Jeju #1
Saebyeol Oreum
For the start of the New Year, we followed the Korean tradition of watching the first sunrise of the year. On the island, Saebyeol Oreum is a popular place to come for New Year’s. Oreums are ancient volcanic cones that are found all over Jeju. Many oruems have hiking trails that are easy to access and well maintained. It took us about 10-15 minutes to walk up, and the biting cold and wind didn’t make it easy. It was very early in the morning but the mountain was crowded with people ready to say hello to the new year. Sadly it was really cloudy so we only got to get a peak of the sun for a few minutes. Still, was worth it watching the rays light up the tall dry grass. Climbing down the mountain, we were really lucky to see a rare wild Korean roe deer running through the grass. We’ve only had seen this native species once when we hiked Hallasan. It was already a great start to the year.
Flat 4 Coffee Roasters
Flat 4 Coffee is a small coffee shop located in Jeju City. We haven’t gotten into the specialty coffee scene much in Jeju and that was going to change. It is a simple shop with a few tables and good coffee. The aesthetic was rather simple as it had dark brick walls and wooden tables. I assumed that they roasted their own coffee, since they have “roasters” in the name, but apparently not. Instead, they had beans from Finland of all places. I got a matcha latte which was made really well.
It tasted really high quality and was one of the best ones I’ve had. Michael got a pour over that was brewed great as well. Their desserts were really cute so we wanted to try one. Their lemon blueberry pound cake perfectly complimented our beverages as it had a drier texture. It was a great introduction to specialty coffee in Jeju. If you’re interested in a large list of the best coffee in Jeju, we have a whole article about it.
Lyric
Lyric is a Western styled restaurant. They offer a variety of dishes but one of their specialties is pork cutlet. The presentation was amazing as the cutlet wasn’t overcooked and it had a beautiful coating surrounding it. But the taste was okay, it wasn’t very special and pretty average. We also tried their second most popular dish white ragu pasta. At the first bite I really enjoyed it but the more I ate the more I realized it wasn’t for me. It was covered in a cream sauce that was drenched in oregano. I wouldn’t highly recommended this restaurant but I’m glad we tried somewhere new.
Coffee Cave
Coffee Cave is a local coffee shop ran by the owner and his wife. I found in reviews that their coffee is amazing and they make great hand drips. But the outside intimated me as I thought I picked the wrong place. Once we went up the stairs and went inside, I felt differently. If I was a book worm, this would be the perfect environment to read. The walls are covered in art and plants that make them bright and inviting. Every mug that they use to serve beverages as well were very colorful. Michael enjoyed his pour over as I tried a Jeju mixed grain latte. The mixed grain latte had a nutty flavor and a creamy texture. This is a coffee shop that embraced cozy vibes.
Gwangchigi Beach
Gwangchigi Beach is a quieter beach near Seosang Ilchubung. It is covered with dark sand and rocks coated in green lichen. We walked around on the stone and stared at the marine life in the small pockets of the rock. It’s very pretty beach to take a short stroll around.
Coffee Temple Jeju
Coffee Temple Jeju is a popular coffee shop in Jeju. The cafe is made out of stone surrounded by citrus trees. Since it’s very popular there will most likely be a wait but they have a nice waiting room nearby that is comfortable. When we went in they have various beans out on display to smell and lists the tasting notes. As they are strictly coffee one of the few non coffee drinks was tangerine juice. I didn’t complain because that is the juice than Jeju does best. The branding of the shop is very interesting as it has different cutely drawn characters. Michael got his usual pour over as it wasn’t the best he had that day, he really enjoyed the cup.
Abu Oreum
Abu Oreum is not the largest oreum in Jeju, but has a uniquely round shape. At the center of the oreum is a ring of trees that make it look like an eye from above. The hike was very easy as Abu Oreum is much smaller than the surrounding hills. Sadly, we weren’t able to see the iconic eye from the viewing platform, as the trees had grown too high. I wanted to take my drone up to see it from the sky, but the winter gusts made it impossible. Still, the 360 view of Jeju will never get old, with the sea and sunrise peak on one side, and Hallasan on the other. This is a very simple hike which is great for families with kids, and it is close to big attractions like Snoopy Garden.
Sea walk
In a small neighborhood, there is a path that meets the sea. It can only be seen when it’s low tide. It’s a beautiful curved path that is surrounded by water. It’s a stunning site to see because he end of the path goes out to the ocean. Since it was windy that day the water was splashing up onto the path so we were doing our best to avoid slipping and getting soaked.
Mongtan
Mongtan is a famous barbecue restaurant with two locations Seoul and Jeju. To visit the location in Jeju a reservation must be made. We used the app Catchtable and made a down payment. The interior is like a dark stone cave resembling the same rocks as the statues in Jeju. Mongtan is famous for their dry age short rib. Before they prepared it they showed and explain to us about the meat. The marbling was so beautiful and I was very excited when the staff grilled it for us.
There are various sauces to dip the meat in. This restaurant is on the pricier end but the experience was really worth it and we wanted to treat ourselves. We also ordered a thinly sliced pork belly which was also prepared for us. They don’t have a dessert menu but we got Korean dessert kimchi fried rice mixed with the aged beef. We cleaned our plates so well and were very satisfied.
Myoham
Myoham is a cocktail bar located in Jeju City. We wanted to go out at night and celebrate the New Year. We tried to go to this bar an hour after it opened but it was so packed that we couldn’t get a seat. The next day when we tried again even though we came 10 minutes after opening it was still packed but we got the last table. During the earlier hours this small bar doesn’t have many seats available. So plan ahead or come very late. This bar seems more popular for tourists as everyone there at the moment was not Korean. After dinner we wanted to get dessert.
While we waited for our drinks we ate brown cheese ice cream that had a sweet and savory taste. As the owner is the only one that makes the drinks, he takes his time perfecting each one slowly. I got a Bailey’s Milk and Michael got the “Orgasm”. The drinks weren’t our favorite as we realized we don’t prefer milk based cocktails. One of the reasons I picked this cafe is there are special workers who show up to the bar every night to help. They do a great job walking around and modeling in front of the alcohol. It wasn’t my favorite bar experience but it was pretty unique.
