Pre-Check Taster · 108 stories

Before the Bill

I write about meals and restaurant visits in Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Bars · Hair & beauty salons · Shopping

PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Solo Italian dinner in Yeouido: mushroom cream pasta at Cuisine R

Cuisine R (퀴진 알) is a European vintage-style Italian restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Baeksang Building near Yeouido Station in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. On a weekday evening after work, the writer dined alone at Cuisine R on mushroom cream pasta and gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp in olive oil) kept warm over a candle. The rich cream sauce, plump shrimp and friendly staff made eating alone feel easy. For a quiet solo night of pasta and wine in Yeouido, Cuisine R is a good fit.

Written Oct 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeosan, ChungnamRestaurants

Conveyor sushi in Seosan with a friend: salmon garlic roll at Mikado

Mikado Sushi Chungnam Seosan Branch (미카도스시 충남서산점) is a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant on Seongnim 6-ro in Seongnim-dong, Seosan, where every plate costs ₩2,100. The writer came with a friend for steamed abalone sushi, a salmon garlic roll and grilled beef belly sushi, went back for the beef sushi twice, and asked for ankimo (monkfish liver) sushi and an ankimo roll that weren't on the rail. With a spacious dining room, parking out front and takeout, Mikado Sushi Chungnam Seosan Branch is an easy, affordable pick for meeting friends or a family meal.

Written Oct 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeouido Station gyukatsu lunch after shopping, sauce-free first bite

Izawa Yeouido Direct Store is a gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) and steki-don restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Yeouido Complex Mall, right by Exit 5 of Yeouido Station in Seoul. The writer ordered the gyukatsu double for lunch after shopping with a friend, grilled each piece on a personal mini brazier, and found the first bite, eaten without sauce, among the most tender gyukatsu they had ever had. With solo seats through 4-person tables and 1 hour of free parking, it is an easy, welcoming lunch stop.

Written Oct 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Geondae Station udon shop with free parking: kama butter udon, Kosi

Kosi Konkuk University Branch is a Japanese restaurant serving house-made udon on Achasan-ro in Gwangjin, Seoul, near Geondae Station. The writer ordered kama butter udon, tossed with butter and egg, along with crisp shrimp tempura, inari sushi and a drink on a tablet, and found the clean dining room and 1 hour of free parking convenient. Verdict: Kosi Konkuk University Branch is a good udon stop near Geondae Station if you are driving and want a full kama butter udon meal.

Written Oct 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Korean soup restaurant in Yeouido with private rooms: Jungang Haejang

Jungang Haejang Yeouido (중앙해장 여의도점) is a haejang-guk (hangover soup) and gopchang jeongol (beef tripe hotpot) restaurant on the 2nd floor of One Sentinel in Yeouido, Seoul, created by Jungang Chuksan, a butcher with 60 years of history in Majang-dong. In a space with private rooms and a spacious hall, the writer tried Hanwoo yang-seonji haejang-guk (14,000 won), Hanwoo 1++ yangji gomtang (16,000 won), gopchang jeongol, ox-foot soup and seonji haejang-guk, and was pleased with the rich, hearty broth and fresh ox blood and ox foot. Jungang Haejang Yeouido is a good Yeouido soup restaurant for days when you need a quiet table, such as family gatherings or business meetings.

Written Oct 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam Station Chinese spot: chewy knife-cut noodles solo, Namsogwan

Namsogwan U Yuk Dosakmyeon is a beef noodle and dim sum Chinese restaurant near Exit 11 of Gangnam Station in Seoul, spread over the first and second floors of its building. Dining alone, the writer ordered the mild basic beef noodles (₩11,000), signature dim sum and iced black tea, and nearly emptied the bowl thanks to first-ever knife-cut noodles as chewy as sujebi (Korean hand-torn dough soup) and a clean broth. Namsogwan U Yuk Dosakmyeon is a good fit for anyone looking for a filling solo meal near Gangnam Station.

Written Oct 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Eel bowl restaurant near Seolleung Station: same-day booking, Manmok

Manmok (만목) is a Japanese eel bowl restaurant on Seolleung-ro 82-gil in Daechi, near Seolleung Station in Gangnam, Seoul, serving Gochang freshwater eel. The writer booked a weekend lunch the same day on Naver Map and had the whole-eel bowl (39,000 won), enjoying everything from the chef grilling eel over charcoal outside to the chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard), refillable ginger slaw and matcha and black tea ice bars for dessert. For a clean, non-fishy stamina meal, the writer recommends Manmok.

Written Oct 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Indian curry and brisket cream pasta near Seolleung Station: CURRY146

CURRY146 Gangnam Branch is a British-style BBQ Indian curry restaurant on basement level 1 near Exit 2 of Seolleung Station in Gangnam, Seoul. Our group ordered makhani curry with a mixed seafood topping and a beef brisket cream pasta; with organic naan and salad included and turmeric rice added free, each hearty meal came to between 10,000 and 20,000 won. With a large group table, CURRY146 Gangnam Branch is a good-value curry spot for Seolleung office lunches and team dinners.

Written Oct 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulCafés

Sangsu terrace brunch café: egg mayo apple bagel, Minkyu Appane Bagel

Sun Terrace (순테라스), also known as Minkyu Appane Bagel Hapjeong Branch, is a wood-fired bagel café on Dongmak-ro 8-gil in Mapo, Seoul, between Hapjeong Station and Sangsu Station. At a window terrace seat, the writer tried an egg mayo apple bagel sandwich, a kaya jam salt bagel with fig cream cheese, a chestnut pie and an iced americano, and the crisp-outside, soft-inside wood-fired bagels and generous fillings stood out. Sun Terrace is a sunny Hapjeong bagel café that suits a relaxed brunch or dessert break.

Written Oct 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hapjeong noodle restaurant for large bibim tantanmen: Surim Sikdang

Surim Sikdang Hongdae (수림식당 홍대점) is a Chinese and Asian noodle restaurant in an alley between Sangsu Station and Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul. In a warm wood-toned dining room, the writer ordered the signature bibim tantanmen (brothless mixed dandan noodles) in a large size, eggplant mandu and a cola, and loved both the bibim tantanmen heaped with minced meat and the eggplant mandu, crispy outside and juicy inside. Surim Sikdang Hongdae is a good stop for a date or whenever you crave nutty, spicy noodles.

Written Oct 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Hongdae hair salon: non-greasy moisture clinic for frizz at Juno Hair

Juno Hair Hongdae Entrance Branch is a large hair salon on Yanghwa-ro in Mapo, Seoul, near Hongik Univ. Station. After a consultation, a writer who dislikes heavy, greasy-feeling products received a light moisture treatment, a protein ampoule bond treatment, steamer time, a treatment and scalp acupressure in a massage chair, and a finishing blow-dry. The moisture clinic at Juno Hair Hongdae Entrance Branch left the writer's hair hydrated and silky without feeling heavy.

Written Oct 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam tteokbokki shop for brisket Toowoomba rosé: Mil Tteok Factory

Mil Tteok Factory Main Branch is a tteokbokki and Korean snack shop in a basement off a Garosu-gil alley near Sinsa Station in Gangnam, Seoul. At Mil Tteok Factory, a Toowoomba rosé tteokbokki with extra beef brisket came with butter garlic fries and a sweet potato cheese gratin, so spicy and sweet bites could be enjoyed in turn. For thick, spicy tteokbokki with sweet-and-salty sides, this Mil Tteok Factory Main Branch combo is well worth ordering.

Written Oct 11, 2026Sponsored