Copper Tongs Late Queuer · 32 stories
Writes about bars, restaurants and cafes visited around Busan, Gyeongnam, Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon. · Writes about: Bars · Restaurants · Cafés
Suwolgyeonghwa is a 4th-floor ocean-view tea café facing Songjeong Beach in Haeundae, Busan, with a view of the passing Beach Train. From a window seat, the writer tried the Dalbodeure box, Jeju Breeze and Hoji Gabae, then browsed gift teas and tea samples at the entrance, including a premium tea collection and a 10-tea sampler. The verdict: Suwolgyeonghwa is a must-visit in Busan for anyone interested in tea.
Myeonsikdang Mangpo Station (면식당 망포역점) is a Japanese ramen, soba and katsu restaurant on the first floor of Golden Square in Mangpo-dong, Suwon, right outside Exit 3 of Mangpo Station. For lunch, the writer and her husband ordered the two-person set: half-and-half katsu (spicy green onion pork cutlet and double cheddar katsu), tonkotsu ramen, two smoky mini buta-don (pork rice bowls) as sides and a shine muscat ade in a mini pitcher. The mini buta-don were so generous that they could not finish them. Myeonsikdang Mangpo Station is a good pick when you want station access, underground parking and hearty portions in one Japanese meal.
Orange Bagel is a large bagel café in a three-story standalone building on Omokcheon-ro in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon. The writer, who stops by Orange Bagel whenever she is nearby, toured the first-floor pickup counter, the second-floor group seating and the third-floor rooftop, then took home a box of four bagels (crab shrimp, sweet pumpkin, potato and corn) to share with her husband. With a spacious parking lot and an almost endless bagel selection, Orange Bagel makes every visit fun for picking something new.
Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu Bucheon Main Branch is a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) and kongguksu (cold soy milk noodle soup) restaurant with handmade noodles, set on a hillside near Kkachiul Station in Bucheon. Past a hanok-style gate, a clam kalguksu lunch at a high-ceilinged window seat stood out for its rich seafood broth of shrimp, clams and sea squirts, its chewy noodles and its generous portion. With a large private parking lot and plenty of group seating, Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu is a good pick for a date or a get-together.
Soraesan Hwadeok Saengseon Gui (소래산화덕생선구이) is a Korean restaurant in Manuigol, Namdong-gu, Incheon, near Incheon Grand Park and Soraesan Mountain, serving clay-oven grilled fish and freshwater eel. At lunch, the clay-oven grilled hairtail and mackerel came as a big platter of fish with pot rice, an individual bowl of cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) per person and side dishes, and the self-bar even had Hangang ramyeon, fish cake and tteokbokki. With generous portions, Soraesan Hwadeok Saengseon Gui is a solid pick for a hearty meal with older relatives or a date.
Gungmin Nakgopsae Gangseo Branch is a nakgopsae (octopus, beef intestine and shrimp stew) and gopchang hot pot restaurant on the first floor of the Donga Building at 330 Gangseo-ro, near Balsan Station in Gangseo, Seoul. The writer and her husband had beef gopchang nakgopsae for lunch, then fried flying fish roe rice in the same pot. Fresh ingredients, a pleasantly spicy sauce and the fried rice topped with leftover ssam-mu (pickled radish) stood out. With easy parking behind the building and a cozy room, Gungmin Nakgopsae Gangseo Branch is a nakgopsae spot near Balsan Station worth recommending for dates or team dinners.
Cham Dwaejitgan Bucheon Sinjung-dong Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant grilling rice-husk-smoked pork over charcoal, in the food alley near Lotte Department Store by Sinjung-dong Station in Bucheon. On an early-evening visit, the writer and her husband ordered Boseong Nokdon black pork ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly) and neck, added hangjeongsal (pork jowl), had the staff grill minari, kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts and potato slices alongside, and finished with kudzu mul-naengmyeon (cold noodles in broth). With pork free of any gamey smell and staff who grill right to the end, Cham Dwaejitgan Bucheon Sinjung-dong Branch works well for both group dinners and dates.
Geumbyeol Beer Bucheon Hyundai branch is a pub on the second floor of a building in the food alley near Hyundai Department Store in Jung-dong, Bucheon. For a date-night dinner with her husband, the writer ordered chicken tenderloin yuringi (fried chicken in a tangy soy-vinegar sauce) and a pastry-dough bacon cheese pizza, with cider and draft beer, in a classic room of walnut furniture and chandeliers. With a varied menu and good value, Geumbyeol Beer Bucheon Hyundai branch suits both dates and group gatherings.
