PHOTODIARY / Itaewon

When we learned that there is a neighborhood in Seoul that is popular with foreign and international cuisine and shops , we were keen to have a look. It's like visiting a Chinatown in NYC. I know it would have been better to see them during the night but we are not into clubbing and parties so we went there at around 10 am. I was so excited how close-knit the shops were. The first thing that came into mind is the 70's. I mean the theme and the look of the streets have that American vintage feel to it. Anyhow, I was so hungry for coffee and there were like 5 enticing places to dine for breakfast. One was a Vietnamese restaurant, a 2-storey white wooden Colonial-inspired cafe and 2 other European themed  shops. By the time we went to the last strip of the area I was just in the mood to sit down and have a cappuccino or two. So we went inside this dark and luxe cafe. You would think it's a Jazz bar that opens from 7pm to 3 am but it's actually a quiet quaint modern cafe. It's very masculine , I would say. Very heavy on woods and dark concrete which we liked. Plus , the Gucci shoes were killing me TBH.

Overall, it was a must-see if you wanted to have a break from all the shops and cutesy themed aesthetic of Myeongdong or Dongdaemun. Itaewon is akin to a neighborhood we've been to in Tokyo called Shimokitazawa were indie shops are everywhere.