Sunset Coast Diner · 60 stories
Writes about small restaurants and market meals around Busan and South Gyeongsang. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Bars · Shopping · Stays
Noju is a Western-style course restaurant in Mangwon, Mapo, Seoul, within 3 minutes' walk of Mangwon Station. On a second visit with a friend, the writer had Noju's 55,000 won lunch course, from bread and arancini through amatriciana pasta and truffle cream gnocchi to sirloin cap steak. Although parts of the menu had changed, every plate at Noju was delicious, making it a restaurant worth returning to again and again.
JB Coffee is a café in Danyang, Chungbuk, about one block from Gugyeong Market (구경시장), serving garlic affogato (garlic-shaped ice cream you pour espresso over) and shaved ice shaped like Danyang's Sambong peaks. On a rainy day on the way to their lodging, the writer and a friend stopped at JB Coffee, ordered all three garlic affogato flavors (banana, strawberry and melon), split them open with a long fork like cloves of garlic, and found a hidden white chocolate garlic. JB Coffee's garlic affogato tastes familiar and looks funny, making it a Danyang dessert that's great with kids too.
Heukmaneul Boribap (흑마늘 보리밥) is a Korean restaurant on Byeolgok 9-gil in Danyang-eup, near Gugyeong Market in Danyang, Chungbuk, and the twin shop, essentially branch 2, of Danyang Heukmaneul Ssambap. The writer and a friend ordered 1 serving of suyuk (boiled pork slices) and 2 servings of jeyuk (spicy stir-fried pork), mixed their own bibimbap from barley rice, side dishes, sesame oil and gochujang, and loved the crab doenjang (soybean paste) stew and garlic-sauce suyuk. For its quality side dishes and garlic-sauce suyuk, Heukmaneul Boribap is a Danyang lunch spot worth the wait.
Danppang Bakery (단빵제빵소) is a takeout-only bakery in Gugyeong Market, Danyang, famous for its garlic bread. After seeing a long line every time they passed through the market, the writer bought Danppang Bakery's 4-flavor assorted set (14,000 won) when the line briefly shrank and shared the original, black garlic cream cheese, sweet potato custard and cream cheese garlic breads with a friend. Both the writer and the friend named the cream cheese garlic bread their favorite.
Garlic Cook & Story Western Dome is a pasta and steak restaurant on the 2nd floor of Building B at Western Dome in Ilsan, Goyang. Arriving just after the lunch rush, the writer ordered a salad, top blade steak, cream pane (pasta served in a bread bowl), and a hamburg steak in green chili cream sauce; every dish came in a generous portion, and free parking registration was easy. For the price and portions, Garlic Cook & Story is a solid pick for an office lunch in Ilsan.
Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch is a shabu-shabu restaurant inside Mecenatpolis, directly connected to Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul. On a day when her stomach felt off, the writer returned to Shabu in Seoul and chose the tomato broth, eating meat packed on two tiers, a range of dipping sauces, white rice cakes, rice paper and a shrimp risotto stir-fried right at the table. Clean and carefully prepared, Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch is a good pick for a family meal with older relatives.
Danyang Heukmaneul Ssambap (단양흑마늘쌈밥) is a black garlic ssambap (rice and leaf-wrap meal) restaurant at the far end of Gugyeong Market in Danyang, Chungbuk. It runs alongside a second branch, Heukmaneul Boribap. The writer and a friend had black garlic boiled pork ssambap (19,000 won per person) and black garlic makgeolli, and loved the all-garlic spread of black garlic rice, raw garlic and pickled garlic scapes, plus the very fresh wrap greens. For garlic lovers, Danyang Heukmaneul Ssambap is a meal worth recommending near Gugyeong Market.
Padong (파동) is a fusion Japanese restaurant in a semi-basement near Mangwon Station in Mapo, Seoul. The blogger ordered Padong's salmon bowl and the basil soba, which she was curious about after reading a blog post by someone who went back for it two days in a row. The thick aged salmon covered the rice with no gaps, and garlic chips cut the richness of the basil soba. If you want a sake-don (salmon rice bowl) with a generous amount of salmon, Padong's salmon bowl is a strong answer.
Pip Espresso Bar is an espresso bar and dessert café in the middle of the café street in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo, Seoul. On a cool day out with a long-unseen friend, the writer ordered a peach melba, a Romano and a vanilla rooibos tea. The peach melba tasted best with strawberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream in one spoonful. Pip Espresso Bar is a good Yeonnam-dong café for a day when you want atmosphere and dessert together.
Surim Sikdang Hongdae (수림식당 홍대점) is a budget-friendly Chinese rice-bowl restaurant on Wausan-ro 21-gil in Mapo, Seoul, between Hongik Univ. Station and Sangsu Station. On a visit after more than four previous trips, the writer ordered meat-stuffed fried eggplant (5 pieces for ₩8,000), a dongpo pork rice bowl (₩14,000) and an eggplant rice bowl (₩7,000), with egg drop soup served alongside the rice bowls. Thanks to hearty portions and fair prices, Surim Sikdang Hongdae is an easy recommendation for nearby office workers and students.
Lazy Off (레이지오프) is a handmade burger shop in Mangwon, Seoul, about a 5-minute walk from Mangwon Station. Before a picnic with a friend at Mangwon Hangang Park, the writer took out a Hawaiian burger (₩9,300), a truffle mushroom burger (₩9,800) and original fries (₩4,000) from Lazy Off. The neat foil wrapping kept hands clean on the picnic mat, and the juicy patties stood out. For handmade burger takeout before a Mangwon Hangang Park picnic, Lazy Off is a great fit.
Kkuudeok (꾸우덕) Seolleung Main Branch is a pasta, risotto and steak restaurant about a 5-minute walk from Seolleung Station in Gangnam, Seoul. Two friends shared the ₩46,800 Kkuudeok set there: flat iron steak, spicy crab cream risotto with a whole crab, and truffle cream funghi (mushroom) pasta, with generous portions and a thick, creamy risotto and pasta. For a filling, good-value Western meal near Seolleung Station, Kkuudeok Seolleung Main Branch is a good fit.
