very reasonable prices too.

Whilst perusing we even came across a Jordan’s cereal stand. I love my muesli and if I didn’t make my own I would have been raiding the shelves to get this good old taste of home.

Be sure to head to the 1kg Coffee stand, where packs of coffee beans are only 1,000 each. Although they limit each person to 2. I got the Mexican Fair trade and Kenya AA.

As we neared the end of the exhibitors we decided to take a walk and look on the other side where all the franchises were. And it was samples galore!!! Anywhere there was a queue of five or more people we knew there was free food to be had. The fist place we hit up was Frypan. I love their chicken, so getting some for free was amazing.

At first I was grabbing anything in site, but with less and less room in my belly I started to become more discerning. There were dozens of ddeok-bokki stands, more chicken than you could count, pork cutlets, pizza, ice cream, gelatto, and sliced roast pork. There were even 3 places giving away free beer. And a lot of people were partaking despite the fact it was a Thursday morning (Fat Girl included).

Food glorious food, it was very cool. There was all manner of coffee machinery and paraphernalia for making every kind of coffee imaginable so if you are on the look out for a new grinder or a whipping siphon you will find it here. But I know you dear readers are mostly in it for the free food and drink like me. They actually gave me these goodies as part of my press pack.

So if you are at a loose end this weekend be sure to hit up the show and get your gorge on. Held at COEX from April 10th-13th, tickets cost 10,000 per person, but you can easily make that back in samples. For more details check out the website.

I thought I would share this cute little coffee and churro place I came across in Sinsa, in fact it’s right across the street from Buccella Sandwich. There are coffee shops everywhere you look in Garosugil but this one has some really cool desserts on offer and I loved the decor. Also when when the sun is shining, their patio is an awesome place to hangout and look cool (which I always do). There was also no queue when we visited unlike the Street Churros in Kyungnidan which had a one a mile long.

At this point in the day  I had already had a coffee and some lunch, but just about had enough room for a Churro Sundae (4,500). The churro was pretty good, but not rolled in sugar, although if you buy them separately they do. It was fried freshly in front of us and they also had various different flavours of fillings you could have.

Nice vanilla ice-cream and thick chocolate fudge sauce it really hit the spot. The Fat Boyfriend and myself polished it off quite nicely.

As well as the churros, dessert goodies and drinks, they have a random assortment of other things on sale like Guinness flavoured crisps. I was insanely excited about this until I found out they were 15,000 won and couldn’t bring myself to pay that much for them. They also had other random English candies like Walkers Toffee for ridiculously expensive prices but I guess that’s Gangnam style! This would make a great place for a casual date, it’s cool with nice desserts and wont cost you a fortune if it doesn’t work out. I guess that’s why Korea is overrun with coffee shops, not that I am complaining. I do love me a coffee shop.

Coffee Chu is located at Seoul Building, 535-23, Namhye, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu seoul. To get there take a train to Sinsa station (line 3). Come out of exit 8 and walk straight until you get to Tous Le Jours and make a left. Keep walking straight along that road. It is tucked away on one of the little side alleys on the left about halfway down Garosugil oppositre Buccella sandwich. For more info you can call them on 070-8866-4592

If there’s anything that gets my morning started right, it’s a nice cup of coffee. Without coffee in my body I really fail to function well. Coffee is such a personal choice, but for me it has to be an ice vanilla latte. If I’m counting calories I’ll go with a hot americano, and if I’m not a mocha frappuccino with whipped cream and a shot of Kahlua!

Now Seoul has no shortage of coffee shops unless you happen to work in Sangil-dong like I do and there are none, literally none! Okay there is a Paris Baguette but they don’t make an ice vanilla latte and their ice latte is tiny, so tiny it’s about two sips worth. On a Friday I’m a venti girl! And by the time I add my own vanilla syrup at work it never dissolves properly. I have serious coffee problems at work. So much so I’m considering bring my espresso machine from home and buying a mini fridge to keep milk in. That or I may invest in a bottle of Dutch coffee. I really love that stuff.

Anyway, enough of my problems and on to the Coffee Expo! It’s not just for coffee shops or business owners, it’s for the coffee loving public like yourself. Tonnes of stalls selling all things coffee related. See what’s new, buy some hand roasted beans, a coffee machine, some  flavoured syrup, a cool mug, the list is endless. You will also get to see all the professionals at work and see some amazing pictures in foam. And let’s face it, who doesn’t love those?

For those not on a liquid diet there is also food!!! Gelato, cakes, macaroons, tea and more…

The Coffee Expo will be held at COEX from April 10th-13th. Coffee, cakes, foam pictures, what more could you want?  Tickets can be bought on the door for 10,000 won. Or you can get a 30% discount by picking up a coupon from High Street Market or The Seoul Global center.

Last night I was walking home from a lovely dinner with my fabulous assistant Victoria. We passed by Street Churros in Kyungnidan and I just couldn’t resist trying one. For only 2,000 each it would have been churlish not to, despite the fact that I had just eaten dinner and dessert. But you don’t get to be one of Seoul’s most awesome food bloggers without eating 2 desserts in a row.

As stated previously I ordered the Churro (2,000) and the Chocola dipping sauce (1,000). I was lucky that a fresh batch was just out of the fryer. The churro (kind of like a long thin Mexican donut for those not in the know), was good. It was rolled in cinnamon and sugar. I’m not a huge cinnamon fan, but it wasn’t over powering at all, it was nice and sugary. The dipping sauce that came with it was also tasty. Dark and rich, the perfect place to put your churro.

If I hadn’t already been rather full then I totally would have ordered the ice-cream with Baileys. They also do mulled wine, which I certainly plan to get on my next walk up to Itaewon. You know Fat Girl loves a cocktail on the go. The place is a tiny hole in the wall so no seating as such, but they do have jaunty barrels which you can lean upon outside. It’s a great spot for a quick and cheap dessert or drink. The inside is sparkly too which I always find appealing.

Street Churros is located at 222 Noksapyeong daero, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Noksapyeong station and then take the lift (elevator) next to the 7-11 to get out. Walk over the over pass bridge and take a left. Walk straight down the road past Taco Chili Chili and Southern Sons and take a right at the CU. Street Churros is just on your right. You can call them on 02-792-1489 for more info.

I am a very lucky girl as I have such lovely friends. One of my loveliest friends Susan took me to Deli Heinzburg to celebrate my birthday. She clearly knows the way to my heart is through sandwiches. Located in the tres chic Sinsa, tucked away in a back street is Deli Heinzburg ready to offer up all of its delights. This deli/cafe had room for plenty in the main restaurant as well as a sunny conservatory on the side. The perfect place to grab a quick bite or while away a sunny afternoon in the sun.

After working my way through their mammoth menu, I ordered the Boiling Cheese and Steamy Beef (13,200). Hand rubbed roast beef, deep cheddar cheese, macaroni, and sautéed onions inside a steaming sandwich. When it arrived it was encased in foil to keep the heat in from the steaming plate. I had to rip it open to delve into my sandwich. The pillow soft ciabatta bread was amazing, I actually prefer it to some of chewier style ciabatta I ate in Italy. Generous slices of roast beef and cheesy macaroni. It was just the comforting calorie laden sandwich I was hoping for. It came with home-made whole grain mustard which complimented it perfectly.

My lovely friend Susan ordered the Toscana (12,200). Prosciutto topped with slices of honeydew melon. I am not usually a fan of all things ham but this one was so tempting I decided to have a bite. Fresh and tasty, it beats those limp old plastic ham sandwiches they sell every where in Korea any day of the week.. The melon was the perfect accompaniment. Being a local to the area Susan told me that she had tried various sandwiches on the menu, yet this one still remained her favourite.

Since it was my birthday I figured we needed a side order of frites (4,300). Although I was expecting french fries, these chunks of breaded and fried potato did not disappoint in the slightest. My only complaint is that we didn’t order two portions. As there may have been a little bit of a tussle over who was going to eat the last one.

As well as serving all manner of delicious sandwiches in store they also have lots of things to take home and enjoy. Bread, deli meats, sauces and  sweet delights can all be found in abundance. Obvious a glutton like myself could not resist the opportunity to pick up a few more tasty treats despite already being full.  A fully fledged fatty like myself would never let a thing like a full belly put me off buying more food.. I picked up a trio of ciabattas (5,500), 200g of turkey from the deli and a jar of their delicious lemon mayo (7,000). I used some of the rocket (arugula)  which has been flourishing in my herb garden and some cheese to make myself another fabulous sandwich at home.  The bread was once again perfect despite the lateness of the day. I will be sure to buy more next time I’m passing by.

Deli Heinzberg is located in Sinsa at 534-1 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Sinsa station (line 3). Come out of exit 8 and walk straight until you get to Tous Le Jours and make a left. Keep walking straight along that road until you reach the Fossil store. Take a left just after and you should see Gentle Lady Cupcake on your right. Keep walking to the end of the block and Deli Heinzberg will be on your left. You can also call them on 02-541-8780.

Another day another cupcake store. Oh how I enjoy a tiny cake or six. They are so perfect I could eat about 50 given a chance. Last week when my good friend Susan took me out for my birthday dinner to Deli Heinzburg, (review coming soon) to celebrate my birthday. En route we passed this adorable little store and I couldn’t contain my excitement and had to venture in for cupcake or two for dessert. (Ok, I had three, but it was my birthday. Technically I had 3, and half of Susan’s, but it was my birthday and hangover Monday).

My first and possibly favourite cupcake was the Orange (4,500). A delicious orange flavoured cupcake with an orange Swiss meringue butter cream, at least it tasted like Swiss meringue butter cream. It was light, moist, and full of fruity flavour. It was also topped with a delightful macaroon.

My next choice was a strawberry cupcake (4,500). Once again a lovely strawberry cupcake, topped with a strawberry frosting. I really like the frosting here, its light and sweet and creamy. Although usually my usual frosting of choice is butter cream this one still hits the spot. They have a good ratio of frosting to cake.

Third choice was my usual favourite the red velvet (4,500). The cake was very rich and chocolatey and the frosting was lovely and light. Still not the best red velvet I have had in Seoul but it was pretty damn good. I’m pretty sure I would get this one again, as the macaroon is so nice. They also had mini layered red velvet cakes which I would like to try next time too.

Susan ordered the Carrot cupcake  (4,500) A carrot and cinnamon sponge with raisins in, which I could have lived without. The frosting was nice though and it was topped with an adorable carrot made from fondant. Susan gave it the thumbs up and if you like carrot cake I am sure it wouldn’t disappoint.

As well as the large variety of cupcakes they also sell macaroons, coffee, and other drinks. The also have a loyalty card, buy 10 get one free. In true glutinous style we tried to ask for a free service cupcake but they politely refused despite the lateness of the hour. Gentle lady Cupcakes is located at 533-14 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Sinsa station (line 3). Come out of exit 8 and walk straight until you get to Tous Le Jours and make a left. Keep walking straight along that road until you reach the Fossil store. Take a left just after and you should see Gentle Lady Cupcake on your right.You can also call them on 02-790-0259 if my directions are less than perfect.

A little while ago we discovered that just across from our work in Bangbae-dong there is a cute little brunch restaurant. Although, its not so little, its actually over 3 floors with a gallery at the top! I’m always looking for new places to brunch so one Friday we decided to go to work a little early and hit this place up.

The industrial style space is decorated with art and has a cool warehouse vibe. It was really busy when we ventured there at lunchtime. They have a menu of around 10 brunch options that can be purchased in a set with an americano. Perfect for those ladies that lunch, and lunch they did, this place was heaving. The food was of western style but designed to please the Korean palette.

We opted for a Mandarin Salad. It was huge. The chicken was well cooked and very tasty. There was lots of fruit and it was very refreshing, although a smaller amount of salad would have been better. Overall it was very nice, a good summertime option.

We also had the eggs English style. An English muffin topped with a fried egg, spicy bulgogi, and a side of potatoes and salad. It was actually pretty good.

I wouldn’t travel across Seoul to go out of my way to come here, but the food was reasonable and it’s a cool place. If you live in the area I would say it’s worth a visit.

The Brunch Page is located at 796-27 Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Naebang station(line number 7) and come out exit 7. Walk straight until you pass the BMW dealership and make a right. The page is a few meters up on the left opposite Gastro Pub. The nearest bus stop is 22-222. You can call them on  02 536 5961 for more information. They also have valet parking.

I love frappuccinos!. I think you all know about my penchant for vodoffee by now. Which is Vodka added to a frappuccino. But I also enjoy the regular kind. I could drink two of these babies a day, possibly even more. However, allowing myself to get so fat that I would be unable to leave the house would be somewhat restrictive on my life. So I limit myself to one a week. Sometimes two if I have been a very good girl.

These amazingly delicious drinks, along with being calorie filled are also rather expensive. If I was in the habit of having one daily then it would be a very costly affair. I tried making my own at home but despite my wealth of ingredients they just didn’t come out quite right. Luckily for you I have now found the secret ingredient! You add a pinch of xanthan gum which stops the milk and ice separating . This recipe is for my favourite flavour mocha, but play around with flavoured syrups to make different versions. If you use syrup then you can remove the sugar.

Ingredients

A double  shot of espresso (you can also use 2 teaspoons of instant dissolved in a little hot water)

200ml of milk

8-10 ice cubes

1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

2-3 tablespoons of sugar (you could also do sweetener)

A pinch of xanthan gum (buy it on iHERB about $5)

Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

Make the espresso and pour it into your blender. Top with the  ice, milk, cocoa powder, sugar  and xanthan gum. Blend for about 30 seconds or until all the ice has been crushed. Pour the mixture back into your recycled  plastic cup and top with cream if desired. Then go about your day with your super cool and homemade frappuccino.

I love cake! Baking it and eating it. However with my tiny toaster oven, baking one myself seemed impossible when someone’s birthday rolled around.  I’m lucky enough to possess a reasonably sized oven now, but back in my Suwon and Cheongju days I had to be more inventive. When scouring the internet one day I came across a recipe for a cake that’s cooked in a rice cooker. I tried it and it came out really well, so soft and moist. I haven’t made one for quite some time now but I  thought it was about time I shared my recipe with all you oven-less bakers out there. I actually made two cakes this week to give you a bit of variety. First up is my rice-cooker coffee cake!

Ingredients

200g of butter

2o0g of white sugar

200g of all purpose flour (I use the buksul one for noodles and dumplings)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon of baking powder

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 shot of espresso (you could use instant too)

Buttercream frosting

260g of butter (2 slicks)

400g of icing sugar (sugar powder)

1-2 tablespoons of espresso coffee

Directions

Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs. Then stir in the coffee and mix well. In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Fold into the coffee mixture. Take your rice cooker pan and line it with a piece of parchment paper. Then put the cake mixture inside. Press the cook setting and then continue to keep checking it every time it pops up. You may have to go though several cycles depending on the make and model of your rice cooker. However you will get there in the end so hang in there. You can tell when it’s done when the top is spongy to the touch. Remove the cake from the pan and leave to cool for a couple of hours.

To make the frosting let the butter get to room temperature then mix together with the icing sugar. Add the coffee a spoonful at a time. If it’s too thick add more coffee.

When the cake has cooked. Slice through the middle to make your two layers. Put half the frosting in the middle and half on top.

Decorate with a dusting of cocoa powder. Voilà a very easy cake made in the rice cooker.