Lace Pouch Roamer · 16 stories

Lace Pouch, Gyeonggi-Daejeon-Daegu-Seoul-Gwangju Rounds

Notes on restaurants, cafes, beauty counters, and small shops across Gyeonggi, Daejeon-Chungcheong, Daegu-Gyeongbuk, Seoul, and Gwangju-Jeolla. · Writes about: Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Cafés · Shopping

PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Paju outlet ssambap restaurant, unlimited self-serve greens: Simhaksan

Simhaksan Deulkkot Ssambap (심학산 들꽃쌈밥) is a ssambap (rice with leaf wraps) set-meal restaurant near Simhaksan Mountain and the Paju Outlets in Paju, Gyeonggi. A couple ordered two Deul sets at 20,000 won per person plus a grilled mackerel on the side, picking their own wrap greens from an unlimited self-serve bar and getting refills of side dishes, doenjang stew and thick ganjang-style doenjang sauce (gangdoenjang). They went in with no expectations and left promising to come back with their parents.

Written Jun 7, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Unjeong Thai restaurant for two: smoky shrimp khao pad, Drunken Thai

Drunken Thai Unjeong Yadang Branch is a Thai restaurant near Yadang Station and Unjeong Lake Park in Paju, Gyeonggi. The writer and her husband ordered tod mun kung (Thai shrimp cakes), spicy beef rice noodles, shrimp khao pad (Thai fried rice) and seafood curry rice, and parked stress-free in the building's underground car park with parking registration. Verdict: the writer's top pick at Drunken Thai was the subtly smoky khao pad, while her husband's was the seafood curry rice topped with fried crab.

Written Jun 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamRestaurants

Cheonan Terminal burger shop: double patty & truffle, Downtown Burger

Downtown Burger Shinsegae Department Store Cheonan-Asan is a handmade burger shop on the 4th floor of Building B at Shinsegae Department Store, right next to Cheonan Terminal in Cheonan, Chungnam. On a weekend date, the blogger and her fiancé ordered the Downtown Burger with a double patty (15,300 won), the Double Cheese Truffle Burger (12,400 won) and Butter Garlic Fries (6,800 won); the wait was short and drink refills were unlimited. Verdict: Downtown Burger is a good handmade burger spot near Cheonan Terminal, whether as a meal mid-shopping or worth a trip on its own.

Written Jun 9, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiCafés

Paju bakery: moving-day sandwiches eaten in the car, Boulangerie Tan

Boulangerie Tan Unjeong Main Branch is a bakery on the ground floor of Farm Tower on Chorongkkot-ro in Dongpae-dong, Paju. After the furniture and appliances were delivered on moving day, the writer bought a carrot rapée chicken sandwich (₩7,900), a jambon fromage (₩9,500), a pollock roe potato salt bread (₩3,800) and a pistachio cornet pie (₩4,200) and ate them in the car. With everything from meal-sized sandwiches to desserts, Boulangerie Tan Unjeong Main Branch is a good stop for a simple brunch in Dongpae-dong.

Written Jun 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamCafés

Cheonan terrace café date: 5 bakes & crème brûlée madeleine, Brewers

Brewers Coffee Cheonan Sinbu Branch is a baked-goods café on Meokgeori 9-gil in Sinbu-dong, Cheonan, known for its wide range of financiers, madeleines and canelés and its outdoor terrace. With an iced Americano, the writer tried a Dubai financier, salty chocolate financier, pistachio canelé, salty chocolate chip madeleine and crème brûlée madeleine, and named the crème brûlée madeleine the best of the day. Thanks to the cozy terrace and well-spaced seating, Brewers Coffee Cheonan Sinbu Branch is a good Sinbu-dong café for a date, a catch-up or a quiet solo break.

Written Jun 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamHair & beauty salons

Cheonan hair salon: men's volume magic and Guile perm at CHOP Hair

CHOP Hair Cheonan Branch is a hair salon on the 3rd floor of Terminal Plaza in Sinbu-dong, Cheonan. The writer brought her boyfriend, whose wavy side hair stuck out and looked bulky, for volume magic straightening, a down perm and Guile perm styling at CHOP Hair Cheonan Branch; his sides settled down into a natural, tidy shape, and he was especially happy with the result. For men who want to turn wavy hair into a neat look for work or dates, the volume magic, down perm and Guile perm combination at CHOP Hair Cheonan Branch is worth considering.

Written Jun 19, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiRestaurants

Big-eater couple's Korean BBQ in Paju Unjeong: 4 cuts, Tannae

Tannae Paju Main Branch (탄내 파주본점) is a briquette-grilled Korean BBQ restaurant in Garam Village, Unjeong, Paju. A couple ordered select pork neck, pork belly, marinated pork galbi and pork skin with crab doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) and a self-serve side dish refill bar. The pre-grilled select pork neck was the best dish, and the pork galbi with mul naengmyeon (cold broth noodles) was an especially good pairing. For real briquette smokiness, Tannae Paju Main Branch's select pork neck and the galbi-and-naengmyeon combo are worth ordering.

Written Jun 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamRestaurants

Cheonan baby octopus spot with a silken tofu side: Bulnaneun Jjukkumi

Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Main Branch (불나는쭈꾸미 본점) is a jjukkumi (spicy stir-fried baby octopus) restaurant in Baekseok-dong, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan. The writer ordered the basic combo of jjukkumi and fried shrimp, then also enjoyed a surprisingly good silken tofu side dish, the self-serve bar, sungnyung (scorched rice tea) and jjukkumi bibimbap. The heat at Bulnaneun Jjukkumi Main Branch builds more than expected, so anyone who struggles with spice should order the mild level.

Written Jun 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiHair & beauty salons

Ilsan foot care shop: callus care before wedding photos at Refus

Refus Ilsan Janghang is a foot dead-skin and callus care shop in Western Dom near Jeongbalsan Station in Ilsan, Goyang. A bride-to-be preparing for her wedding photoshoot returned to Refus Ilsan Janghang for a second session tailored to her feet: the dead skin was softened under plastic wrap, then the dead skin and calluses were smoothed away painlessly with professional equipment. For brides-to-be who want their wedding prep to reach their toes, Refus Ilsan Janghang is worth booking a consultation.

Written Oct 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiHair & beauty salons

Ilsan foot care shop: painless care for flaky heels at Refus

Refus Ilsan Janghang (레푸스 일산장항점) is a foot care shop in Western Dom, Ilsan (Goyang, Gyeonggi), that specializes in problem feet such as hard dead skin and ingrown toenails. Before sandal season, the writer visited Refus Ilsan Janghang for white, flaking heels, learned from a foot arch measurement that her high arches cause the calluses, and then received dead skin removal and moisturizing care. The treatment was so painless that she dozed off for about 15 minutes, her heels came out smooth, and she plans to keep going to Refus Ilsan Janghang regularly.

Written Jul 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiRestaurants

Sushi date near Ilsan Western Dome: ₩36,000 15-piece omakase, Hwangje

Hwangje Sushi Ilsan Main Branch (황제초밥 일산본점) is a sushi restaurant on the first floor of the M City retail building near Western Dome in Ilsan, Goyang. On a date with her boyfriend, the blogger ordered the Hwangje Signature Omakase 15-piece sushi set. Every piece was delicious, with no filler, from the seasonal porridge and grilled fish starters to three kinds of tuna, seasonal white fish under aged kimchi, fatty tuna, eel and shrimp. Omakase of this quality for 36,000 won actually felt cheap at today's prices.

Written Jul 12, 2026Sponsored
PlacePaju, GyeonggiCafés

Paju Unjeong café: financier trio and Dukes americano, Pound Coffee

Pound Coffee Unjeong Main Branch is a baked-goods café on Waseoksunhwan-ro in Unjeong, Paju, that brews Australian specialty beans from Dukes Coffee. The writer stopped by late in the afternoon, took home matcha streusel, salty caramel and salty choco financiers plus a nutty, non-acidic americano, and found all three financiers crisp outside and moist and chewy inside. Many baked goods at Pound Coffee sell out late in the day, so go early if financiers are the goal.

Written Jul 17, 2026Sponsored