Holiday Journal

• Start
•  
• Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale Gwngju
•  
• Sagimakgol Ceramics Village
•  
• Icheon Naratnim Icheon Rice
•  
• Gyeonggi International Ceramics Biennale Icheon
•  
• Gyeonggi International Cermics Biennale Yeoju
•  
• Sun Valley Hotel
•  
• Bobaene
•  
• Yeoju Sinreuk Temple
•  
• Yeong Tomb
•  
• Gwangju Jincheon Yukmyeon
•  
• Namhan Fortress
•  
• Finish

Yeoju hotel with a magnificent view of Namhan River, 'Sun Valley Hotel'

I chose Sun Valley Hotel in Yeoju to stay during the Gyeonggi International Biennale along Gwangju, Icheon, and Yeoju. There are not many hotels in Yeoju and the Sun Valley Hotel must be the only five-star hotel. I chose this hotel that is on opposite side with Namhan River between, since there are only a few hotels and tomorrow's first schedule is going around Sinreuk Temple. Shall we check out how it looks like?

The Sun Valley Hotel is located in the Namhan riverside. It must be crowded with tourists in summer, because there is a water park behind the hotel.

I feel so tired and checked-in right after 6 pm, since I went to all three festivals in Gwangju, Icheon, and Yeoju, today. It's early evening so the lobby is quiet. This atmosphere is what I like. This is a five-star hotel with five roses of Sharon. The hotels with five-roses of Sharon is divided into two classes. Comparing to the first class hotels in Seoul, they are the same class as Hyatt or Hilton Hotel. If there are 5 gold roses of Sharon at the entrance, that means you are in the first class hotel.

I reserved a deluxe double room. Deluxe double room has two types; extended one without veranda and non-extended one with veranda. Those who smoke should choose non-extended one to do at the veranda. Smoking is prohibited in all rooms.

I really like soft and clean carpet. For my bed, I heard it's king-sized bed but it seems like a large king-sized bed. It's far wider than any other ones of five-star hotel. I'm 177cm tall but I can horizontally lie down on the bed. It an 180cm wide of large king-sized bed. I like rough and clean blanket and pillow.

Service supplies are not that different from other hotels'. There are two bottles of water, coffee, green tea, shower gown, and slippers.

A shower booth and bidet are installed in the bathroom. There is a bathtub on one side of the wall!!! I love that there is a bathtub in the hotel. I don't use it often at home, because it needs much water. I always take a bath in the bath of hotel. You must do it as well, don't you? ^^*

There are neat television, mirror, telephone, and sockets for Internet in front of the bed.

WiFi has good signal with GUEST account. Sometimes there are hotels without Internet but this hotel has fast wireless Internet. Good~

Well~ What is outside the window~ Shall we go out~

The view from the room is splendid that Namhan River flows along the back side of the hotel. There is a quite large water park around the hotel. There are several things to have fun, such as swimming and riding boats in summer.

The next morning, rain stopped and the sun is glaring down. There is a ferry of Hwangpo sailing ship so you can go sightseeing around the Namhan river. It costs 6,000 won. Tile-roofed houses across the river is Sinreuk Temple. After having light breakfast at the hotel, I plan to start today's trip to Yeoju and Gwangju from the Sinreuk Temple. To be continued~

+ Address : 414, Yeonyang-ri, Yeoju-eup, Yeoju-gun, Gyeonggi-do
+ Telephone : 031-880-3889 / Fax : 031-880-3880
+ Check-In : 3 pm~ / Check-Out : ~ 11am

• Start
•  
• Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale Gwngju
•  
• Sagimakgol Ceramics Village
•  
• Icheon Naratnim Icheon Rice
•  
• Gyeonggi International Ceramics Biennale Icheon
•  
• Gyeonggi International Cermics Biennale Yeoju
•  
• Sun Valley Hotel
•  
• Bobaene
•  
• Yeoju Sinreuk Temple
•  
• Yeong Tomb
•  
• Gwangju Jincheon Yukmyeon
•  
• Namhan Fortress
•  
• Finish

Jewel-like Restaurant Found in Yeoju, 'Bobaene'

Yeoju is famous for rice and has many Korean restaurants as Icheon. I was already disappointed with famous Korean restaurant, 'Naratnim', so for this time, I chose a restaurant which is famous to local people. Someone said, the most annoying moment is when I feel full after eating unappetizing food. Usually it's successful to go to a restaurant that most local people recommend. Let's go in!

Bobaene is located at Ogeum-dong, Yeoju-si. It's hard to find it in the night because it's located in side the village. There is no visible sign on the main road. You just need to follow your navigation. At first, I was not sure if there was restaurant or not, because it has very narrow accessway in the dark. It was also very quiet but I found the parking lot in front of the restaurant, soon. It's already late to have dinner in this remote area, but there are many cars at the parking lot. How tasty food is~ I have great expectation.

It's entrance of the restaurant. It looks like a country house.

The restaurant is divided into several big rooms. It's told that Bobaene has been run for almost 20 years. There are traces of time here and there in the restaurant. This restaurant often appeared on various TV programs of MBC, SBS, and KBS that introduce must-go restaurants. There are many pictures of them on the wall. That doesn't mean all the restaurants on TV shows are good, but this restaurant seems simple and professional.

Let's take a look at the menu… Bobaene's representative menu is dumpling. I was curious about the taste of rice cake and dumpling soup and soy sauce or fermented soybean paste, so I ordered barley rice. Both of them has the same price, 6,000 won.

Hot Sungnyung(Scorched-rice water) comes out while I'm waiting for the food. It's hard to eat scorched-rice water and scorched rice in these days, because people cook rice with electric rice cooker. This savory scorched-rice water reawaken my childhood memories. People drank scorched-rice water and barley tea instead of mineral water in the past.

Basic side dishes such as Dongchimi(Radish water Gimchi), Gimchi, and Kkakdugi(Cubed radish Gimchi) and seasoned soy sauce for dumplings were prepared. Side dishes like grandmother make taste very good. In particularly, Dongchimi is well-fermented and has cool and piquant like sprite. I saw this bowl at my grandmother's house 30 years ago. She is over 90 years old now and I don't know if she still has it.

Barley Rice came out at first. The owner who has a favorable impression set the table with rice mixed with barley rice, 5 types of herbs, soybean paste sauce, and hot pepper paste saying that she would give me more rice as much as I need.

There are a large amount of and many kinds of side dishes to make one bowl of Bibimbap with barley rice. Appropriately boiled vegetables are soft and they are moderately seasoned.

This is soybean paste sauce that I was curious about its taste most. It's strongly salty but very savory like homemade one.

Let's throw together some herbs, soybean paste sauce, red peeper paste, and sesame oil with rice and mix it together~

In fact, Bibimbap with barley rice doesn't have variety of flavors. It tastes rather simple and light, but the Bobaene Barley rice is much more satisfying than the meal in any other restaurants that cost 19,000 won for 1 person. Well cooked barley rice, appropriately boiled vegetables, and savory homemade soy bean paste make good harmony of flavor.

It seems clear and milky-white. Doesn't it look like milk? Or Makgelli(Unrefined rice wine)? The owner of the restaurant gave me soup for cold bean-soup noodles. It is the summer menu. The thick soup taste savory and clean. It tastes good enough that I want to come this restaurant again to eat the cold bean-soup noodles.

Secondly, a bowl of rice cake and dumpling soup came out. There are ample Gimchi dumplings and rice cakes in the thick meat broth infused with meat-bones. The meat broth especially has simple flavor without bad smell. It's first time to have this type of thick dumpling soup. Good.

Slices of rice cake are not even. These uneven slices seem to be sliced in person. They are thicker and more chewy than ones in the market. They don't have mushy texture of food.

This Gimchi Dumpling is the most popular menu in the Bobaene. Chewy dumpling skins are filled with dumpling filling. They contain much Gimchi but they are crunchy and not salty. This restaurant is the best during the Icheon, Yeoju, and Gwangju trip.

It's told that people of Yeoju love the Bobaene as much as they regard it as a Bobae(Treasure) of Yeoju. Bobaene doesn't have fancy menus and impressive flavors of food, but the foods are neat and taste good. It's the recommendable restaurant for an affordable meal with generous amount of food and low prices.

+ Address : 405-2, Ogeum-dong, Yeoju-si, Gyeonggi-do
+ Telephone : 031-884-4243