Gangnam Brush Diary · 15 stories

Small Brush, Seoul and Incheon Counters

Writes about restaurant meals and beauty stops around Seoul and Incheon. · Writes about: Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons

PlaceGwanak, SeoulRestaurants

Gyukatsu restaurant near SNU Station, tender as in Japan: Izawa

Izawa Sharosugil Branch is a gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building in the Sharosu-gil alleys near Seoul National University Station in Gwanak, Seoul. The writer ordered the ₩38,500 set for two (gyukatsu curry, gyukatsu set meal and a cola) and grilled the beef on a tabletop grill; the gyukatsu had no chewy bits and was as good as the gyukatsu the writer ate in Japan. One grill per two people instead of one each is a letdown, but Izawa Sharosugil Branch is a place to come back to whenever a gyukatsu craving hits.

Written Jun 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Hongdae salon: sit-up clinic for frizzy 2-month hippie perm, Juno Hair

Juno Hair Hongdae Entrance Branch is a hair salon near Exit 2 of Hongik Univ. Station in Mapo, Seoul, known for its hair clinics, spacious salon and luggage storage for foreign customers. Two months after a hippie perm, with loosened curls and frizz, the writer had the Premium Hair Care S Course as a sit-up clinic and asked for a sleek, straight blow-dry finish for the first time in a while. Hair became soft enough to comb through by hand even when wet, and the writer was satisfied enough to plan a return visit to Juno Hair in a month.

Written Jun 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Seoul Korean BBQ with Mom at Hapjeong Station: paced grilling at No.9

Eutteum Aged Hanwoo No.9 Hapjeong Branch is a 1++ aged hanwoo (Korean beef) BBQ restaurant about an 8-minute walk from Exit 9 of Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul. The writer ordered the Hanwoo Special Set (600g, 165,000 won) with Mom; staff grilled each cut at the pace they ate, and binchotan charcoal meant almost no flying ash, so the meal felt easy. Eutteum Aged Hanwoo No.9 suits a day when you want to talk with your mom and enjoy beef without tending the grill.

Written Jun 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBupyeong, IncheonHair & beauty salons

Bupyeong skin salon: painless extraction, no red marks, V Medispa

V Medispa is a skin care salon on the 5th floor of the Pararum building near Exit 7 of Bupyeong Station in Incheon. After a nearly expired cosmetic sample left her skin broken out with closed comedones and excess sebum, the writer had a 1:1 consultation, acne extraction, V Shine device care, an Arcfit ampoule and Immuca pack, and a décolleté massage at V Medispa; the extraction didn't hurt at all and left almost no red marks. V Medispa Bupyeong is worth recommending to anyone who dreads painful extraction.

Written Jun 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwanak, SeoulBars

Cheap Sharosu-gil bar: minari pancake and meat jjamppong, Bukseatong

Bukseatong Seoul National University Station branch is a budget-friendly bar on Sharosu-gil in Gwanak, Seoul, about a 1-minute walk from Exit 1 of Seoul National University Station. On a weekday evening the writer shared a crispy minari (Korean water parsley) pancake for 13,800 won, meat jjamppong (spicy noodle soup) for 17,500 won, sesame karaage for 9,900 won, a fresh tomato highball for 4,800 won and chicken skin skewers that had just come back in stock, and found every dish fairly priced and tasty. Bukseatong is a good Sharosu-gil pick when you want to share several bar snacks without spending much.

Written Jun 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Sadang raw beef spot that won over a yukhoe skeptic: Hampyeong Yukhoe

Hampyeong Yukhoe Sadang Station Branch is a Korean raw beef restaurant near Sadang Station Exit 11 in Seocho, Seoul, serving same-day-slaughtered hanwoo (Korean beef) mungtigi (thick-cut raw beef) and yukhoe (seasoned beef tartare). The writer ordered Hampyeong Set 1 in medium size (75,000 won) for mungtigi and yukhoe, then tried the unlimited seonji soup (ox-blood soup), a yukhoe bibimbap to finish and a hanwoo ramyeon from the review event. Even though the writer doesn't usually enjoy yukhoe, Hampyeong Yukhoe earned a 100% would-return verdict.

Written Jun 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Gyodae Chinese weekday dinner: yuringi and cheung fun, Maeranbang

Maeranbang Gyodae Branch (매란방 교대점) is a Chinese restaurant on basement level 1 near Exit 14 of Gyodae Station in Seocho, Seoul, with private rooms for 4 to 30 people and no room charge. A couple came for a weekday dinner and ordered yuringi (fried chicken in tangy soy sauce), Chinese bibimbap, mapo omelet rice, handmade xiaolongbao and chive cheung fun; the yuringi, fried using only chicken thigh, and the silky-soft cheung fun were the highlights. Maeranbang Gyodae Branch gets a wait even on weekday evenings, so book on Naver before you go.

Written Jun 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Mangwon Mexican spot: first chimichanga with my brother at Taco Dot

Taco Dot Mangwon Market Main Branch is a Mexican taco restaurant near Mangwon Market in Mapo, Seoul, about a 5-minute walk from Mangwon Station Exit 2. With my younger brother I ordered the grilled meat fajita platter (43,900 won), a chimichanga (17,900 won) and nachos with salsa (5,000 won), and the four seasoned meats, the chimichanga (crispy outside, tender inside, with a savory sauce) and the crunchy house-made nachos all hit the spot. Verdict: this Taco Dot spread was generous enough to feed four women.

Written Jun 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Post-show chicken at 11pm in Seocho: Six Pack and garlic soy, Kkanbu

Kkanbu Chicken Nambu Terminal Branch is a fried chicken restaurant in Seocho, Seoul, near Exit 1 of Nambu Bus Terminal Station and about a 15-minute walk from the Seoul Arts Center. After seeing the Yumi's Cells show at the Seoul Arts Center, two of us arrived around 11pm and shared two chickens: the Kkanbu Crispy Six Pack, with a thin, well-brined coating, and the fairly spicy Garlic Soy wings and drumsticks, which paired well together. For a filling late-night meal near the Seoul Arts Center after a show, Kkanbu Chicken Nambu Terminal Branch is a good fit.

Written Jul 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Magok eel rice bowl for a wedding invitation dinner: Una Magok

Una Magok is a Japanese restaurant specializing in hitsumabushi (Nagoya-style grilled eel over rice) on the 1st floor of K-Square Magok Tower 2 in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. The writer ordered the hitsumabushi and a small pollock roe hitsumabushi (₩42,000 each) at a partitioned table and found the eel soft, with no fishy taste or small bones, and seasoned just right with the pollock roe. The best combination at Una Magok was pollock roe with eel ochazuke (rice in broth) and wasabi, so the writer would order the roe version again.

Written Jul 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Korean BBQ near Seokchon Lake: samhap add-ons at Chowon Salt Grill

Chowon Salt Grill (초원소금구이) is a Korean BBQ restaurant in Bangi-dong, Songpa, Seoul, specializing in hanwoo brisket samhap: Korean beef, scallops and aged kimchi. After work, the writer ordered the samhap for two (56,000 won), added salt-grilled beef, brisket and giant scallops à la carte, then finished with brisket doenjang (soybean paste) ramyeon with rice stirred in, before walking along Seokchon Lake to Jamsil Station. Chowon Salt Grill stands out for its fresh hanwoo, scallops and Haenam aged kimchi, and the brisket doenjang ramyeon is a must.

Written Jul 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Cheongdam steakhouse anniversary course with Manhattan geotjeori: Rabo

Rabo Steakhouse Cheongdam (라보 스테이크하우스 청담점) is a steak restaurant with a garden, about a 5-minute walk from Apgujeong Rodeo Station in Gangnam, Seoul. For their wedding anniversary, a married couple had the all-day course at ₩178,000 per person: bread, Caesar salad, fried snow crab, a 400g porterhouse and dessert. The "Manhattan geotjeori" (fresh, lightly seasoned kimchi) and young radish kimchi served with the steak were the standout. With ₩5,000 valet parking, Rabo Steakhouse Cheongdam is an easy choice for anniversaries and wedding-invitation get-togethers.

Written Aug 3, 2026Sponsored