Tin Tray Tourer · 22 stories
Writes about cafes and restaurants she visits around Seoul and Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés
Macho Steak Bucheon is a hot-plate steakhouse on Seokcheon-ro in Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi. The writer and her husband shared the Macho Double Beef Steak SET of ribeye and hamburger steak, and thanks to unlimited rice, corn and vinagrete (Brazilian-style salsa), they went back for rice about three times. Macho Steak Bucheon is a strong recommendation for anyone who loves meat.
Wonder Coffee Bar Yeokgok (분더커피바 역곡본점) is a café in Yeokgok, Bucheon, that serves its own coffee beans alongside desserts. After a soup curry lunch with her husband, the writer tried the hojicha Wonder Gato, a Dubai chewy mochi wrapped in a glutinous rice cake (chapssaltteok) shell, a caramelized pecan financier and a light iced americano made with bright, acidic beans. Her verdict: even as a plain iced americano drinker, the hojicha Wonder Gato makes Wonder Coffee Bar Yeokgok the only café she visits near Yeokgok.
Ichigyu Balsan Station Branch is a gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) restaurant near Balsan Station in Gangseo, Seoul, where diners finish the cutlet themselves on a personal tabletop grill. The writer visited with a baby and ordered Set 4 (gyukatsu, sizzling chop steak and 2 drinks) for ₩40,500, and found the gyukatsu grilled in Isigny salted butter tender, with no gamey smell. Generous table spacing makes Ichigyu Balsan Station Branch an easy pick for a family meal with kids or a date.
Ganaandeok Gyeyang Branch is a duck restaurant near Bakchon Station in Gyeyang, Incheon, where you grill duck yourself over real charcoal. On a chilly autumn day, instead of pork belly, the blogger grilled raw duck and seasoned duck (jumulleok) half-and-half, then finished with Busan milmyeon (cold wheat noodles, 7,000 won) and charcoal-roasted sweet potatoes. With a large private parking lot and a vent pipe over every table, Ganaandeok Gyeyang Branch is an easy choice for family meals and group dinners near Bakchon Station.
Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch is a Korean restaurant near Balsan Station in Gangseo, Seoul, serving seaweed soup and cockle set meals. At dinner time the writer ordered the ₩46,000 set for 2 with beef seaweed soup, soy-sauce cockle bibimbap and beef jeon (pan-fried battered beef), and the table also filled up with grilled Norwegian mackerel, spicy stir-fried pork, japchae (glass noodles) and rolled omelette, enough for two people to leave full. Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch is a Balsan Station Korean restaurant worth recommending for family meals with parents or young children.
Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch (미꼬담 마곡발산점) is a Korean restaurant near Balsan Station in Gangseo, Seoul, specializing in cockle dishes and seaweed soup made with seaweed from Wando. Dining with parents, the writer ordered the Hansang Gadeuk set for 2 with soy-marinated cockles, beef jeon (pan-fried battered beef) and beef seaweed soup, along with generous side dishes such as spicy stir-fried pork, japchae (glass noodles) and gungchae namul (seasoned celtuce stems), plus grilled mackerel from an ongoing event. Mikodam Magok-Balsan Branch serves a neat, mild-flavored spread that makes it a solid choice for a Korean meal with your parents in Magok.
Dumburger Magok is a handmade burger restaurant on Gonghang-daero in Magok, Gangseo, Seoul. At the Dumburger Magok kiosk we ordered the Dumburger set, a BLT cheeseburger with an extra patty and 3 chicken tenders, then cut and shared everything easily thanks to the handwashing station and the self zone stocked with knives. With thick patties and generous fillings, Dumburger Magok is worth returning to whenever you want a hearty handmade burger in Magok.
Cham Dwaejitgan Bucheon Sinjung-dong Branch (참돼짓간 부천신중동점) is a pork belly restaurant near Sinjungdong Station in Bucheon where staff grill all the meat for you. On a chilly day, the writer ordered 2 portions of pork belly with steamed egg and doenjang (soybean paste) stew and noticed details like in-store aging fridges, 6 sauces and king oyster mushrooms stamped with the restaurant's name. With thick pork, generous side dishes and a spicy, savory doenjang stew, Cham Dwaejitgan is a pork belly spot worth recommending near Sinjungdong Station.
Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch is a shabu kalguksu (hot pot with hand-cut noodle soup) restaurant on the first floor of Magok Botanic Park Plaza in Gangseo, Seoul. A couple came just after the lunch rush and ordered black garlic shabu kalguksu for 2, adding about 200g of extra shabu beef and potato sujebi (hand-torn dough flakes), then went through the full course of hand-cut noodles, five-color perilla oil fried rice and plum slush. The writer calls the potato sujebi add-on a must and rates Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu a filling Magok lunch for about ₩10,000-something per person.
Okso Ban Magok Main Branch (옥소반 마곡본점) is a shabu-shabu and sukiyaki restaurant between Magok Station and Balsan Station in Seoul. The writer and a partner ordered the signature sukiyaki with chuck flap for 2, refilled the unlimited vegetables four times, and finished with kimchi fried rice and hongcho (red vinegar drink). Thanks to its red brick walls and chandeliers, Okso Ban Magok Main Branch is worth recommending for a date dinner in Magok.
Hekbap Kkachisan Branch is a Japanese-style rice bowl and ramen restaurant serving single-portion, home-style meals, on the 2nd floor of the Lotteria building by Exit 3 of Kkachisan Station in Gangseo, Seoul. With her noodle-loving husband, the writer ordered the karai ramen fried chicken set, mildly spicy enough even for those who can't handle heat and generous with karaage, cheese rice cake and mini rice, and the Hanwoo beef intestine bowl, whose rich, savory flavor comes alive with egg yolk and fresh wasabi. Hekbap Kkachisan Branch is a safe pick near Kkachisan Station, whether for a solo meal or a couple's dinner out.
Maetdolroman Deungchon Branch is a tofu restaurant near Yangcheonhyanggyo Station in Gangseo, Seoul, that makes its own tofu with a large millstone on site. The writer and her husband had braised tofu, spicy sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew) and an extra bowl of rice for lunch, plus unlimited house-made sundubu from the self-serve bar. Maetdolroman Deungchon Branch is worth recommending for a filling lunch that is easy on the stomach. The braised tofu has a rich sauce, the spicy stew is clear and kicky with no chili oil, and the house-made soft tofu is unlimited.
