The other day, we adventured toward Sous Vide Chicken Pub in Pyeongtaek (specifically Sosabeol – which my friend described as “new Pyeongtaek”). Honestly, just getting there was an adventure – and one that I’m weirdly glad that we had! I was driving and following my friend, Missy. We got to Sosabeol (which is the biggest city I have been to since we moved here – except maybe Cheonan, but we’ve only really ever gone there to get to Costco) and were immediately greeted by fully packed parking lots and LOTS of traffic.

Our first taste of Sosabeol

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but the drivers here are… exciting… to say the least. While we waited at a red light in Sosabeol, we watched, not one, but TWO city buses run the red light to make U-turns. And before you ask if there was a special bus lane, no there wasn’t. To make it all the more exciting, there were pedestrians in the crosswalk too and I was about 95% sure that the buses would hit them. Thankfully, they didn’t. And so driving was a little nuts. But let’s be honest: I can hold my own behind the wheel of a car. I’m aggressive enough to get to where I need to, but I also understand that sometimes yielding is the best option (if you want to stay alive, that is). I think I surprised Brandon (and myself) when I wasn’t screaming constantly while driving. I was chill as a cucumber (which is like… super chill) and I was just laughing the whole time. Between the laughter I said, “I freaking love Korea” MULTIPLE times.

Because I find the driving style here HILARIOUS. Slightly terrifying, yes. Do I panic every time another car is coming toward me on a two-lane road that DEFINITELY seems like it’s the width of a one-lane road? Absolutely. But it’s all still so funny to me. The fact that Koreans will park just about anywhere for any length of time – and it’s okay as long as they turn their hazard lights on. In reality, they aren’t SUPPOSED to do that – but they do it and nobody does anything about it so they keep doing it. Blocking an entire lane of traffic? No problem – just turn on your hazards and people will go around you! HILARIOUS. And I’m not even being sarcastic. Honestly, I think it’s just become so endearing to me that I don’t feel frustrated about it. (Even as I’m updating this almost a year later: I still find it hilarious.)

We finally arrived at Sous Vide Chicken Pub aaaaaand it was closed. Dang. Apparently they randomly changed their hours to open at 4pm… and it was 11am. Oops. But we’d already driven through the madness of Sosabeol, so you know we weren’t going to let a little snag like a closed restaurant ruin our fun. Plus, between Missy and us, we only had four kids (instead of the usual eight), so we figured there was no time like the present to experience a new restaurant!

After wandering for a while, we came across Loxid Gateau – a quaint little coffee and dessert café that also served brunch, pizza, and sandwiches. As soon as we walked in, we knew we had found a real gem. The entire back wall was open, giving a really fun view of downtown Sosabeol. There were cozy chairs and pillows all over the little lounge. And the décor was beautiful. And even better? We were the only ones there, so it was incredibly relaxing (even with four kids).

The woman who was working there was SO KIND and she was having so much fun seeing the kids. As soon as H saw her, she walked immediately to her and held up her hands for the woman to pick her up. What’s really funny about that is that H actually doesn’t seem to like Koreans much. Typically when we are out and about, the ajummas follow H around and want to play with her. I don’t think she likes the attention, because she usually does everything she possibly can to get away from them – even running crying into my legs if needs be. But when she saw this Korean woman, she didn’t hesitate to run over to her. The woman (after asking my permission) scooped H up and they were the best of friends.

Missy’s kids ordered some brunch items and let me just say they were EXTRA, just like this little café. Brandon and I both ordered the bulgogi sandwich – which was absolutely divine (even with American cheese on it… somehow this café managed to make even American cheese taste good!). I also ordered a banana chocolate milkshake and, just like every other milkshake I’ve had in Korea (which is a surprising amount considering I’ve only been here about a month), it 100% did not disappoint. And OF COURSE, we grabbed some desserts to take home with us. My personal recommendation is the milk crepe cake. It blew just about every other cake I’ve ever had out of the water.

Good food, good company, exploring a new area, and not getting in a car crash all make for a successful and fun day here on the peninsula. I know I get excited about small things – honestly these days I think I am more excitable than I’ve ever been because everything here is just SO COOL to me – but I want to remember every single detail of this beautiful life.

’til next time…

Ash

How to visit Loxid Gateau in Sosabeol

Directions: Paste 경기 평택시 비전5로 10 into Naver and it will take you to the café. See parking directions below for the pin to the parking garage entrance.

Parking: There is a parking garage right underneath the mall complex that houses Loxid Gateau. Take a picture of your license plate and ask the workers at Loxid Gateau if they validate! You can get to the parking garage entrance by pasting 경기 평택시 비전5로 10 센트럴돔 3층 엉클브룩스쥬 into Naver.