Here is a guest post from Cindy Ung who is covering food and beauty in seoul at  http://www.cunggie.com/ Finding good cupcakes in Seoul is almost impossible. Sometimes the cake is too dry, sometimes the frosting is not sweet enough, sometimes it’s not even real frosting, but just a whipped cream that’s bland in taste! The best part is being able to find that one spot that “hits the spot” and sharing it with the rest of the expat community here in Korea. Sugar Daddy At the very top of the list is Sugar Daddy, a small shop in Itaewon where the baker is in the store baking and decorating as she sells cupcakes from the same table finally opened a café by the McDonald’s. This extremely small and cozy spot is filled with all things delicious which are not only cupcakes! Sugar Daddy offers cupcake sized pies, mini cheesecakes, fudge bars, cookies, and cupcakes of traditional flavors as well as all things crazy. Many of the ingredients used in the recipes are ordered from foreign markets a...

On Monday I went to Fell n Cole and had their funky banana ice cream, the Gorgonzola ice cream and the lemon ginger. All were very creamy and packed with flavor. The banana one was my favorite and had a subtle banana flavor and nice, yet not overpowering, sweetness. The lemon ginger was zingy and the ginger pop was just right. The Gorgonzola ice cream was like watching a unicorn being attached by zombies. The ice cream is disturbing but you can't keep tasting it. It has a true Gorgonzola flavor but with cool cream. Yummy. One more thing: the flagship store in Hongdae will be closing at the end of December. They have a shop in the Galleria and they hope to find a place in Itaewon. Dan Dessert: Fell + Cole This creative ice cream shop makes up new flavors almost everyday. On a given day you could ice cream made from perilla leaves, squash, green tea and whisky, salted caramel and much more. Don’t worry they have delicious sounding ice cream like “Blueberry Banana” and “Just Boring Va...

While walking down by Hongdae I spotted a new stall that was booming loud techno music and some interesting new snacks. They are called egg balls and they are like crispy waffles with a choice of flavoring. They had peanut, chocolate chips and original. I got the chocolate chip and they were good. The balls are crisp and light and have a light egg batter. I highly recommend you get some. You can find them across from the trick eye museum in Hongdae.

This was one of the better meals that I have had in awhile. The food is creative, beautiful and tasty. Everything has a Japanese flair from the styling to the bento boxes. This place is known for their desserts but their savory dishes are quite good as well. Their spicy tuna rolls are the best I have had in the city and have a good balance of rice to spicy tuna. I am always a sucker for sliders and their shrimp one is poppy and doesn't skimp on shrimp. For dessert I recommend their warm miso chocolate cake. It is sophisticated and surprising especially with their ice creams. Kyotofu Yongsan-gu, Hannam-dong 682-1 02-749-1488 Go out Hanganjin Station (Line 6) exit 3. Price Range: 10,000-30,000 per person

You know what? I have come to terms with Patbingsu. It is just a milkshake with red beans and other stuff. Its actually better than a milkshake because it is not as rich and heavy. I am sitting at Book Cafe in Yanghwa Road (which is down from Hapjeong station). It's like the new developing part of Hongdae that has been like developing for many years. It's still hip and not over congested and I think I have found my new favorite cafe. The place is filled with books and people working on stuff. The space just inspires me. While they work on something meaningful, I blog. The cafe is inventive and their deserts look bombdiggity (choco banana Charlotte, real pumpkin pie, and lemon tiramisu) their Patbingsu (12,000 krw) is righteous as well. Lots of nuts, good beans that aren't too sweet, frozen milk under a layer of crushed ice, rice cake and a scoop of ice cream. The mint was a bit much (doesn't jive with the rest of the stuff for me). When it all mixed together it became ...

I have found a cupcake I actually like. Monster Cupcake seems right out of cupcake wars on the food network. The cupcakes are ornate and über badass. They are decorated with monster-ey things like eyeballs, ghosts, and tombstones. The best thing is that the frosting is creamy and light and the cake is moist. This is not your dry cake. It is moist and it has body and it is good. I have to say this is one of the best cupcakes in the city. The cupcakes are pretty sizable for 4,800 won a piece and they make good gifts. I had the red velvet which tastes like red velvet and the tiramisu which tasted like a rich chocolate cake with a bit of coffee. Yum. Monster Cupcakes Blog.naver.com/monster1102 Directions: on Gyeongnidan road up from BOA, Toucan, and Hattori Kitchen 02-790-1108

One suggestion I have for you to survive this heat is to EAT MORE ICE CREAM! Korean ice cream is amazing and it tastes lighter and not as sugary as others I have had in the world. One that I recommend is Goo Goo Star. It is like a Eskimo pie but with smooth chocolate ice cream and a marshmallow-like vanilla ice cream and topped with peanuts. You'll find it in the ice cream section in a box of 4? so find friends to share it with. Dan

Have you seen this show: Street Food Around the World on Nat Geo and the Travel Channel? It is coming to Korea in October! Recommend your favorite street food stalls north of the river and I'll see if I can get them included on the show! I'm going to be their on the ground fixer, researcher and host. Don't worry, I've done quite a few of these shows now. If you are interested in seeing some of the production I have done, check out my company's page: O'ngo Food. Street Food Around the World

I Have a very early private food tour this morning, so I need my coffee. Today I stopped into Lotteria to have my breakfast. Not my normal place to go but the idea of an egg rice intrigued me. It is a fried egg between 2 rice patties that have some veggies and ham( sorry vegetarians). It is a very good little morsel I must say and tastes healthier than an egg McMuffin. This with a coffee for only 3,500 won is dang good. The best part is that the egg tastes like egg and not like plastic. (Coffee could be better though) My guests are running late so I got a croissant from Paris Croissant. They look very pretty. They have a slightly sweet glaze. It's funny why we pay 2,200 won for air though. :)

I have a late start today before starting my day so I am at Pierre Gagnaire's Bakery to get some coffee and some cake. It is located in the lobby of the hotel at Deli Hans and you'll see the amazing desserts in the cases. There are a range of desserts from macaroons, eclairs and cakes. I decided to get a light and buttery citron cake and a omija choux. The citron cake was bright and rich with a light sugary crunch. The omija choux had light whipped cream that was not too sweet and it went well with the complex omija filling. Delicious and a fine way to start my day.

Michelle's Ice Cream Diaries: National flower bread ice cream, so complex! (국화빵 아이스크림) So this is what I do instead of working, I photo-document and dissect my ice cream. But come on~ you've gotta hand it to the Koreans for coming up with some awesome ice cream concoctions! So far this is my favorite, Gookhwabbang(국화빵) ice cream love the layering of all the textures and the red bean flavor mixed with the vanilla ice cream. So chewy, so cold, so good. Written and photographed by Michelle Min http://www.touchtastedesign.com/index.html

  Spotted over in Hongdae, Bread 05, always seems to have a line out the door of its little bakeshop and everyone is in line for their An Butter Bread. It is a wonderfully crusty and soft cibatta roll stuffed with a sliver of butter and sweet red bean. The butter was good, the red bean made this…not so good. The butter was also not melted and I don't think it was supposed to be. Meh. Interesting, but never again. I would go there to get the bread with butter minus the red bean next time. If you are into red bean though, I recommend you check it out. Bread 05 Mapo-gu Seogyo-dong 408-25 070-7656-9905 Open 8am-10pm Closed Monday Hongdae View Seoul Eats Favorites Map in a larger map