Eat Your Way Through K-Pop

[waves-of-light.livejournal.com]

If you’re a K-pop fan, you must be aware of three big names of K-pop entertainment agencies – YG, SM, JYP. While smaller agencies like Jellyfish Entertainment, Big Hit Entertainment, and FNC Entertainment are rising with their stars as well, the big 3 are still dominating the world K-pop trend.

Recently, these large entertainment agencies are putting efforts to expand their businesses into fields beyond entertainment, penetrating into lifestyles. To K-pop fans world-wide, these following spaces give sneak-peeks of the incorporation of K-pop and lifestyle.


YG Republique



Opened first at the center Korean wave, Myeong-dong, YG’s Food Complex, YG Republique, operates three different concepts of restaurants – a brunch restaurant 3 Birds, Korean bbq restaurant 3rd St Butchers, and casual pub K PUB.

3 Birds is renowned for offering healthy and affordable brunch items, while 3rd St Butches and K PUB are popular for doing two favorites of Korean food – Korean bbq and fried chicken – the right way.

Of course the spaces are filled with YG artists’ songs and walls are decorated with posters and autographs of them. There is also a small store called All That YG, where merchandises ranging from cheering sticks to figures are available.

YG Republique is actively expanding its business, which gives you more chance to be able to pay a visit. Last August, it has opened the first overseas branch in Bangkok, Thailand and three additional places are coming up in the US, China, and Japan. The first US outpost of YG Republique is opening soon at The Source in Buena Park, CA.


SMT Seoul



On the contrary to YG Republique, SM Entertainment’s food venue is operated under one theme – “Seoul-style tapas.” Located at the most expensive part of the city, Cheongdam-dong, SMT Seoul integrates luxurious atmosphere with modern Korean gastronomy.

At Playground, casual dining restaurant located on the first two floors, about 40 tapas items are served with various alcohol pairings (and of course, they have soju pairings as well). Lunch menu, which comprises popular Korean dishes like bulgogi, as well as Japanese and American food, is also available.

Above that is Penthouse, where SMT Seoul’s tapas items are served as a course. Five different courses are available at Penthouse and their prices range from $50 to $250. Private tables and various concept rooms like ‘TVXQ Room’ make the place the perfect destination for special occasions.


The Street



The Street is a brunch restaurant operated by JYP, known as K-pop artists’ go-to place. Located near offices for entertainment agencies including JYP, CUBE, SM, and FNC, the restaurant is always populated with K-pop fans who visit the area in hopes to run into their favorite artists.



The article is missing some, I think. Doesn't Cube have a cafe too? Not looking forward to driving all the way down to the OC for YG Republique, but I want to see what merch they'll have and how much they'll charge for it.

Korea Daily US & The Seoul Story

Comments

[babbss.livejournal.com]

i'm going to south korea in april and i'm going to eat all the food tbh!!

[ah0000.livejournal.com]

Omg me too!!! When are you going. I'm gonna be by myself so I gotta start planning things out

[babbss.livejournal.com]

oooh tell me you're there from april 1-10 because you can definitely join me and my friends!

[ah0000.livejournal.com]

Oh goddamn it, I'm gonna be in Hong Kong until 4/14 and then going to Seoul then until 4/22 so I'll miss you then

[babbss.livejournal.com]

awww bummer! would've loved to have had more people :(

[shinychopstick.livejournal.com]

Yup, Cube has a cute little cafe (https://www.soompi.com/2015/12/02/seouling-chilling-at-cube-entertainments-cube-cafe/) too where they sell merch and hold some events with artists. Peniel even left candy out on Halloween (http://ilhoonftw.tumblr.com/post/153444987458/jungilhoon-peniel-left-halloween-candy-for-fans) for fans lol, and you'll see trainees and rookies hanging out there a lot so there's a no photography policy.

[kyokomurasaki.livejournal.com]

Cube apparently re-named (and possibly moved?) their cafe (it's called Cafe Millennium now or something like that); my friends and I spent so long looking for it when we were in Seoul and we COULD NOT find it.

[myrrhcat.livejournal.com]

lol there's no indication that this article is about restaurants until you open the cut so i was momentarily baffled by the title
i love what few korean foods i've tried but i am vegan so that's... yeah. i do have a friend who's korean and used to be vegan tho so we cooked some great veganized dishes together! if i ever visit SK i'll have to tread cautiously (and really brush up on my korean)

[jasmineakaiumi.livejournal.com]

I had to give up being a vegetarian once I came to Korea because I can't really afford it cries living alone I find it too expensive to buy vegetables/fruit because they come in such big portions they just rot before I can finish them and it feels like such a waste...that and I have really bad intestines so I can't eat things high in fiber so it really limits my options here.

altho tbf all I really eat now is seafood sometimes and things that are based on a fish broth.
i'd love to make the transition into being vegetarian again and then eventually vegan once I have the income to be able to do it.

[myrrhcat.livejournal.com]

ah yeah... not much you can do about bad intestines. :( i've been vegan for so many years that it would definitely make me sick if i started eating animal products again... if i lived in korea i'd have to compromise on some of the non-dietary aspects of veganism though. like finding certified vegan cosmetics & hygiene products would be just impossible.
but... it'd be nice to do it one day! since i've been studying korean it'd be great to get an immersive experience and live there

[jasmineakaiumi.livejournal.com]

same! I still can't eat non-seafood meat without getting a really upset stomach. vegan ingredients in cosmetics is REALLY tough here especially when things like horse oil, sheep placenta, bee venom etc. have been SUPER popular in the past few years.

it's definitely worth a shot :) there are a LOT more vegan options here now than when I first arrived, and I know a few youtubers (for example "chonoonmigooksaram"?? idk I don't watch her but she's friends w my friend so I heard she is) are vegan afaik! so it seems totally doable!

[dynamite-state.livejournal.com]

I had no idea what this post would be about when clicking the title ngl

Can't say I'm disappointed haha

[sra-interesante.livejournal.com]

smt seoul and sum cafe arent the same place, right?
i feel like kpop themed food reach a whole new level in that place




forget about multiple album versions or unnecesary repackages ... just put kpop groups in any food (not even members faces) that's the real deal


everytime i see sm idols hanging out in sum cafe i wonder if they order their own group drinks or cakes lmao

[rosiemotleymind.livejournal.com]

Those beer labels are everything! I would definitely hit up both of those places for the execution alone.

[jasmineakaiumi.livejournal.com]

the beer!!!!

[mjspice.livejournal.com]

Omg those hat cupcakes!!!

[hpn88.livejournal.com]

also JYP's Studio J - more lounge for drinks but apparently has a nice rooftop bar. Plus added benefit that people do live perfs there.

[chibi-rei.livejournal.com]

That's the place I wanna hit up the most, mostly cuz I like live music (I heard they get jazz peeps once in awhile?). Probably The Street too since it's 2PM's place even tho it's just a normal cafe ha.

[fairyfay30.livejournal.com]

wow, i was not expecting that. i wanna eat there! but it's unlikely that i'll travel to Korea, haha.

[callherblondie.livejournal.com]

I wonder if Seoulites actually eat at those restaurants as though they were just regular (albeit, upscale) restaurants or if the clientele is mostly foreign and domestic kpop fans. I would love to see the menus to see what's on offer. Now I'm hungry!

[ah0000.livejournal.com]

I don't know that I'd want to eat at any of these places tbh ($$$)

[la-geni.livejournal.com]

Ew don't fucking support YG if you go to SK. He overcharges for everything including entrance to his clubs (NB and Harlem). You can get into a a club three times the size with a better crowd of people for the same prize. Also, the food is overpriced for what it is. You're better off going to the celebrity-owned places. Se7ens chicken is really good and they serve you a ton of food.

[broadway-bound3.livejournal.com]

I've been to the YG cafe in Myeongdong. I got a sandwich which was really good, but overpriced. It wasn't themed like the SMT place, with Big Bang names on the food. They just had a bunch of posters up. And there was a tiny gift shop.

[invadeddreams.livejournal.com]

i actually went to smtseoul before christmas this past year and it was honestly one of the best dining experiences ive ever had and im i consider myself a foodie especially living in san francisco. it definitely is expensive but everything is not only visually appealing, but the food and service are also top notch. it definitely is pricey so either go in with a pretty full stomach or prepare to splurge a little--i definitely suggest the latter since the tapas are incredibly well done with a variety of flavors, textures, and pairings. lee soo man created his own wine called "emos" and i tried a glass of the white dessert wine and it was so smooth and perfect balance of tart and sweet--certainly one of the most memorable wines ive ever had. it went great with the set of tapas we ordered. the decor is fabulous and blew me away even when its darker at night. they put up music videos on the ceiling and there's even a hologram window where your fave sm idols appear to invite you to coffee on a balcony--some real futuristic shit. the service was super awesome, combining tablets and smart watches on the servers to bring you a sleek experience

this looks like a yelp review but honestly it's of the standout places ive been to on my vacations to seoul

edited to include: smtseoul is completely different from the other restaurants/cafes under sm. smtseoul is in cheongdam and is simply a restaurant/bar. the SUM celebrity cafe (also in cheongdam i believe) is one of sm's corporate buildings on top and a restaurant/cafe on the first floor. this is where they record the baekhyun and heechul's league matches. also went here as well and had a fabulous time. the SUM cafe is in artium at coex on the 4th floor. this is where you get the special cupcakes and bottles. this is also now the SUM market where they sell all the idol-related snacks and other goods that arent on the 2nd floor SUM store.

[invadeddreams.livejournal.com]

i got really passionate lol and i just also really, really miss seoul

[mjspice.livejournal.com]

Well dang. I never knew about this.

[bunnyfries.livejournal.com]

Haha OP you are me when I feel like driving to LA.