A Wooden Stool in Changsin — Jieun Baek

Hongdae gomtang restaurant in Seoul for peppered clear broth: Anok

Anok is a hanok gomtang (beef bone soup) restaurant tucked into an alley about a 10-minute walk from Hongik University Station in Hongdae, Seoul. The order was clear gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) and pork tail jjim, eaten in turns: a clean broth with a light dusting of pepper, a noodle broth with no sweetness, and pork tail in a smoky, tongue-tingling sauce. Anok is a good pick for a day when you want a light, clear broth instead of something heavy and heavily seasoned.

Written Sep 21, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Sinsa Chinese restaurant: ₩20,000 tangsuyuk with 2 dim sum, Samsin

Samsin Garosu-gil is a fusion Chinese restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul, where a Michelin two-star-trained chef and a hotel dining chef blend Korean, Chinese and Japanese cooking. Instead of the lunch course, this visit ordered à la carte: two dim sum, the ₩20,000 Tokyo tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) laid over butter in a hot stone pot with the sauce poured at the table, and a basic jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), with near-textbook har gow and shao mai. The verdict at Samsin Garosu-gil: the Tokyo tangsuyuk is the one dish to order.

Written Sep 21, 2026Sponsored

PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Aglio e olio at a Sangsu Station pizzeria: Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza

Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza is an Italian wood-fired pizzeria in an alley between Hapjeong and Sangsu stations in Mapo, Seoul, open since 2012. Five minutes on foot from Sangsu Station Exit 1, the writer ordered one pizza split half quattro cheese and half Margherita, plus a plate of aglio e olio. The 72-hour house-fermented dough stays chewy right out to the rim, so the crust alone is worth the visit.

Written Sep 21, 2026Sponsored