Hot Broth Mapper · 49 stories
I write about restaurants and warming meals I come across in Daejeon and Chungcheong. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Food & snacks · Things to do · Stays
When You Bite is a Western-style brunch café in Tangjeong-myeon, Asan, Chungnam. The writer and her boyfriend ordered the signature lasagna (21,000 won) and the jambon cream pasta (17,000 won), and both dishes were good enough to scrape up every last bit of sauce. With floor-to-ceiling windows and plant-filled decor, When You Bite is a date spot in Tangjeong worth recommending.
Siyudang is a large brunch café in Pungse-myeon, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan, near Taehaksan Natural Recreation Forest. At Siyudang the writer ate the pollock roe (myeongnan) cream pasta, the Cajun chicken salad and the castella croissant, then explored the 2nd-floor piano photo zone, the 3rd-floor floor-to-ceiling windows and the 4th-floor rooftop daisy garden. With an elevator, trolleys and a diaper-changing table, Siyudang is an easy large café in Cheonan to visit with kids, and the brunch and desserts taste good too.
Kkotgeok Cheonan Yuryang-dong Branch is a Korean restaurant specializing in blue crab and gejang (marinated raw crab), set in two hanok buildings in Yuryang-dong, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan. On a date, the writer and her boyfriend shared the albaegi (roe-filled crab) set for 2 at ₩35,000 each (₩70,000 total), with roe-packed female soy crab from Yeonpyeongdo, spicy marinated crab with minari (water dropwort) and japchae good enough to refill. With a large parking lot, private rooms and a dog-friendly annex, Kkotgeok Cheonan Yuryang-dong Branch is a solid pick for dates, family gatherings and meals with a dog.
Plate is a Western-style restaurant in Seonhwa-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon, that serves pasta made with fresh noodles prepared in-house. After a stop at Sungsimdang bakery, two friends had lunch at Plate, ordering creamy rosé pasta with tagliatelle and steak cream ragu with spaghetti, plus corn soup and drinks, for 34,300 won in total. Choosing your own noodles and the dim, moody lighting make Plate a recommended pick for a Daejeon day-trip lunch or a date.
레모젠 Tenyear Solid Lemon Juice Collagen Tablets are a lemon juice supplement made by evaporating fresh lemon juice into tablet form. The writer, who was following a diet plan and kept giving up on lemon water because of its sourness, took 레모젠 Tenyear each morning with a probiotic and found the tablets small, with no bitter or unpleasant taste even when they touched the tongue. 레모젠 Tenyear is an easy alternative for anyone who struggles to drink sour liquid lemon juice.
Choigo Dakgalbi (최고닭갈비) is a griddle dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) restaurant on the first floor of the CGV Cheonan City Hall building in Buldang-dong, Cheonan. On a date at Choigo Dakgalbi, the writer and her boyfriend ordered Choigo Cheese Dakgalbi for 2 (medium spice) with Vienna sausage and wide glass noodles, then Choigo flying fish roe fried rice with extra cheese and cold buckwheat noodles; the cheese was generous and the chicken had no gamey smell at all. Choigo Dakgalbi is worth recommending as a Sinbuldang spot for Chuncheon-style griddle dakgalbi without the trip to Chuncheon.
Sinseong Agujjim Asan Branch (신성아구찜 아산점) is a monkfish and seafood stew restaurant in an alley in Mojong-dong, Asan, near Asan Onyang Express Bus Terminal. On a Friday evening the small (2-person) algonijjim (braised fish roe and milt stew) at spice level 1 cost 31,000 won. A squid seafood add-on for 8,000 won and fried rice for 2,000 won rounded out the meal. The stew had more roe and milt than bean sprouts, plus plump squid and cheese and sweet potato rice cakes. If you can't handle much heat, order Sinseong Agujjim's algonijjim at level 1, and don't skip the fried rice even when you're full.
When You Bite (웬유바이트) is a brunch café on Maegokhandeul 8-gil in Tangjeong, Asan, Chungnam, right next to a free public parking lot. Two people ordered the pork neck steak with pepper cream sauce (25,000 won), the jambon tomato pasta (19,000 won) and a Sprite Zero, and every dish satisfied: freshly fried fries, a rich pepper cream sauce and tomato pasta with house-made low-sodium jambon from Korean pork. When You Bite is a good choice if you want a Tangjeong brunch café with both atmosphere and flavor.
Boryeong Daenggaksan Jeong (Boryeong 댕각산 정) is a churu-style lickable stick supplement for dog bronchial and respiratory health from the Korean pharmaceutical company Boryeong, sold on Coupang for 20,900 won with free shipping. The writer fed Boryeong Daenggaksan Jeong to Dali, a 5.2kg dog, as a treat and as a kibble topping; Dali ate it eagerly and finished the whole bowl of kibble too. Boryeong Daenggaksan Jeong suits owners who want a supplement dogs actually enjoy with low calories (4.64kcal per stick).
Chongil Nakji, Tanbang branch (촌길낙지 탄방점) is a Korean restaurant specializing in nakji bokkeum (stir-fried octopus) in Tanbang-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, near Lotte Department Store. After buying bread at Sungsimdang in Lotte Department Store one weekend, the writer had the small (2-person) pork and octopus stir-fry, mild, for 30,000 won, served with smoky thin-sliced pork belly, chewy octopus and refillable cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew). Chongil Nakji is a lunch stop worth recommending after a Sungsimdang bread run.
Songrimbok Jangeo Unlimited Eel Daejeon Direct Store is an all-you-can-eat freshwater eel restaurant in Jijok-dong, Yuseong, Daejeon, where adults pay 29,900 won to self-refill eel, pork belly and chicken neck. The writer, who had eaten eel only a few times, visited with her boyfriend, ate until stuffed with eel sauce, ginger and scallion kimchi, and recommends the large hall and private rooms for company dinners. Verdict: Songrimbok is the place for anyone who wants to eat pricey eel to their heart's content without worrying about the bill.
Luonto Sutonggol Branch is a three-story café (floors 1 to 3) in Sutonggol, Yuseong, Daejeon, known for its chimney bread. On a weekend visit with her boyfriend, the writer took photos at the 2nd-floor outdoor photo spot and ordered an iced americano (₩5,800), green tangerine ade (₩6,800) and cinnamon chimney bread (₩9,500), finishing the chimney bread in 5 minutes despite already being full from bread and a meal. Luonto Sutonggol Branch is a good café for a weekend outing in Sutonggol that combines photos and chimney bread.
