Midnight Memo · 107 stories

Gyeonggi Table

I write about meals and restaurant visits in Gyeonggi Province. · Writes about: Restaurants · Bars · Cafés · Hair & beauty salons · Shopping

PlaceSeongnam, GyeonggiRestaurants

Vietnamese dinner in Jeongja: fried rice and water spinach, Kkamon

Kkamon Bundang Jeongja Direct Store is a Vietnamese restaurant in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, at the intersection toward Exit 3 of Jeongja Station. For dinner the writer ordered one Kkamon fried rice and one stir-fried water spinach à la carte, and was happy with all of it: the smoky, sweet-and-salty stir-fried meat, the oyster-sauce water spinach that wasn't too salty, and the rich pho broth served alongside. For a Vietnamese rice meal in Jeongja, the Kkamon fried rice and stir-fried water spinach pairing is the order to get.

Written Oct 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Salad restaurant on Mangwon's Mangridan-gil: steak salad, Green & Fini

Green & Fini Mangwon is a salad and brunch restaurant on Mangridan-gil, between Mangwon Station and Mangwon Market in Mapo, Seoul. The writer, who is on a diet, ordered the fire-grilled flat iron steak salad and a ₩4,000 smoked duck inari (sweet tofu pouch rice), and the big bowl of protein and vegetables left them full. For a filling salad lunch or a solo meal in Mangwon, Green & Fini Mangwon is a good choice.

Written May 31, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiCafés

Wondang bakery café with autumn terrace & fig cream cake, Baedagol

Baedagol Bakery House (배다골베이커리하우스) is a large bakery café with a garden and outdoor terrace in Wondang, Deogyang-gu, Goyang, near Samneung Station by the Gongneung Stream. On a weekday drive around lunchtime, the writer took in mountain views through the floor-to-ceiling windows, then had an Americano (6,000 won) and a fig fresh cream cake on the outdoor terrace in the autumn sun. Baedagol Bakery House is a great dessert stop for a drive out of Seoul when the weather is nice.

Written Oct 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceEunpyeong, SeoulRestaurants

Saejeol Station solo ramen: cream-soup karai paitan, tsukune, Oreno

Oreno Ramen Eunpyeong (오레노라멘 은평점) is a chicken-broth ramen shop on Bulgwangcheon-gil near Saejeol Station in Eunpyeong, Seoul. The writer had karai paitan (spicy chicken-broth ramen, ₩13,000) and assorted tsukune (chicken meatballs, ₩5,000) for lunch, and the rich, nutty broth like a cream soup, the slightly firm noodles and the juicy tsukune stood out. Oreno Ramen Eunpyeong turned a writer who never cared much for ramen into a fan, calling it the best ramen of their life.

Written Oct 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongin, GyeonggiRestaurants

Dongcheon-dong shabu-kalguksu for a Busan flagship fix: Yun Ujae

Yun Ujae Shabu Kalguksu Gogidong Branch is a shabu-kalguksu (beef hot pot with knife-cut noodles) restaurant in the Gogi-dong dining area near Naksaeng Reservoir in Suji-gu, Yongin. Missing the taste of the Busan flagship, the writer travelled a long way for the spicy red-broth set for one (₩11,500) and the crispy seafood pajeon (₩16,000), and the 48-hour aged handmade noodles and the almost-fried pajeon stood out. Yun Ujae is a strongly recommended, good-value Dongcheon-dong shabu-kalguksu spot where beef, noodles and fried rice come in one meal.

Written Oct 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJungnang, SeoulRestaurants

Jungnang tonkatsu for one: cheese katsu in spicy curry, Katsu Monster

Katsu Monster Myeonmok is a Japanese tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) restaurant on Sangbong-ro in Myeonmok, Jungnang, Seoul. At a single-seat table, the writer ate the cheese katsu set solo with a side of bite-size curry; the set included a tasting portion of cold soba, and the cheese katsu came as a generous 4 pieces. Dipping the cheese katsu in the spicy bite-size curry instead of the usual sauce made Katsu Monster Myeonmok especially satisfying.

Written Jun 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Halal spot in Sangam, Seoul: chicken mayo-style lamb rice, Zilhal Bros

Zilhal Bros Sangam is a New York street food–style halal restaurant on the 1st floor of Savoy DMC Building B in Digital Media City, Sangam-dong, Mapo, Seoul. After an evening walk along the Haneul Park silvergrass path, the blogger ordered lamb over rice (₩12,900) and lamb and chicken kebabs; the lamb over rice came in a huge portion, and its white and red sauces tasted remarkably like chicken mayo, the Korean chicken-and-mayo rice bowl. Even if halal food is new to you, Zilhal Bros Sangam tastes familiar and is a strong pick for a solo meal or lunch in Sangam-dong.

Written Oct 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulCafés

Post-rain bakery café in Sinnonhyeon: kabocha egg ciabatta, Selecto

Selecto Coffee Sinnonhyeon Branch 24 Auto Brew Cafe is a 24-hour bakery café in Seocho, Seoul, a 1-minute walk from Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 1, and it runs unmanned after 10 PM on weekdays and 9 PM on weekends. On a weekday afternoon after lunch, the day after the rain cleared, the blogger had Mocha Blend and Geisha Americanos with a ₩7,000 kabocha (sweet pumpkin) egg sandwich for brunch, and the full-bodied Mocha Blend and chewy ciabatta stood out. With roomy seats, power outlets, group seating and good value, Selecto Coffee Sinnonhyeon is a highly recommended 24-hour café near Gangnam Station.

Written Jun 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceEunpyeong, SeoulRestaurants

Eunpyeong ramen shop: Suntory highball, crunchy wood ear, Oreno Ramen

Oreno Ramen Eunpyeong is a chicken-broth ramen shop in Eunpyeong, Seoul, beside the Bulgwangcheon walking path near Saejeol Station. The writer ordered the spicy karai paitan (13,000 won) with an extra soft-boiled egg (1,000 won) and a Suntory highball, enjoying the crunchy shredded wood ear mushrooms, chicken breast as tender as sous-vide and a broth about as spicy as Shin Ramyun, then finished by mixing rice into the broth. Verdict: the karai paitan at Oreno Ramen Eunpyeong was so satisfying the writer calls it a "ramen of a lifetime."

Written Jun 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Konkuk Univ. Japanese restaurant: sanuki mazesoba with rice, Hekbap

Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch is a Japanese home-style restaurant specializing in rice bowls and ramen, on the 2nd floor of a building on Neungdong-ro near Konkuk Univ. Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. For a solo lunch at Hekbap, the writer ordered the salmon and marinated shrimp rice bowl (14,900 won) and the mazesoba (11,900 won). The highlights were the chewy sanuki udon noodles in the mazesoba and the white rice mixed into its leftover sauce. With a spacious, café-like dining room and floor-to-ceiling windows, Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch is worth recommending for both solo meals and dates.

Written Oct 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Gwanghwamun sushi after Gyeongbokgung, A set & futomaki: Elephant

Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun is a sushi restaurant on B1 of KT Tower, right by Exit 2 of Gwanghwamun Station in Jongno, Seoul. Back for a weekend lunch after a walk around Gyeongbokgung and Cheonggyecheon, the writer ordered the Elephant A set (₩18,000: 10 pieces plus cold soba) and a futomaki, and especially loved the fluffy yet chewy rice and the thick, generously filled roll. With a spacious, comfortable dining room, Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun is an easy pick for a Gwanghwamun sushi lunch, whether solo, with family or with a group.

Written Jun 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiRestaurants

Pungsan Station restaurant with crab-catfish stamina stew: Hantangang

Hantangang Maeuntang Ilsan Main Branch is a freshwater fish stew (maeuntang) restaurant on Seongseok-ro in Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, near Pungsan Station and Gobongsan mountain. Feeling run down from the heat and air-conditioning, the writer had a crab and catfish maeuntang with sujebi (hand-torn dough soup), eojuk (fish porridge) and fried loach for lunch; the broth, made with chili paste aged for over 7 months, was deep and refreshing without being too spicy. Hantangang Maeuntang is a generous, good-value stamina meal in Ilsan and a great place to bring your parents.

Written Jun 8, 2026Sponsored