I have been in Canada for three years and I live with my mom and younger brother. Fortunately, I have never felt homesick thanks to many Korean shops across Coquitlam. I would like to introduce my favorite places where you can feel like you are in Seoul, Korea.
H-Mart
When you travel overseas, do you visit the local supermarkets? You get lost for hours, but you are still amazed by the items they sell. Well, you can feel the same when you visit ‘H-Mart’. Although they specialize in Korean groceries, they offer East Asian products in general. You will feel like being lost at a local supermarket in South Korea. Although H-Mart has many locations across the Lower Mainland, the one near Lougheed Town Centre is the largest. Go there and get lost among the unique item.
QE-Zone
There is an internet cafe called ‘QE-Zone’ near Lougheed Town Centre. These days, internet cafes became both a playground and a dating place for young people in their teens and 20s. As their desktop computers are optimized for playing high-spec games, the specifications of computers at the café have all been upgraded to be top-notch. Until a few years ago, internet cafes only served soft drinks and chips, but now their menu list is as long as that of a restaurant. For example, there are burgers, fried chicken, pizza, ramen and even sushi! For these reasons, internet cafes in the Lougheed area are getting famous among Asian communities.
HAAN
If you are a vegetarian, you can skip this part. However, if you love BBQ, please pay attention. There is a reason Korean BBQ is so famous. Koreans hate to wait for their meat from the kitchen, so they moved the grill to the center of their tables! What’s more, your table will be filled with dozens of healthy veggie dishes, so you will learn the ultimate way to enjoy BBQ. 
Juilet
There is a cafe called ‘Juilet’ near the Lougheed skytrain Station. Juilet is the only cafe that is of typical Korean style with a unique atmosphere, interior, furniture, and props. I feel like I am in Korea for a while when I go there. The drinks and desserts of the Juilet make it more obvious. When my friends and I go to Lougheed, we always go to Juilet.
Sul-Bing
The last place I want to introduce is a Korean dessert cafe, ‘Sulbing’, specializing in Bingsu. Bingsu is a bowl of shaved ice. It was first created in Japan, and the Japanese use ice and red bean paste as the main topping. On the other hand, Koreans shave frozen milk and their own selection of toppings. If you thought ice cream was the best cold dessert, you will learn how small your world was. If I am given a choice, I will choose Bingsu over ice cream any day. Not only that, Bingsu is a lot healthier and lower in calories.
Feature photo credit to austin.eater.com
