Justin Bieber's surprise visit to Seoul on Friday has drawn attention online, with fans sharing sightings of the singer at restaurants and cafes across the city.
Bieber arrived in Seoul with his wife, Hailey Bieber, as part of a promotional visit for his fashion and lifestyle brand Skylrk. He announced his arrival on Instagram, writing "Made it to Seoul," and has since shared a flurry of posts featuring his wife and travel companies.
Sightings of the couple in Seoul neighborhoods including Seongsu-dong and Bukchon have circulated online, drawing enthusiasm from fans who have awaited Bieber's visit.
Bieber last visited Seoul in 2013 as part of his "Believe" world tour, making this his first visit to the city in 13 years.
Following are a few of the places the Biebers stopped by during their stay.
Muguok
Located in Jongno, Muguok serves North Korean-style ginseng chicken soup, or samgyetang.
Unlike the more common South Korean preparation, the restaurant serves the chicken separately from the broth and rice.
Muguok was featured in the Michelin Guide Seoul this year for its clean, deep, savory broth. The soup is made with locally raised Korean chicken and prepared with a traditional Anseong cauldron, designated as an intangible cultural heritage by Gyeonggi Province.
Each serving is priced at 18,000 won.
Osulloc Tea House Bukchon
Osulloc, a Korean tea brand, offers a range of teas and desserts, including matcha-based drinks. Its green tea is grown on Jeju Island, where the volcanic ash soil and the cleanliness of the island's nature produce the tea's rich flavors.
The Bukchon branch, located in Jongno-gu, near Bukchon Hanok Village, combines traditional Korean aesthetics with Western-style architecture dating to the 1960s.
The Biebers were spotted enjoying the cafe's matcha latte, milk tea and ice cream.
Dosan Hoikwan
Dosan Hoikwan, a Hanwoo beef restaurant in Gangnam, specializes in premium Korean beef graded 1++, which has been wet-aged for more than 500 hours before being grilled over charcoal.
Its menu includes a range of grilled meat, raw beef cuts known as yukhoe, sirloin burgers, Brie cheese Wellington and pastas.
The restaurant has also hosted international celebrities such as Charlie Puth, Peggy Gou and Ye, as well as Korean figures such as Blackpink's Jennie, soccer player Lee Kang-in and actor Lee Jung-jae.
The restaurant's CEOs Lee Hyeong-jin and Kim Ja-woo shared photos of Bieber's visit on Instagram.
"The Biebers told us repeatedly that they enjoyed the tenderloin and the pasta," Kim wrote.
Dore Dore
Korea's dessert franchise Dore Dore offers mochi cheesecake, with each slice wrapped in mochi and topped with seasonal fruits such as figs and blueberries, and some yogurt cream.
The combination of mochi, fruit and yogurt cream is one of the trendiest desserts on Korean social media, with similar desserts also available at other shops such as Hanjeongseon and Godiva.
Each slice costs 13,900 won. The dessert is available at the brand's Yongsan branch.
Videos showing the Biebers and their companions eating the dessert circulated online after their meal at Dosan Hoikwan on Saturday.
The Oh's Room
The Biebers enjoyed another cake in Seoul — a custom cake from The Oh's Room, prepared as a surprise gift for Hailey ahead of her birthday on Nov. 22.
Decorated with pearls and edible gold, the cake had a message on top reading "Happy Almost Birthday."
The chef wrote on Instagram that the cake was made within two hours after receiving a last-minute request for a surprise celebration, adding that they were pleased to prepare the special dessert.
mjcha@heraldcorp.com
