Small Lights · 26 stories
I write about cafés and bars I visit around Busan and Gyeongnam. · Writes about: Bars · Cafés · Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons
Geumnyeong Gomtang (금녕곰탕) is a gomtang (beef bone soup) restaurant in Wangsimni, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, that also serves rice noodles as a one-bowl meal. On a day craving warm broth, the writer ate alone at Geumnyeong Gomtang and was well fed by a single bowl of rice noodles, with nothing else ordered. For a solo meal, or a day when noodles beat rice, the Geumnyeong Gomtang rice noodles are an easy, no-fuss choice.
Oreudeubi Sangwangsimni Station Branch (오르드비 상왕십리역점) is a hair salon in the Centras shopping complex near Sangwangsimni Station in Seongdong, Seoul. The writer first had a scalp scaling, a step that is easy to skip, then a cut to tidy the ends, all in a single visit to Oreudeubi. For anyone who wants scalp care and a haircut done in one trip, Oreudeubi Sangwangsimni Station Branch is a neighborhood salon worth considering.
Cheonpo Hoegwan Uijeongbu Main Branch (천포회관 의정부본점) is a pork belly BBQ restaurant on Beomgol-ro near Uijeongbu Station in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi. The writer ate out with mom and dad, grilled pork belly, finished with fried rice, and enjoyed a generous table, since yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) and kimchi pancake came among the side dishes. Cheonpo Hoegwan is an easygoing place to share pork belly and a good conversation with your parents.
Moi Hair Makeup (모이헤어메이크업) is a makeup shop near Hongik Univ. Station in Hongdae, Seoul, where you can get hair and makeup done in one visit. One week before her wedding, the writer went to Moi Hair Makeup with her boyfriend, like a date, before heading to a shop for her reception dress (the second outfit worn later in a Korean wedding), and she signed for a reception dress she loved that same day. Moi Hair Makeup is a useful stop for brides-to-be who want to see their whole look before choosing a dress.
Out of Order is a fusion Korean restaurant on the second floor of a building 3 minutes from Seongsu Station in Seoul. Over a weekend lunch to hand a wedding invitation to a close friend, the writer ordered Out of Order's lunch-only set for two: grilled baby napa cabbage, scallion tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patty) risotto, coal-black gimmari tteokbokki and a tri-color traffic-light sorbet, a generous amount for two people. For a quiet place to talk over a wedding invitation meal in Seongsu, the Out of Order lunch set is a safe choice.
Prefers Diet Food Nowon Station branch is a salad and healthy-food restaurant near Exit 9 of Nowon Station in Nowon, Seoul. Looking for a light but filling meal before a wedding, the blogger went alone and ordered the beef salad pasta topped with sous vide beef, and found the mostly bar-table and two-seat layout easy for solo dining. When a salad alone feels too light and regular pasta feels too heavy, the beef salad pasta at Prefers Diet Food Nowon Station is a good fit.
Hatpiendo is a second-floor izakaya on Yongridan-gil near Samgakji Station in Yongsan, Seoul. Four college classmates meeting up before their weddings shared yukhoe (beef tartare), mackerel stick sushi, abalone innard pasta and Napolitan pasta with a bottle of Hwayo soju. The noise level at Hatpiendo sits right in the middle, neither too quiet nor too loud, which makes it a good spot for a wedding invitation get-together.
Giun Gangnam Station Main Branch is a charcoal Korean BBQ restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul, where staff grill the meat at the table and a set menu is built for wedding invitation gatherings. The group ordered the sul-giun set (galbi samgyeopsal, hangjeongsal and gabrisal with a mixed vegetable platter), brought their own bottles thanks to free corkage, and finished with the gochujang-based Giun fried rice for ₩9,000. Between the easy location by Gangnam Station, the shareable set and the drinking-friendly mood, Giun covered every condition for a group celebration.
Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch is a tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and bunsik (Korean snack food) restaurant on Yongridan-gil in Yongsan, Seoul. After working late on a weekday near the end of the month, the writer ate alone and ordered the Hyeonseoni Combo Set of tteokbokki, sundae, fish cake, fritters and mini gimbap, then packed the leftovers to go. With roomy gaps between tables and plenty of other solo diners, Hyeonseonine is an easy place to eat by yourself in Yongsan.
37.5 Signature Cheongdam is a brunch restaurant on the second floor of a building on the main road, about 5 minutes on foot from Cheongdam Station in Gangnam, Seoul. Visiting with a close friend for a wedding invitation gathering, we ordered the pork jowl and green onion cream pasta and the ricotta salad pizza, and the bright, clean room, in-building parking and free parking voucher with a meal made 37.5 Signature Cheongdam an easy place to meet. The menu is wide enough that friends with different tastes will all find something.
Dongmyo Market is a wine bar in Jongno, Seoul, near Dongmyo, decorated like a small American grocery store. Over non-alcoholic wine and a highball, the beef brisket ragu tteokbokki (spicy stir-fried rice cakes) and the Market pork chop were shared during a long-overdue catch-up with a younger sibling. Dongmyo Market suits a slightly special occasion such as a pre-wedding invitation dinner.
Today Makeup is a hair and makeup salon a short walk from Hongik University Station in Mapo, Seoul. For a bridal shower photo day, the writer had hair and makeup done together at Today Makeup — naturally glowing skin with clearly defined eyes — and the look held up through an evening date. For a special day with lots of photos, Today Makeup was a satisfying choice.
