Evening Mirror Regular · 10 stories

A Second Mirror Through Seoul and Gyeonggi

Writes about bars, restaurants, and beauty spots visited around Seoul and Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Bars · Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons

PlaceGangnam, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Gangnam Station hair salon first bob with a tassel perm: Heeol Hair

Heeol Hair Gangnam Flagship Store (희올헤어 강남본점) is a hair salon near Exit 6 of Sinnonhyeon Station in the Gangnam Station area of Seoul. After a consultation, a companion who had almost never worn a bob took the designer's recommendation for a bob tassel perm, combining a cut, volume magic straightening and a root volume perm, and left with a trendy blunt bob. The first bob was hard to picture beforehand, but everyone was genuinely thrilled with the result at Heeol Hair.

Written Jul 8, 2026Sponsored

PlaceSongpa, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Jamsil hair salon 15cm cut to mid-length Fu-ring perm: Anew Hair

Anew Hair Songpa Jamsil Branch is a hair salon in Songpa, Seoul, a 3-minute walk from Exit 4 of Jamsil Saenae Station. The writer had chest-length layered hair cut by more than 15cm into a mid-length style and got a Fu-ring perm, with thick waves framing the face, all in about 1 to 1.5 hours. Clear face-shape-based style advice and a quick treatment made Anew Hair a satisfying choice for the writer's first mid-length look in years.

Written Jul 26, 2026Sponsored

PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Seokchon BBQ beef set for two after Lotte World Mall: Sutbul Seonghwa

Sutbul Seonghwa (숯불성화) is a charcoal-grilled Korean BBQ beef restaurant in Songpa, Seoul, an 8-minute walk from Seokchon Station Exit 1 near the east lake of Seokchon Lake. Two people shared the Happy Day Platter (400g of prime sirloin and wine-marinated rib fingers) and an 8-minute hanwoo doenjang stew (Korean beef and soybean paste stew). Staff grilled the beef to the last piece, and the signature icy shredded radish and a free ice cream dessert sealed it. Sutbul Seonghwa is a great pick for a stylish beef date after shopping at Lotte World Mall.

Written Jul 25, 2026Sponsored

PlaceSeongnam, GyeonggiRestaurants

First Indian curry date in Pangyo: Maharaja course at Bombay Broy

Bombay Broy Pangyo is an Indian curry restaurant in Baekhyeon-dong, Pangyo (Seongnam), by the entrance to the Baekhyeon-dong Café Street parking lot. The two-person Maharaja course at Bombay Broy Pangyo (53,900 won) brought chicken salad, half a tandoori chicken, samosas, butter chicken curry, plain and garlic naan, lassi, milk tea and coffee, and a companion trying Indian curry for the first time ate everything without hesitation. With mild spices, Bombay Broy Pangyo is a good pick for a first Indian curry date or a family meal out.

Written Jul 14, 2026Sponsored

PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Two-chili garlic soy boneless chicken near Seoul Arts Center: Kkanbu

Kkanbu Chicken Nambu Terminal Branch (깐부치킨 남부터미널점) is a large fried chicken restaurant in Seocho, Seoul, right in front of Exit 1 of Nambu Terminal Station and close to the Seoul Arts Center. On a return visit, the writer ordered the garlic soy boneless chicken marked with a two-chili spice level and, still wanting more, added Cajun potatoes. If you like heat and a strong garlic flavor, the garlic soy boneless chicken at Kkanbu Chicken Nambu Terminal Branch is a good match.

Written Oct 5, 2026Sponsored

PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeouido sushi spot: kelp-aged kaisendon and sushi of the day at Ilpum

Ilpum Yeouido Branch is a sushi and kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) restaurant on basement level 1 of the Anwon Building, near Exit 3 of National Assembly Station in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. On an early weekday evening, two diners ordered the premium kaisendon topped with kelp-aged sashimi and the sushi of the day with futomaki (thick sushi roll), and both came with chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), karaage udon and mango panna cotta. For well-composed sushi and kaisendon in a neat, calm setting, Ilpum Yeouido Branch is worth recommending.

Written Sep 29, 2026Sponsored

PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Gyodae Chinese restaurant for mild hand-pulled ganjajang: Maeranbang

Maeranbang Gyodae Branch (매란방 교대점) is a spacious Chinese restaurant on basement level 1, a 1-minute walk from Exit 14 of Gyodae Station in Seocho, Seoul. The writer ordered tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), hand-pulled ganjajang (dry-style black bean noodles), spicy seafood jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) and xiaolongbao à la carte, and the Maeranbang ganjajang was the mildest, least greasy version they had ever eaten. With private rooms for different group sizes, Maeranbang Gyodae Branch is a good choice for team dinners, gatherings and business meals.

Written Aug 2, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGwacheon, GyeonggiHair & beauty salons

Gwacheon hair salon layered bob for awkward grow-out: One & Only Hair

One & Only Hair Gwacheon Government Complex Station is a hair salon in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, on basement level 1 of the Hanyang Sujain building, a 1-minute walk from Exit 1 of Gwacheon Government Complex Station. Two months after a mid-length puring perm, the hair had reached an awkward in-between length, so One & Only Hair reshaped it with a layered bob cut and a root volume perm, taking about 1 hour 30 minutes from consultation to blow-dry. The verdict: a layered bob that doesn't look blunt, with root volume that isn't overdone, exactly the style that was wanted.

Written Sep 27, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Seolleung izakaya seafood tomato stew with noodles: Momiji Seoul

Momiji Seolleung Branch is an all-private-room izakaya on the third floor of the food alley near Seolleung Station Exit 2 in Gangnam, Seoul. The meal ran as a course from raw fish to hot pot: a small seasonal mixed sashimi platter, a seafood tomato stew with added noodles and Asahi draft beer, with flounder the best pick of the sashimi. The quiet rooms make Momiji Seolleung a good choice for a wedding-invitation get-together or a small work dinner.

Written Aug 15, 2026Sponsored

PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Brisket shabu-shabu hanwoo nabe team dinner at Manmok, Seolleung

Manmok is a Japanese restaurant specializing in Gochang freshwater eel, a five-minute walk from Exit 2 of Seolleung Station in Gangnam, Seoul. Two diners came on a weekday evening and ordered the hanwoo nabe, a whole eel rice bowl and a glass of Yebisu draft beer, with the beef brisket lightly seared first and then lifted out shabu-shabu style. Between the upscale solid-wood interior and the neatly plated banchan, Manmok works well for a team dinner, a group meal or hosting guests near Seolleung Station.

Written Aug 20, 2026Sponsored

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