Since the school year began for my sister, we have rarely had coinciding points of free time. Most of our weekends have consisted of grocery shopping or working in coffee shops. Otherwise at home, she’ll be feverishly working away at her laptop, either grading papers or working on something for her Biotech-related courses. I’d probably be napping and trying to recover from another arduous work week.
So, when she suggested that we go out for lunch one Saturday (and not to a coffee shop with laptops in tow), I was taken aback, but quickly agreed to the idea! Her BF was also with us, and she insisted that we check out Urban Seoul, a restaurant that’s specialty was Korean-fusion.
The location we visited is located in the Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center where a lot of Asian restaurants and shops in Irvine are located. We were there bright and early at 11am, and the first patrons to be seated on that fine Saturday morning.
The three of us were situated at a booth and took some time to look over the menu. My sister created a meal from appetizers: a plate of spicy rice cakes and garlic shoestring fries with an irresistible, creamy cheese sauce. The three of us also got iced teas, since my sister raved about their honey-based tea.
I picked at some of my sister’s appetizers but went to town when my veggie bibibamp order appeared. It featured a variety of ingredients, including a base of purple rice as my choice of grain, fried onions, veggie slaw, breaded tofu (that wasn’t that crispy, despite the coating), a runny red spicy sauce, and a poached egg garnished with black sesame that was ready for the yolk-poking, haha.
It was a filling bowl, that I managed to get half-way through. I was too full to get to the entire bowl and left most of the rice untouched (the more bland part of the bowl anyways).
I didn’t have an appetite for the rice, but I was more than eager to help my sister finish off her fries and sample her rice cakes. The rice cakes were especially flavorful and chewy! I semi-regretted the fact that I did not compose my meal from appetizers :P. I guess I’ll be keeping that in mind for next time!
The next day, the three of us found ourselves at the Spectrum, since we couldn’t go on Friday night. My sister’s (android) phone suddenly shut off in the middle of the day, which caused some stress for her. Her BF and I both have iPhones (though I am avoiding other Apple products like the plague, lol), and she decided that she should invest in one as well. If not now, when?
Conveniently enough, there was an Apple store at the Spectrum. While she and her BF tried to locate the cheapest/oldest model available for purchase, I walked in the opposite direction to appease an ice cream craving—SomiSomi was calling my name on that particular Sunday afternoon.
I first realized that there was a SomiSomi at the Spectrum on the day I drove out to appease a falafel craving (and to wax the ‘brows). I saw a winding line of people eager to get their hands on taiyaki as I approached a nail/waxing salon that was nearby. That day I vowed to come back and get a lil fish cone for myself. Though I did have a fish cone before, I was still a SomiSomi virgin 
When I did get in line, I still had some decisions to make: apparently, I could get the cone, but to avoid unnecessary dripping and spillage, I could have it upside down in a cup that already contained the soft-serve. I also had to decide if I wanted Nutella as the filling (yes), what flavor soft-serve (strawberry, duh), and if any toppings should grace my sweet creation (cotton candy rocks, please).
The process was quick and easy, and I’m sure it’s because the staff are used to the crowds, and they have perfected the assembly line process. I was mostly in awe by the light pink color of the soft-serve, the crispiness of the cone, and the harmony each piece contributed to this masterpiece.
When it came to eating it, I pretty much handled the fish + Nutella situation first. Mixing everything sounded too overwhelming. The soft-serve had a chubby lil swirl and a smooth consistency. I literally fell into a short but deep nap after consuming the entire cup. When I woke up, there was the most adorable, patient corgi in front of me, looking up at its owner’s ice cream hoping a sliver of soft-serve would drop, haha!
My sis and her BF went to grab some (real) food to eat after the wallet-stabbing iPhone purchase, and I met up with them afterwards. I don’t recall getting too much work done on this particular weekend, but when it came to consuming delicious Asian-inspired foods? I pretty much checked that off my list with thick ink.