Break Time Eater · 56 stories
I write about restaurants I visit and meals I try in Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Restaurants · Bars · Cafés · Hair & beauty salons
Hiku is a small izakaya (Japanese-style pub) on a quiet side street near Sadang Station in Seoul. After a Friday-night gopchang (grilled beef intestines) dinner, a married couple came to Hiku for a second round of sparkling Cheongha (Korean rice wine), Hiku sweet shrimp and mentaiko (seasoned pollock roe) biscuits. Hiku suits couples who want a quiet drink and an unhurried conversation away from the crowds of busy Sadang.
Bareun Hwangso Gopchang (바른황소곱창) is a beef gopchang (grilled intestine) restaurant near Sadang Station in Dongjak, Seoul. On a Friday evening, a gopchang-loving couple made their fourth visit for the ₩24,000-per-person mixed gopchang and ₩4,000 kkakdugi (radish kimchi) fried rice. The cream-soft daechang (large intestine), the fried rice cooked separately on a griddle and the friendly staff keep them coming back. After trying 200+ gopchang spots nationwide, the writer ranks Bareun Hwangso Gopchang clearly number one in Sadang.
Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae Direct Store (육통령 교대직영점) is a pork belly Korean BBQ restaurant near Gyodae Station in Seocho, Seoul, once named one of Seoul's top three pork belly spots in the Wednesday Foodies era. On a Sunday evening the writer and his wife shared one serving each of pork belly and pork neck with beer and naengmyeon (cold noodles); the staff-grilled meat and the brie-like grilled mushrooms stood out, while the naengmyeon was ordinary. With pork belly at around ₩15,000 and staff grilling included, Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae Direct Store is a highly satisfying pick for Seoul Korean BBQ.
Sushi House is a conveyor belt sushi restaurant on the second floor of a shopping building near Beomgye Station in Anyang, Gyeonggi, where most plates cost a flat 2,000 won. On a Sunday lunch, the blogger and their spouse took salmon, eel, shrimp fusion sushi, egg sushi, soy-marinated shrimp and aged kimchi sushi off the belt at Sushi House, then ordered sea bream belly separately through the table QR menu. Verdict: in an age of high prices, Sushi House is a good-value sushi spot in Beomgye where you can eat your fill without worrying about your wallet.
Wunder Coffee Bar Hyundai Premium Outlet Songdo Branch is a café and dessert shop beside the B1 food court of Hyundai Premium Outlet Songdo (Songhyeona) in Songdo, Incheon. With Starbucks full on a weekend, the writer ordered a hojicha ice cream cup and the signature Wunder Coffee at Wunder Coffee Bar, then worked on a laptop at a roomy food court table while waiting for a Japanese friend not seen in 7 years. For a seat and a hojicha dessert at a busy weekend Songdo outlet, Wunder Coffee Bar is a solid alternative.
Sushi Doku The Songdo is a sushi restaurant on the 2nd floor of Honesta Mall, connected to Tekeunopakeu Station in Songdo, Yeonsu, Incheon. The writer arrived 30 minutes late for an 11am booking, so the reservation was cancelled automatically. After rejoining the waitlist as number 1 and waiting about 30 minutes, he had the premium sushi special set with 10 pieces of sushi, an ankimo (monkfish liver) roll, eel sushi and udon. Sushi Doku The Songdo was worth the wait, and he plans to return with his wife.
Milbat Bakery Pyeongchon (밀밭제빵소평촌) is a large bakery near Exit 1 of Pyeongchon Station in Anyang, Gyeonggi, with generous free samples of black sesame twists, raspberry baguette, salt bread and croquettes. After finishing a certification exam, the writer bought sliced bread, salt bread, mentaiko (pollock roe) salt bread and a fig baguette at Milbat Bakery Pyeongchon, then warmed them for 1 minute in a light-wave oven for a home café with his wife. Milbat Bakery Pyeongchon's fig baguette pairs so well with an Americano that it became the writer's all-time favorite.
Copenhagen is a two-floor café and lunch spot near Samgakji Station Exit 11 in Yongsan, Seoul, that turns into a beer pub in the evening. On a weekday the writer ordered Copenhagen's ₩10,000 lunch special (fried rice, sujebi or udon, plus coffee) with shrimp fried rice, and added a fruit bingsu (shaved ice) piled with kiwi, banana and strawberry. Copenhagen is a handy pick for a good-value lunch and a generous bingsu before or after visiting the War Memorial of Korea.
Bokdeurim Bokguk (복드림복국콩나물국) is a pufferfish soup (bokguk) restaurant on Samseong-ro 100-gil near Samseongjungang Station in Gangnam, Seoul. An office worker near COEX went alone for lunch and ordered the perilla pufferfish soup with ongsimi (potato dumplings) and a half plate of fried pufferfish, pairing a thick, rich perilla broth with fried pufferfish that was crisp outside and tender inside. Bokdeurim Bokguk is on the pricey side, but it is a filling, worthwhile lunch for a day when you want a restorative meal.
Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch is a gyukatsu (Japanese-style beef cutlet) restaurant in the basement arcade of the LG Building across from Seoul Station, in Jung-gu, Seoul. Before taking the GTX to KINTEX, the blogger arrived at Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch right at opening time and ordered the Ichigyu gyukatsu set (striploin) with a 200ml lunch mini beer. The blogger then seared the striploin in butter on a personal mini grill, cooking each piece to taste. For a filling lunch near Seoul Station that is a step beyond the usual options before a trip, Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch is a good choice.
Camon Bundang Sunae Station Flagship is a Vietnamese pho restaurant that opened on Baekhyeon-ro 101beon-gil near Sunae Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi. A writer who once lived in Ho Chi Minh City had pho, Camon bun cha (grilled pork with rice noodles) and shrimp balls there for a weekend lunch date with his wife, and the rich broth and bun cha sauce reminded him of his regular local spots in Vietnam. If you want a taste close to Vietnam, order the bun cha first at Camon Bundang Sunae Station Flagship.
Notten is a brunch café tucked into the café alley of Dongpyeon-maeul (동편마을) in Dongan-gu, Anyang, serving plates of Korean wheat bread baked in-house. The writer stopped in alone before a weekday work meeting and, with sunlight pouring through the big windows and a view of the open kitchen, had the Korean wheat jambon plate and a fig ade; the generous spread of homemade jambon, jam, butter and an antibiotic-free egg beat expectations. Notten is worth considering for a relaxed morning brunch in a quiet neighborhood alley.
