When this cheesecake store opened in our neighborhood Hyundai Department Store, there was always a line of customers. Ben and I made a mental note to come back and try it sometime when the wait wasn’t so long.

It’s been about a year now and we finally remembered to give it a chance. Cino’s is originally a Japanese chain. Unlike their American counterparts, these desserts are actually cake (no cream cheese filling) and, matching Asian tastes, light and barely sweetened. The consistency was like foam, almost dissolving on our tongues.

Out of all the Asian-style cheesecakes we’ve had over the past year or so, this is by far the best — but I’m not sure we would wait in line for it.

early morning jagalchi fish market

octopus (octopi?)

breakfast of blue crab soup

banchan

more fish

unagi

ho dduk at the PIFF plaza

Back in September, Ben and I caught the KTX and took a quick weekend trip down to Busan. Even though the weather was still hot, tourist season was over so the beaches were gloriously uncrowded. We spent two days wandering around the city, checking out Jagalchi Fish Market (the largest in the country), eating fresh seafood for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and relaxing on the beach.

We didn’t even mind the pungent smell of raw fish basking in the hot afternoon sun.