Coffee Time in Korea

You know, everyday around this time (3pm) I think about my lovely coffee break in Korea. It was this April that I visited the Land of the Morning Calm (Korea, that is), and I was fortunate enough to catch the bloom of the cherry blossoms.

Our hotel in Daegu was located on top of hill that had an amazing view of the man-made lake and surrounding park. It was gorgeous to see the pink cherry blossoms in full bloom throughout the entire area.

There's a lovely little walkway leading up to the hotel, where you can take a stroll down into the heart of the town.

I love how the cherry blossoms fly down and swirl around, just like in the movies.

That lovely afternoon, my friends and I went to Angel-in-us-Coffee, a Korean version of Starbucks. The name is a Christian allusion implying that coffee is a gift from the heavens. So true.

They have some really Asian treats like this thick maple caramel toast with a generous heap of whipped cream and chocolate drizzles all over. Not to mention a handful of chocolate sprinkles on top. They also have Belgian waffles (a la mode if you prefer), neatly cut up sandwiches, and all types of coffee.

The toast is actually cut up into 9 different pieces for people to share. The thickness is about 3 times the size of normal toast, and about 3 times softer. The bread is chewy, and because it's been cut into pieces, the chocolate drizzles soaks into the bread, making it taste like bread pudding. 맛있어 보여요 (delicious)!

I also tried a cup of their signature maple macchiato in a signature cup. It was so homey, with a sweet and foamy touch. Plus a drizzle of maple syrup to top it all off. We happily chatted while we gulped down our coffees and toast, which was basically what everyone in the shop (mostly middle-aged women with their toddlers) was doing. 

예뻐요 (So pretty)!

After our delightful coffee and treat, we walked around the lake down a lane of beautiful cherry blossoms. And found these - fried silkworms.

Beondegi - fried silkworms

Apparently this is like a street snack that people just munch on when they are hungry. Albeit they're full of protein - crunchy on the outside, errr...tender on the inside? I don't really know, nor do I ever want to find out. (A friend said that it's kinda sour and chewy...ewww.) I still have visions of them crawling around, and getting stuck in my teeth if I ever had the guts to eat one. (But the sauce it comes with is kinda tempting - ketchup or kimchee flavored maybe?)

So I decided to go home to a hot steaming cup of...spicy Korean ramen! What could be more suitable to end a lovely day in Korea?

한국, 나사랑해! (Korea, I love you!)