Unboxing Afternoon · 30 stories

After the Order

I write about visits to cafes in Gangwon and the impressions they leave. · Writes about: Cafés · Beauty products · Home & living · Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Things to do

PlaceNowon, SeoulRestaurants

Taereung Station restaurant: wagyu bourguignon and pastry, LA RUELLE

LA RUELLE is a European-style Western restaurant on the second floor of a building on Gongneung-ro 35-gil in Nowon, Seoul, near Taereung Station. The writer had a complimentary starter, wagyu bourguignon (29,000 won) and prawn bisque pasta (18,000 won), and was happy with both the tender wagyu and the pasta's rich shellfish flavor. With its quiet atmosphere and pretty plating, LA RUELLE is worth recommending for a date, anniversary or blind date near Taereung Station.

Written Apr 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Nowon hair salon men's down perm + crown volume perm: Yeum Hair

Yeum Hair Nowon District Office branch is a hair salon on the 2nd floor of a building on Nohae-ro, near Nowon Station and Nowon District Office in Seoul. On a rainy day, Yeum Hair did a side down perm, a short back-and-sides cut and a crown volume perm in about 90 minutes, serving iced Americano and cookies by a big window during the wait. For men with sticking-up side hair who struggle with daily styling, this perm combo at Yeum Hair was highly satisfying.

Written Apr 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulCafés

Café with parking in Gunja, Seoul: cold brew black & white at Palco

Palco is a wood-toned café at 330 Neungdong-ro in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, near Gunja Station, with a parking lot right next door and plenty of terrace tables out front. The writer drove to Palco and ordered Cold Brew Black and Cold Brew White (6,000 won each) plus an Orange Marmalade dessert (7,800 won), and liked being able to choose the coffee beans and the clean taste of the coffee. For a calm coffee near Gunja Station without parking worries, Palco is a good choice.

Written Apr 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulCafés

Naebang Station café: window-seat coffee & MIX 1 pies, Hodukkakki

Hodukkakki Brothers Bangbae branch is a nut pie dessert café near Naebang Station in Seocho, Seoul. The writer returned because the café kept coming to mind, drank a hot americano at a window seat, and took home the Premium Assorted Pie Cake MIX 1 (8 pieces, 36,900 won) to compare its four flavors. The cozy space and generously nut-topped pies make Hodukkakki Brothers Bangbae branch a café worth coming back to.

Written Apr 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulRestaurants

Gongneung tonkatsu lunch: mixed katsu & king cutlet, Jeongseong Katz

Jeongseong Katz Gongneung (정성카츠 공릉점) is a tonkatsu restaurant near Gongneung Station in Nowon, Seoul. At lunch the writer ordered the Jeongseong Mixed Katsu Set and the Western-Style King Cutlet Set (13,900 won each), and the crispy coating, juicy meat and sweet, rich old-school gyeongyangsik (Korean Western-style) sauce were all satisfying. If you want Japanese-style katsu and an old-fashioned Korean pork cutlet in one meal, Jeongseong Katz Gongneung is a good choice.

Written May 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongbuk, SeoulRestaurants

Weekday Korean pot rice lunch in Seongbuk: beef yukjeon, Seochon Nugak

Seochon Nugak (서촌누각) is a Korean pot rice (sotbap) restaurant on Hyehwa-ro in Seongbuk, Seoul, near Hansung University Station. On a weekday lunch with her husband, the writer had Jeju hijiki rice topped with abalone and scallop (17,000 won), chamsongi mushroom rice topped with octopus and shrimp (15,000 won) and beef yukjeon (pan-fried battered beef, 15,000 won), served with lightly seasoned side dishes and seaweed soup. Seochon Nugak is a Seongbuk-dong Korean restaurant worth recommending for a healthy, gently seasoned meal that lets the ingredients speak.

Written May 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceUijeongbu, GyeonggiThings to do

Uijeongbu kids café with calm music, not nursery rhymes: Qurie Kids

Qurie Kids Café Uijeongbu is an indoor kids café for babies and toddlers on the 7th floor of GS Plaza on Woryu-ro in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi. With a 25-month-old, the writer played for 2 hours in the 7th-floor play area, had cheese pork cutlet for lunch, then continued to Sand K sand play on the 3rd floor. Qurie Kids Café Uijeongbu plays music for parents instead of nursery rhymes and offers a seated café zone, a nursing room and baby food warming, making it a comfortable place for both children and parents to relax.

Written May 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJungnang, SeoulRestaurants

Myeonmok Station Korean BBQ revisit: runny DIY eggs & Yakult, Daepan

Daepan Sotddukkeong Kimchi Samgyeopsal Myeonmok is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Myeonmok Station in Jungnang, Seoul, that grills kimchi and pork belly on a cast-iron lid. On a return visit, the writer ordered pork belly for two (32,000 won) with rice and was happy with the meat-aging fridge, the tidy self-serve bar, the self-serve fried eggs, the complimentary doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) loaded with tofu and the Yakult for dessert. Daepan Myeonmok is worth recommending to anyone near Myeonmok Station who loves DIY fried eggs and cast-iron lid kimchi pork belly.

Written May 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Samseong pufferfish soup restaurant: cordyceps & sprout set, Bokdeurim

Bokdeurim Bokguk (복드림 복국 콩나물국) is a pufferfish soup and bean sprout rice soup restaurant on Samseong-ro 100-gil in Gangnam, Seoul, near Samseongjungang Station. For dinner the writer had the cordyceps hangover pufferfish soup (15,000 won) and the hearty bean sprout rice soup set with extra squid; the mild, refreshing broth, generous pufferfish and the pork cutlet that comes with the set were all satisfying. For a clean-tasting hangover meal, Bokdeurim Bokguk is a good fit.

Written May 31, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulRestaurants

Nowon shabu shabu buffet revisit with a clean kids' room: Mirang Shabu

Mirang Shabu Nowon Branch (미랑샤브 노원본점) is an all-you-can-eat beef restaurant serving hinoki steam, shabu shabu and rice paper rolls, on the 2nd floor of a building on Dongil-ro 192-gil in Nowon, Seoul. Returning after an earlier visit she had enjoyed, the writer ordered the ₩17,900-per-person set and had a hinoki steamer cooked on a 15-minute timer, shabu shabu, and a self-serve corner with tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and fried snacks, while a clean kids' room let her relax with her child. Mirang Shabu Nowon Branch is a high-value family restaurant in Nowon that the writer plans to visit again.

Written Jun 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulCafés

Sinsa dessert café: butter rice cake & iced latte, Butter & Shelter

Butter & Shelter Gangnam-Sinsa is a dessert café near Sinsa Station in Gangnam, Seoul, specializing in butter sands and butter rice cake. On a day with errands in Sinsa, the writer tried the butter rice cake, butter sand and scone with an iced café latte, and checked the gift set prices (8-piece original butter sand ₩24,800, chocolate ₩29,500) and packaging options. The soft, nutty butter rice cake at Butter & Shelter was the standout, and the butter sand makes a fine gift.

Written May 31, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Korean BBQ near Samseong Station Exit 5: snowflake flap meat, Gungmin

Gungmin Hanwoo House Samseong Station branch is a charcoal-grill hanwoo (Korean beef) restaurant on Teheran-ro 86-gil in Gangnam, Seoul. At a dinner get-together there, the 400g Gukdae platter (78,000 won) of premium sirloin, snowflake flap meat and whole rib meat was grilled over hardwood charcoal, and the snowflake flap meat was the standout cut. Gungmin Hanwoo House is a solid pick for reasonably priced hanwoo near Samseong Station or for a company dinner.

Written Jun 1, 2026Sponsored