Close Mirror Notes · 26 stories

Beauty Up Close

I share first-hand experiences of visiting beauty-related places in Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Beauty products · Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Cafés · Bars · Tech & gadgets

PlaceGwanak, SeoulRestaurants

Open-kitchen burger spot at SNU Station: bacon cheese fries, Daily Fix

Daily Fix Seoul National University Entrance is a handmade burger restaurant near Sharosu-gil on Gwanak-ro in Gwanak, Seoul, with a window-facing solo bar and an open kitchen. Over dinner for two, the blogger shared a bacon cheeseburger, the new Patty Melt sandwich and bacon cheese fries; the patty was juicy and the fries weren't too salty. Daily Fix Seoul National University Entrance is an easy pick for handmade burgers, whether you're eating alone or with a friend.

Written Jun 3, 2026Sponsored
PlaceAnyang, GyeonggiRestaurants

Beomgye steak & risotto dinner right after break time: Two Find Peter

Two Find Peter Beomgye Branch is a pasta and steak Western restaurant on the 5th floor of Park Avenuel in Beomgye, Anyang. Two friends went on a Friday evening right after the break time ended at 5pm and shared a chicken Caesar salad, a medium-rare chuck flap steak and a seafood tomato risotto under soft lighting, with each dish offering something different. For an atmospheric Friday dinner in Beomgye with steak and risotto as well as pasta, Two Find Peter Beomgye Branch is a good fit.

Written Oct 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwanak, SeoulBars

Quiet izakaya room for two in Gwanak: karaage & highball at Tomo

Tomo is a private-room izakaya (Japanese-style pub) on the 2nd and 3rd floors of a building on Sharosu-gil (Gwanak-ro 15-gil), near Seoul National University Station in Gwanak, Seoul. Catching up with an old friend in a closed-off room at Tomo, the writer had complimentary tako wasabi, Nagasaki jjamppong (seafood noodle soup), chicken skewers and karaage (Japanese fried chicken) with beer, then finished with a grapefruit highball. For two people looking for a quiet bar near Seoul National University Station, Tomo's private rooms are a good fit.

Written Oct 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGunpo, GyeonggiRestaurants

Sanbon pork cutlet spot for a cold-day solo lunch with udon: Onjeong

Onjeong Gyeongyangsikdang Sanbon Academy District Branch (온정경양식당 산본학원가점) is a Western-style Korean pork cutlet restaurant in the Sanbon academy district of Gunpo, Gyeonggi. On an especially cold day, a solo lunch of the cheddar cheese pork cutlet and fried tofu and fishcake udon set came with generous cheddar sauce, mushroom soup, morning bread and warm udon, and the portions were big enough that some udon was left over. Onjeong Gyeongyangsikdang is worth remembering for a filling solo Western-style lunch in Sanbon.

Written Oct 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulCafés

Seongsu Station bakery café: sweet-salty Seongsu cheesecake at LOOOP

LOOOP Bakery (루프) is a large bakery café spread over floors 1 to 4 on Yeonmujang 5-gil in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, near Seongsu Station. After browsing a beauty pop-up in Seongsu, the writer ordered an iced café latte, a thickly filled jambon-beurre croissant and the Seongsu Cheese Cake, which is topped with crunchy snacks and caramel drizzle. LOOOP Bakery is a good stop to rest with savory bread and a sweet-salty cake in one sitting.

Written Oct 20, 2026Sponsored
PlaceAnyang, GyeonggiRestaurants

Gukbap spot in Beomgye: bossam set for 3 with mom and sibling, Hantiok

Hantiok Lotte Department Store Pyeongchon Branch is a Korean restaurant specializing in Andong gukbap (rice in beef broth) and Andong guksi (noodle soup), on B1 of the Lotte Department Store at Beomgye Station in Anyang. After shopping, the writer, the writer's mother and younger sibling ordered bossam sets (boiled pork slices), choosing Andong gukbap for two and Andong guksi for one, and shared the bossam and six king dumplings. Hantiok was a dinner where a family of both rice and noodle fans could each get the soup they wanted at one table.

Written Oct 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Sinnonhyeon hair salon 9-step ribbon clinic for perm damage: Park Jun

Park Jun Beauty Lab Gangnam Branch (박준뷰티랩 강남점) is a hair salon on Gangnam-daero 110-gil near Sinnonhyeon Station in Seoul. Before her first dinner meetup in Seoul, the blogger, whose ends were damaged by frequent perms and volume magic (volumizing straightening), had a 9-step Shiseido Ribbon Clinic there that took about 1 hour, and her tangled hair came out sleek and swingy, as if freshly straightened. If you want to rescue damaged hair you'd hate to cut, the Ribbon Clinic at Park Jun Beauty Lab Gangnam Branch is worth considering.

Written Jun 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Yeoksam eel restaurant: post-class hitsumabushi & croquettes, Chisot

Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch is a Japanese restaurant on Bongeunsa-ro 30-gil in Yeoksam, Seoul, that specializes in hitsumabushi (Nagoya-style grilled eel over rice). After a class at Naver Square Yeoksam, the writer stopped by Chisot at 5 p.m. for the standard-grade hitsumabushi and potato croquettes. The eel was plump, well seasoned and cooked just right, and the croquettes were crisp outside and soft inside. Chisot Yeoksam Main Branch is a hearty, restorative meal for a tired Yeoksam office worker.

Written Jun 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulCafés

Gangnam bakery before a meetup: green tea madeleines, Bakerist Brown

Bakerist Brown is a bakery café on Gangnam-daero 102-gil near Sinnonhyeon Station in Gangnam, Seoul. With a gap before a weekend meetup, the writer had green tea and lemon madeleines with a salt cream coffee at Bakerist Brown and bought Gangnam Sand as gifts for friends. Bakerist Brown is a good stop for a light sweet-and-salty treat between plans and a gift so you don't arrive empty-handed.

Written Jun 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam ramen shop, solo brunch before a salon visit: Oreno Ramen

Oreno Ramen Gangnam is a Michelin-listed chicken-broth ramen shop on the 2nd floor of a building near Gangnam Station in Seoul, serving only two ramens: tori paitan and kara paitan. Before a hair salon appointment near Sinnonhyeon Station, the writer came alone for a Saturday brunch of kara paitan and tsukune chashu and was impressed by how the rich, spicy chicken broth paired with the noodles, as well as by the roomy bar seating and thoughtful touches like a hair tie box. Oreno Ramen Gangnam is an easy place to enjoy a rich bowl of ramen on your own.

Written Jun 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceAnyang, GyeonggiRestaurants

Beomgye sashimi restaurant family dinner, red croaker: Namhae Mulgogi

Namhae Mulgogi (남해물고기) is a kelp-aged sashimi restaurant near Beomgye Station in Anyang, Gyeonggi. On a weekend evening family dinner, the course ran from starter porridge and a taster of mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) to a mixed aged sashimi platter with red sea bream, red croaker and cuttlefish, then futomaki, sake-steamed clam pasta and maeuntang (spicy fish stew). For a generous sashimi course with family or a group near Beomgye Station, Namhae Mulgogi is a satisfying choice.

Written Jun 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Yangjae Station tonkatsu, cold soba and San Miguel: Yangjae Katsu

Yangjae Katsu is a tonkatsu (pork cutlet) restaurant on Nonhyeon-ro 31-gil near Yangjae Station in Seocho, Seoul. On a day out in Seoul with a friend, the writer had tenderloin katsu, loin katsu, cold soba, perilla oil soba and San Miguel beer for dinner; both cutlets kept their texture well, and the cold soba in its rich broth was the standout. Yangjae Katsu is a good dinner spot near Yangjae Station for katsu with cold soba on a summer evening.

Written Jun 23, 2026Sponsored