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The Formula Cupboard

I write about beauty products and the details I notice while using them. · Writes about: Beauty products · Restaurants · Cafés · Shopping · Bars · Hair & beauty salons · Things to do

PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeouido Korean BBQ with a pregnant friend, 3 pork cuts: Smile Samgyeop

Smile Samgyeop Main Branch (스마일삼겹 본점) is a kimchi minari pork belly restaurant on the 1st floor of the Oryun Building near Yeouido Station and Saetgang Station in Yeouido, Seoul, where staff grill the meat from start to finish. The writer and a friend six months pregnant ordered one serving each of kimchi minari five-layer pork belly, pork belly and pork neck at 17,000 won each for a protein boost, plus mul naengmyeon (cold noodle soup) and the complimentary kimchi stew. Even without drinks, the quality meat, mountain of minari and table-side grilling at Smile Samgyeop let the two friends focus on catching up.

Written Jun 10, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGangseo, SeoulCafés

Balsan Station bakery: butter tteok with condensed milk, Byway Bakers

Byway Bakers Balsan Station is a bakery café specialising in butter tteok (buttery baked rice cake) and financiers, near Exit 3 of Balsan Station in Gangseo, Seoul. The writer added condensed milk (₩500) to a ₩7,500 Shanghai butter tteok and took home pistachio and almond chocolate financiers at ₩3,200 each. The gluten-free Shanghai butter tteok, crisp outside and chewy inside, was the clear favourite, and the writer would 100% go back.

Written Jun 10, 2026Sponsored

PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Regular's ₩66,000 Set A at a Dangsan Station offal BBQ: Chodaechang

Chodaechang Dangsan Station (초대창 당산역점) is a Blue Ribbon charcoal-grill Korean BBQ restaurant for daechang (beef large intestine) and specialty cuts, on the 2nd floor right by Exit 11 of Dangsan Station in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. The writer, a regular who comes back every few months, booked on Naver after work and ordered Mixed Grill Set A (₩66,000), and staff grilled every cut in order from start to finish: heart, daechang, teukyang (premium beef tripe) and makchang. For first-timers, Chodaechang's Mixed Grill Set A is the one to order, since it lets you try heart, daechang, teukyang and makchang all at once.

Written Jun 11, 2026Sponsored

PlaceYangcheon, SeoulRestaurants

Gopchang restaurant in Mokdong: couple set with hot pot, Omokgyo

Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch (오목교곱창 목동본점) is a beef gopchang (small intestine) restaurant near Exit 1 of Omokgyo Station in Yangcheon, Seoul. On a weekday evening with her boyfriend, the writer ordered the couple set (93,000 won), which brought mixed gopchang with a fire show, gopchang hot pot and fried rice. The traditional handmade garlic gopchang, made with Seosan six-clove garlic, was the best. Portions are generous for two and corkage is free, so Omokgyo Gopchang is a place she would return to for drinks or a team dinner.

Written Jul 8, 2026Partially sponsored

PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Dining alone at a Seolleung Station Peking duck bar: Mirim Yangjang

Mirim Yangjang Seolleung Branch is a Peking duck restaurant and bar in a basement near Exit 1 of Seolleung Station in Gangnam, Seoul. After a friend cancelled, the writer ate alone, ordering a half Peking duck (39,000 won) and lettuce duck wraps (8,000 won); with complimentary egg noodles, the filling meal came to 47,000 won. Half-duck portions and Toss QR ordering make Peking duck for one easy at Mirim Yangjang Seolleung Branch, and its large hall and private rooms also make it a good pick for team dinners or wedding invitation gatherings.

Written Jul 11, 2026Sponsored

PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Beef intestine grill in Songpa, Seoul: 4th branch visit, Jinseong

Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Garak Flagship is a Korean beef (hanwoo) gopchang grill on the ground floor of the Seongwon Sangteville shopping arcade near Exit 4 of Garak Market Station in Songpa, Seoul. After the Garak, Bangi and Sindang branches, this was the writer's fourth Jinseong visit; driving that day, they chose the Garak Flagship for its 2 hours of free arcade parking and ate gopchang (small intestine), daechang (large intestine), makchang (abomasum) and anchovy noodles. For a day with the car or a Garak-dong group dinner, Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Garak Flagship is convenient and as consistently tasty as ever.

Written Jul 12, 2026Sponsored

PlaceYangcheon, SeoulRestaurants

Diet-day garlic gopchang for two with bean sprouts in Mokdong: Omokgyo

Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch is a handmade garlic gopchang (grilled beef intestines) restaurant a 5-minute walk from Exit 1 of Omokgyo Station in Yangcheon, Seoul. Dieting for a wedding, the writer ordered only two servings of the traditional handmade garlic gopchang, watched a staff member light the grill in a fire show that gave the meat a smoky edge, and added bean sprouts on the side. The whole garlic cloves tucked inside the intestines kept the gamy smell in check, making this a clean, not-greasy meal at Omokgyo Gopchang.

Written Sep 26, 2026Sponsored

ProductHEEDABeauty products

Charcoal face wash for very dry skin: HEEDA Jirisan Charcoal Foam

HEEDA Jirisan Charcoal Hyaluronic Acid Low pH Foam Cleanser is a 150ml charcoal face wash made in Korea. A writer with very dry skin used the HEEDA cleanser as a second cleanse after cleansing milk and on its own in the morning, watching the black paste turn to foam on contact with water. The verdict: skin felt less tight and more moist right after washing.

Written Sep 10, 2026Product provided

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