Clay Mug Wanderer · 20 stories

The Ceramic Cup

I write about visits to cafes in Gangwon, sharing what I drank and how the spaces felt. · Writes about: Cafés · Restaurants · Stays · Shopping · Bars

PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Ingye-dong sushi buffet with a BBQ zone for eel and beef: Kuu Kuu Gold

Kuu Kuu Gold Suwon City Hall Branch is a large sushi buffet in Ingye-dong, Suwon, near City Hall Station. On a weekday lunch visit, the writer had sushi, grilled beef, pork, chicken and eel at the BBQ zone, and also tried pasta, pizza, grilled dishes, bingsu (Korean shaved ice) and ice cream. With its spacious hall and private areas, Kuu Kuu Gold Suwon City Hall Branch is a sushi buffet that suits families and groups with different tastes.

Written Oct 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Ingye-dong, Suwon brisket & shank hangover soup lunch: Jeju Eunhuine

Jeju Eunhuine Haejangguk Suwon Ingye Branch is a haejangguk (hangover soup) restaurant in Ingye-dong, Suwon, near Suwon City Hall Station. The writer had the boneless hangover soup with brisket and shank beef, ox blood, bean sprouts and dried radish greens for lunch (12,000 won per serving), and found it packed with meat and vegetables in a mildly spicy broth, with parking out front, a spacious dining room and friendly staff. Jeju Eunhuine Haejangguk is a solid pick for an Ingye-dong lunch on days you want a truly filling bowl.

Written Oct 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Suwon Chinese restaurant: half duck, large mapo tofu, Mirim Yangjang

Mirim Yangjang Time Villas Suwon Branch is a Chinese restaurant specializing in Peking duck on the 3rd floor of Time Villas at Suwon Station in Suwon. The writer went with a boyfriend trying Peking duck for the first time and ordered half a Peking duck and a large mapo tofu, wrapping the crisp duck in thin pancakes with shredded scallions and using the mala-scented mapo tofu to cut the richness. At Mirim Yangjang, adding a large meal dish to the Peking duck rather than ordering duck alone is the no-fail choice.

Written Jul 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeouido Station gyukatsu restaurant, friends grilling to taste: Izawa

Izawa Yeouido Direct Store is a gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) restaurant in front of Yeouido Station in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, where diners grill each piece themselves on a mini brazier. The writer and a friend ordered 2 of Izawa's signature gyukatsu sets and grilled them to their own taste, one just seared on the outside and one cooked a little longer, while staff changed the brazier fire and grill plate before being asked. Thanks to the station-side location and the fun of grilling at the table, Izawa Yeouido Direct Store is an easy pick for a meal with friends or a Yeouido date.

Written Oct 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Suwon barley rice buffet for a couple, easy on the stomach: Boriook

Boriook Main Branch (보리옥 본점) is an all-you-can-eat barley rice Korean set-meal restaurant near Mangpo Station in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon. On a second visit, the writer and her boyfriend ordered the soy-glazed pork set (₩16,000) and the mackerel set (₩15,000), with unlimited barley rice, white rice, namul (seasoned vegetables) and seasonal vegetable fritters, plus stew and a dessert corner included. Even the boyfriend, whose stomach is often upset, ate comfortably at Boriook Main Branch, and the couple wants to come back.

Written Jul 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Seolleung Station eel restaurant: Chuseok holiday date by car, Manmok

Manmok is a Kanto-style eel rice bowl restaurant on Seolleung-ro 82-gil near Seolleung Station and Daechi-dong in Gangnam, Seoul. The writer drove to Manmok with her boyfriend over the Chuseok holiday, parked in front of the restaurant and had the whole-eel rice bowl (₩39,000) with salad, steamed egg and soup, followed by matcha ice cream, and found the meal flowed smoothly from start to finish. Manmok is an eel rice bowl spot that suits a calm date, a small team dinner or a solo meal alike.

Written Oct 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Suwon team dinner BBQ: pork belly & bibim naengmyeon, Jipbul Taebaek

Jipbul Taebaek Suwon Ingye Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant on Nahyeseok-gil in Ingye-dong, Suwon, that sears its meat over a straw fire first. After comparing it on two visits and settling on it, the writer ordered pork belly with bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles) and kimchi stew, and staff grilled the meat at the table with good timing, so team dinner conversation never stalled. For a team dinner in Suwon, straw-fire pork belly with kimchi stew at Jipbul Taebaek is a near-foolproof choice.

Written Jul 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Vietnamese restaurant in Suwon: 14-dish prices and parking, Madam Hao

Madam Hao (마담하오) is a North Vietnamese-style restaurant on Worldcup-ro 193beon-gil near Ajou University in Suwon. At Madam Hao, the bun cha (₩13,000) had a charcoal-grilled smokiness and the brisket pho (₩11,000) came in a clear broth, and the menu runs to 14 dishes, from banh xeo to cha ca la vong. With parking right in front of Madam Hao, coming by car for lunch is easy.

Written Aug 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongin, GyeonggiRestaurants

Jokbal-bossam XL set for 4 near Sanghyeon Station: Cheongdam Jokbal

Cheongdam Jokbal Gwanggyo Sanghyeon Branch is a jokbal (braised pig's trotters) and bossam (boiled pork wraps) restaurant near Sanghyeon Station in Suji-gu, Yongin. Four adults shared the jokbal and bossam XL set with makguksu (buckwheat noodles) served as a default side and left full: the jokbal was chewy with no gamey smell, the bossam was moist, and the underground parking made driving in easy. For a group dinner or family meal near Sanghyeon Station, the jokbal and bossam XL set at Cheongdam Jokbal Gwanggyo Sanghyeon Branch is a safe choice.

Written Sep 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Three pork cuts and bibim naengmyeon at Suwon Station BBQ: Ssosam 208

Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant on Deogyeong-daero 895beon-gil in Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do. The medium mixed stone-grill platter, 500g for 48,500 won, puts three cuts on one grill — pork belly, pork neck and cheongyeopsal (thousand-layer pork) — and this meal added lava fondue cheese for 5,000 won before finishing with bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles). Staff grill the meat at the table and the Hwanggeum parking lot behind Ssosam 208 gives 2 hours free, so driving here is easy.

Written Sep 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Yeongtong sushi restaurant, 16 plates for two at 8pm: Teukbyeolhan

Teukbyeolhan Chobap is a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant on Cheongmyeong-namro in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi, where every plate is a flat 1,890 won. On a weekday visit at 8pm the rail seats were already full, so the table seats came next, and about 16 plates ordered by tablet for two — salmon, aged kimchi flounder, tuna, beef tartare roll and California roll — came to 30,240 won. Loud staff training in the dining room was the one letdown, but the price and the range of the menu at Teukbyeolhan Chobap still made the meal worth it.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
ProductDARIMATIFashion

HYROX training shoes for running and CrossFit: DARIMATI BR-001 beige

DARIMATI BR-001 is a hybrid HYROX training shoe made to handle running, general training and CrossFit in one pair. At the DARIMATI pop-up on the U-PLEX 4th floor of Hyundai Department Store Pangyo Branch in Seongnam, I compared the gray and beige versions, picked beige and bought it as a set with a running cap for 149,000 won, then wore it through real workouts. The DARIMATI BR-001 left me with a light fit, support that keeps the foot from sliding, and a look that works with everyday clothes too.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored