Vanity Case Roamer · 14 stories

Thin Vanity Case, Seoul and Gangwon

Writes about restaurants, cafes, bars and beauty spots she visits around Seoul, Gangwon and Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Bars · Cafés

PlaceSongpa, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Jamsil salon men's down perm for puffy sides & crown: Only For You

Only For You Jamsilsaenae Branch is a hair salon on the 3rd floor of a building in Songpa, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Exit 4 of Saenae Station. After more than a month without a haircut, the blogger's puffy side hair and crown were fixed by designer Harin with a men's cut, down perm and 1st and 2nd clinic treatments: the sides were pressed flat to fit the head shape and the bangs were cut to just below the eyebrows. For men stressed by side hair that sticks out every day, the down perm at Only For You Jamsilsaenae Branch is worth considering.

Written Apr 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Burger joint near Seongsu Station: 3-patty double cheese, bd Burger

bd Burger Seongsu is a handmade burger restaurant on the 2nd floor on Seongsui-ro 14-gil, near Exit 3 of Seongsu Station in Seoul. On a weekday lunch, a regular on their fifth-plus visit ordered two Weekday Lunch Set Double Cheese sets with an extra patty, a milkshake swap, and cheese fries and garlic butter fries, and loved the 3-patty burgers and portions big enough for three to share. For a good-value lunch, dinner or date meal near Seongsu Station, bd Burger is a solid recommendation.

Written Nov 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Cold-night Hongdae Korean BBQ for 3, pork neck & steamed egg: Gogikkun

Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant on the main street of Gyeongui Line Forest Park in Mapo, Seoul, where staff grill the meat for you. Three friends arrived at 6 p.m. and ordered 2 servings of pork neck, 1 serving of pork belly, half-and-half naengmyeon (cold noodles), beef brisket doenjang stew, fried rice and steamed egg. Both the pork belly and pork neck were tender and juicy, and the sides were just as good, so Gogikkun Gimchunbae is a solid pick for a date or group dinner near Gyeongui Line Forest Park.

Written Nov 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongik Univ. Station sushi: ₩46,000 weekday set for two at Yu Iksang

Yu Iksang Sushi (유익상스시) is a long-tail sushi restaurant, known for fish slices that drape well past the rice, on Wausan-ro 23-gil in Mapo, Seoul, a 6-minute walk from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 9. The writer ordered the 26-piece Couple A Plus sushi set at the weekday 3–5pm discount price of ₩46,000, which came with shrimp tempura and udon as standard sides and a complimentary fried eggplant. The verdict: Yu Iksang Sushi serves fresh fish in portions big enough to fill two people, which makes it a satisfying value sushi spot.

Written Apr 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hapjeong Korean BBQ I keep revisiting: Handon set – Jeongyukdo

Jeongyukdo is a charcoal Korean BBQ restaurant on the 2nd floor near Exit 5 of Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul. On a dinner visit, a regular of more than 5 visits and a friend ate 4 servings at Jeongyukdo: the Handon (Korean pork) set plus 1 extra serving of pork belly, doenjang sulbap (rice simmered in soybean paste stew) and steamed rice. With thick pork belly, tender flower galbi and roomy seating, Jeongyukdo is a Hapjeong Station Korean BBQ worth returning to, including for a group dinner.

Written Nov 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Seolleung Station eel restaurant: reunion lunch over eel bowls, Manmok

Manmok is a Japanese restaurant serving Kanto-style eel rice bowls on Seolleung-ro 82-gil in Gangnam, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Seolleung Station Exit 2. Meeting a friend after a long time, the writer ordered Manmok's lunch-only whole eel bowl (39,000 won) for two, served with steamed egg, salad, radish salad, white kimchi and ice cream for dessert. With tender eel, well-seasoned rice and quality side dishes, Manmok is a recommended pick for a good-value lunch or a team dinner near Seolleung Station.

Written May 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulCafés

Hapjeong café for four: COE No. 1 Sidama & tiramisu, Central Site

Central Site Hapjeong is a hand-drip specialty coffee and dessert café a 3-minute walk from Hapjeong Station Exit 2 in Mapo, Seoul. On a rainy day, four friends shared Guatemala Entre Volcanes and Ethiopia Sidama Mulugeta Muntasha (2022 COE No. 1) drip coffees with a tiramisu cake. With drip coffee served in whiskey glasses and a large tiramisu that melts in the mouth, Central Site Hapjeong is a good dessert café near Hapjeong Station for sharing with a group.

Written May 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

5th-visit Korean BBQ in Hapjeong: pork belly, hanwoo soup, Jeongyukdo

Jeongyukdo (정육도) is a second-floor Korean BBQ restaurant in Hapjeong, Mapo, Seoul, a 3-minute walk from Hapjeong Station Exit 5. On a dinner visit, the blogger's fifth-plus trip, they had 3 servings of pork belly, hanwoo sulguk (Korean beef hangover soup) and bean sprout hangover ramyeon, and were happy with the meat quality, the generous portions and the sides. Jeongyukdo is a solid pick for a group meal near Hapjeong Station when you want both good value and quality meat.

Written Jun 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae Chinese hangover lunch: minari beef jjamppong at Seodamheon

Seodamheon Hongdae Main Branch is a Chinese restaurant with a hanok-style interior, a 5-minute walk from Exit 3 of Hongik Univ. Station in Mapo, Seoul. The writer's lunch of cotton-soft tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), jajangmyeon (black bean noodles), minari beef jjamppong (spicy noodle soup with water dropwort) and mini glutinous rice doughnuts with red bean came to under 50,000 won, and the minari beef jjamppong was the best jjamppong the writer had eaten lately. For a filling, good-value lunch that doubles as a hangover cure, Seodamheon Hongdae Main Branch is a great fit.

Written Oct 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Hongdae men's salon: shadow + down perm for puffy sides, Juno Hair

Juno Hair Hongdae Entrance Branch is a hair salon on the 2nd floor of Magellan 21 Officetel, a 5-minute walk from Exit 2 of Hongik Univ. Station in Mapo, Seoul. After a year without a perm, the writer had overgrown men's hair with puffy sides handled by the director at Juno Hair, getting a cut, a down perm, a shadow perm, a protein treatment and styling. The puffy sides were pressed down neatly and even the stray hairs at the nape were tidied, making Juno Hair Hongdae Entrance Branch a men's hair salon near Hongik Univ. Station worth returning to.

Written Jun 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae sushi restaurant: tempura-crumb shrimp aburi, Yu Iksang Sushi

Yu Iksang Sushi (유익상스시) is a long-tail sushi restaurant on Wausan-ro 23-gil in Mapo, Seoul, a 7-minute walk from Exit 9 of Hongik Univ. Station. Over lunch with a long-unseen friend, the writer ordered the Couple A Plus set (56,000 won), which filled the table with long-cut aged-kimchi flounder, shrimp aburi topped with mayonnaise and tempura crumbs, cold soba, plus complimentary shrimp and eggplant tempura. Yu Iksang Sushi is worth recommending to anyone who wants good-value sushi sets in Hongdae.

Written Oct 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae Korean BBQ group lunch, hanwoo dipped in ssamjang: Gogikkun

Gogikkun Gim Chunbae Hongdae Main Branch is a charcoal Korean BBQ restaurant in Hongdae, Seoul, on the 3rd and 4th floors of a building 5 minutes on foot from Exit 9 of Hongik Univ. Station. The writer booked a lunch with friends and ordered the hanwoo-handon set for two (Korean beef and Korean pork), kkakttukbap (cubed radish kimchi rice) and half-and-half naengmyeon; staff grilled the hanwoo sirloin, pork belly and fresh galbi-sal (rib meat) from start to finish, and the meat was eaten with ssamjang and scallion salad. Spacious and good value for its set menus, Gogikkun Gim Chunbae Hongdae Main Branch is worth recommending for a group lunch or work dinner in Hongdae.

Written Oct 14, 2026Sponsored