Kid Bite Logger · 43 stories
I write about restaurants I visit and meals I eat in Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Beauty products · Kids & baby · Restaurants · Cafés · Food & snacks
Mellows (멜로우즈) is a Sangha Farm ice cream café near Ttukseom Station in Seongdong, Seoul, in the Seoulsup area. On a day crowded with Pokémon pop-up visitors, the ice cream at Mellows was sold out, but the 3,500-won vanilla latte and chocolate latte more than satisfied on both taste and price. Even without ice cream, the drinks alone make Mellows a Seoulsup café worth going back to.
Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch (현선이네 용산본점) is a tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) snack bar on Hangang-daero 39-gil near Sinyongsan Station in Yongsan, Seoul, that began as a street food cart. On the morning of May 1, for Korea's Family Month, the writer went with her mom and sister and ordered the Hyeonseonine Combo Set at the mildest spice level: tteokbokki, fritters, sundae (Korean blood sausage), gimbap (seaweed rice roll) and fish cake. The 24,000 won Hyeonseonine Combo Set was so generous that three women still had leftovers, making it a solid pick for anyone looking for tteokbokki in Yongsan.
Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch is a Fukuoka-style Japanese ramen and tonkatsu restaurant in Nonhyeon-dong, Incheon. Before starting a 2-week diet, the writer went back with her boyfriend for the smoky, fire-seared Snowflake Double Cheese Katsu set (13,900 won) and the Fukuoka-style Gureume Ramen set (14,900 won). The cheese katsu was at its best with roasted salt and wasabi, and her boyfriend rated the Fukuoka-style ramen at Hongdae Gureume a little better than the Kumamoto style.
Eonyang Dak Kalguksu Incheon Songdo Branch is a Korean restaurant specializing in chicken kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) and dakgomtang (chicken and rice soup) on Haedoji-ro in Songdo Zone 1, Yeonsu, Incheon. After a Saturday Pilates class, two of us ate the 11,000-won chicken kalguksu, made with a whole half chicken, and the dakgomtang, and we were impressed by the rich broth, the moist chicken and, above all, the kimchi. Eonyang Dak Kalguksu Incheon Songdo Branch is a Songdo Zone 1 Korean restaurant worth revisiting for the kimchi alone.
Center Coffee Gwanghwamun is a Blue Ribbon coffee and dessert café on basement level 1 of SFC Mall, right beside Cheonggyecheon Stream in Jung-gu, Seoul. After a hanjeongsik (Korean set meal) in Gwanghwamun and an evening looking at the Cheonggyecheon lanterns, the writer was cutting back on coffee, so they skipped the americano for a yuja lemon ade and an Earl Grey lemon tart, which they called the best tart of their life. Even if you can't drink coffee, the desserts and ades alone are reason enough to return to Center Coffee Gwanghwamun.
Sushi Doku The Songdo is a sushi restaurant on the 2nd floor of Onesta Mall in Songdo, Yeonsu, Incheon, connected to Songdo Hyundai Premium Outlet. After touring the Central Park Hotel wedding hall, the writer booked a 5pm table at Sushi Doku The Songdo and had the premium sushi set (25,900 won); the truffle chawanmushi, monkfish liver and refillable udon were all satisfying. The wait at Sushi Doku The Songdo tends to be long, so booking ahead is recommended for this Songdo sushi favorite.
Wunder Coffee Bar Hyundai Premium Outlet Songdo Branch is an ice cream and coffee café in the basement-level-1 food hall of Hyundai Premium Outlet Songdo (Songhyeona) in Yeonsu, Incheon, a pet-friendly outlet. The writer returned to Wunder Coffee Bar after an aunt raved about it on an earlier visit, and this time ordered a hojicha Gato and a mixed (hojicha + vanilla) Gato, which pairs ice cream with coffee. Verdict: Wunder Coffee Bar's Gato is a 'festival in your mouth' that wins over grown-up tastes too.
Yeonnam Jokbal 1987 Jonggak Branch is a fried jokbal (pig's trotter) restaurant between Euljiro and Jonggak in Jongno, Seoul, close to Cheonggyecheon. The writer loved the taste, booked a return visit on Catch Table, and ate the Yeonnam Jokbal set and Yeosu cockles & somyeon (thin wheat noodles) in an Outback-style booth. With fried jokbal that is crispy outside and juicy inside, Yeonnam Jokbal 1987 gets a '100000%' would-go-back verdict.
Pasta Go Hongdae Branch is a Good Price-certified pasta restaurant on Wausan-ro 33-gil in Mapo, Seoul. Catching up with a friend she hadn't seen in a while, the writer shared shrimp toowoomba pasta (₩11,920, with medium spice matching Shin Ramyun, a spicy Korean instant noodle), thick, creamy gnocchi (₩13,500) and seasoned fries, and all three tasted almost too good for the price. For cheap Western food in Hongdae, Pasta Go Hongdae Branch is worth recommending, whether you're eating alone or with friends.
Sokcho Fish Market Sanbon branch is a large sashimi restaurant near Sanbon Station in Gunpo, Gyeonggi, open until 4 a.m. For a Buddha's Birthday brunch, two people shared salmon and flatfish sashimi (39,000 won), a seafood pajeon (savory pancake, 20,000 won) and a seasoned cabbage salad (7,000 won); the sashimi wasn't fishy, and the pajeon was too big to finish. The writer's verdict: at Sokcho Fish Market Sanbon branch, always order the cabbage salad with your sashimi.
Jam Jam (잼잼) is a dog-friendly brunch café on the basement floor of 24 Seongmisan-ro 29-gil in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo, Seoul. On a weekday afternoon in autumn, the writer visited Jam Jam with their dog Happy, sat on an indoor sofa because the terrace was full, and ordered a house-smoked salmon sandwich, a decaf cold brew with lemon and a vanilla latte. With dogs allowed indoors and decaf cold brew at no extra charge, Jam Jam is a Yeonnam-dong dog-friendly brunch spot the writer wants to return to.
Pip Espresso Bar is a dog-friendly café with a full terrace on Seongmisan-ro 29-gil in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo, Seoul. On an autumn day, the writer visited Pip Espresso Bar with her dog Happy and her younger sister, ordering the hidden dog menu item Mungpuccino (a puppuccino), a Peach Mango Ade (7,500 won) and a Triple Granita (7,500 won), and spent the afternoon on the terrace. For an autumn outing in Yeonnam-dong with a dog, the Pip Espresso Bar terrace is well worth recommending.
