Pocket Pilgrim · 17 stories

Full Pouch, Gyeonggi and Seoul and Daegu-Gyeongbuk Restaurants, Cafes, Shopping and Beauty

She writes about restaurants, cafes, shopping, and beauty spots she visits across Gyeonggi, Seoul, Daegu-Gyeongbuk, Gangwon, and Incheon. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Hair & beauty salons · Shopping

PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulRestaurants

Sinchon burger: Crunch Chicken Burger before a night shift, Bas Burger

Bas Burger Yonsei Cancer Hospital Branch is a handmade burger restaurant at the entrance of Yonsei Cancer Hospital, between Sinchon Station and Yonsei University in Seoul. Before the daughter's night shift, a mother and daughter came for an early weekend dinner and ordered the Crunch Chicken Burger, one single (₩8,900) and one set (₩12,800). The coating was crispy and the chicken thigh was juicy. For a quick, filling chicken burger meal in Sinchon, Bas Burger Yonsei Cancer Hospital Branch is a good choice.

Written Jul 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulRestaurants

Pho shop by Ewha Womans Univ. Station: 11 a.m. bun cha, Kkua Ewha

Kkua Ewha (꾸아 이대점) is a Hanoi-style pho and bun cha restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building on Ihwayeodae-gil, near Exit 2 of Ewha Womans Univ. Station in Seodaemun, Seoul. The writer and her eldest daughter walked in at the 11 a.m. opening with no wait and had a late breakfast of bun cha (₩19,000) and level-2 spicy flame-grilled pho (₩13,000), enjoying the charcoal-scented pork, generous vegetables and rich, spicy broth. Kkua Ewha is a place the writer plans to revisit.

Written Jul 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDong-gu, DaeguCafés

Daegu cake shop, hospital-visit mango cake Mom actually ate: Siznique

Siznique Shinsegae Department Store Daegu Branch is a seasonal fresh-fruit cake shop in Sweet Park, on the B1 floor of Shinsegae Department Store in Dong-gu, Daegu. On the way to visit Mom in the hospital, the writer bought a small Siznique mango cake for 39,000 won and a cooler bag for 2,000 won, then shared the cake with Mom and a sibling in her hospital room. The Siznique mango cake has light, not-too-sweet cream, and Mom, who had lost her appetite, ate far more of it than usual.

Written Jul 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulRestaurants

Sinchon 24-hour Korean restaurant: midnight yukgaejang, Pyeongando

Pyeongando Sikdang Sinchon Branch is a 24-hour sundae-guk (Korean blood sausage soup) restaurant near Sinchon Station Exit 3 in Seodaemun, Seoul, open every day of the year. After midnight, the writer and her daughter, just off work, shared traditional yukgaejang (spicy beef soup, ₩11,000) and a half plate of sundae (₩11,000). The yukgaejang had a clean, spicy broth with plenty of beef, and the sundae was well stuffed with no gamey smell. Pyeongando Sikdang Sinchon Branch is worth a return visit for late-night or early-morning soup in Sinchon.

Written Jul 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Sinchon hair salon partial perm for loosened bangs & crown: Demon Hair

Demon Hair Sinchon Branch is a hair salon near Sinchon Station in Seodaemun, Seoul. Less than a month after a perm, the writer's bangs and crown waves had loosened, so instead of a full perm she took the stylist's advice and got a partial perm (50,000 won) and scalp care (60,000 won); in a short time the bangs and crown regained volume and blended naturally with the curls at the back. The partial perm at Demon Hair Sinchon Branch is a solid choice for anyone whose curls have loosened only in places and who wants to cut down on damage and salon time.

Written Jul 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceAnsan, GyeonggiShopping

Ansan butcher's hanwoo tenderloin cut for grilling: Morakmorak

Morakmorak Home & Cook (모락모락홈앤쿡) is a butcher shop on basement level 1 of Star Plaza in Seongpo-dong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, selling aged hanwoo (Korean beef), marinated meats and meal kits. On a friend's recommendation, the writer drove 20 minutes to buy marinated yukhoe (seasoned raw beef) for 9,900 won, gochujang jeyuk bokkeum (spicy pork stir-fry) for 10,300 won and hanwoo tenderloin, and the staff cut the steak-thick tenderloin into grilling-size pieces on request. For Ansan locals who want meat and meal kits in one shop, Morakmorak Home & Cook is a butcher worth going back to.

Written Jul 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceAnsan, GyeonggiCafés

Ansan breakfast café, holiday morning: sausage pastry at Degree Gojan

Degree Gojan Branch is a bakery brunch café on Gwangdeok-daero in Gojan-dong, Ansan, open every day from 7 a.m. to midnight. On the first morning of a holiday, the writer and her younger daughter had breakfast at Degree Gojan Branch: a ham cheese basil sandwich (₩8,300), an Americano made with Oasis beans (₩5,300), a choco baguette (₩6,000), a sausage pastry (₩6,000) and watermelon juice (₩6,500), and the daughter called the watermelon juice the best thing she'd had this year. Degree Gojan Branch is an Ansan breakfast and brunch café that always feels comfortable, no matter how often you go.

Written Jul 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceAnsan, GyeonggiRestaurants

Ansan beef BBQ vacation dinner: kkotgalbi and hanger steak, Yangsimso

Yangsimso Ansan Gojan Branch (양심소 안산고잔점) is a charcoal-grilled beef restaurant specialising in 48-hour aged beef, on the first floor of Praum City in Gojan-dong, Ansan. On the first evening of a vacation, the writer and their younger daughter ordered 48-hour aged kkotgalbi (prime beef short rib, 240g), hanger steak (150g), galbisal (rib finger meat, 150g) and ttukbaegi ramyeon (ramyeon in an earthenware pot); the kkotgalbi was the clear favourite, and the free yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) and mushroom wasabi side dish also impressed. Yangsimso Ansan Gojan Branch is a beef BBQ spot in Gojan-dong worth returning to whenever a beef craving hits.

Written Jul 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Haenggung-dong, Suwon pasta restaurant: mother-daughter course at Hado

Hado is a casual dining restaurant on Hyanggyo-ro in Haenggung-dong, Suwon, where the course menu is 100% reservation-only. After an outing around Hwaseong Haenggung, a mother and her daughter shared Hado's basic course (45,000 won), with one swapping the chicken breast sous vide steak for chuck flap steak so they could compare the two. Thanks to the light minari (Korean water parsley) yuja (citron) bisque pasta and a quiet room made for conversation, Hado made a satisfying mother-daughter dinner.

Written Jul 20, 2026Sponsored
PlaceAnsan, GyeonggiHair & beauty salons

Ansan foot bath shop for menopause care: far-infrared dome at Jadamin

Jadamin Ansan Bripark is a hydrogen-ion foot bath and far-infrared slide dome heat therapy shop on the 2nd floor of the Prugio Bripark shopping arcade in Danwon-gu, Ansan. Hoping to ease her menopause symptoms, the writer booked through Naver on a friend's recommendation and had a 30-minute far-infrared dome session (30,000 won) and a 30-minute hydrogen-ion foot bath (10,000 won), leaving with a lighter body and more moisturized-feeling skin. Verdict: Jadamin Ansan Bripark is an easy pick for a casual foot bath, and the far-infrared dome is worth returning to whenever your body feels stiff and heavy.

Written Jul 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulShopping

Dongdaemun vintage shop: 2 summer blouses for ₩35,200, Viva Trade

Viva Trade Eulji Dundaun Dongdaemun Branch is a warehouse-style vintage store of about 200 pyeong on the 5th floor of Dundaun Dongdaemun on Euljiro in Jung-gu, Seoul. The writer, who isn't confident about their own fashion sense, went with a friend who has a good eye for clothes and bought two summer blouses for ₩35,200 thanks to a 20% storewide discount. Viva Trade isn't as cheap as Dongmyo, but it is well organized and an easy, low-pressure vintage shop for beginners.

Written Jul 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Gallery pasta restaurant near Dongdaemun DDP: polpo risotto, Athlonga

Athlonga (아스론가) is a pasta restaurant and art gallery on the 3rd floor and rooftop of a building near DDP and Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. The writer pushed a wine bottle to open Athlonga's hidden door and had an 11:30 lunch of polpo (octopus) risotto, lemon butter pasta and burrata cheese salad, and found every dish delicious. Verdict: Athlonga is fun from the moment you look for the door, with good food, city views and paintings to enjoy together.

Written Jul 24, 2026Sponsored