Coin Keeper · 21 stories

Laundry Token

I write about fashion pieces and the small choices around wearing them. · Writes about: Beauty products · Fashion · Restaurants · Food & snacks · Cafés · Stays · Books & stationery · Things to do · Hair & beauty salons · Shopping · Home & living

PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam rice bowl lunch for two: mazesoba bowl sets, Gogigadeuk

Gogigadeuk Deopbap Gangnam-gu Office Station branch is a rice bowl restaurant on Seolleung-ro 129-gil in Gangnam, Seoul, where dogs are welcome and solo dining works well. The writer and her husband had lunch there, ordering a mazesoba bowl set and a beef belly and fish roe bowl set with cold soba as the side for ₩900 extra; the meat toppings were piled so high the rice was hidden, and the cold soba broth was rich. For a meat-heavy rice bowl lunch near Gangnam-gu Office Station, the set meals at Gogigadeuk Deopbap are a solid fit.

Written Jun 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Sokcho market stall: crab & perilla tempura in wasabi soy, Ddogi-ne

Seomin Gapbu Ddogi-ne Twigim (서민갑부 똑이네 튀김) is a snack bar on the ground floor of the Jungang Market arcade in Sokcho, Gangwon, selling nurungji squid sundae (squid stuffed with crispy scorched rice), mixed tempura, market-style dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken) and potato pancakes. The writer took 1 nurungji squid sundae and a mixed tempura order back to their accommodation as a late-night snack with beer, and the bite-size crab and perilla leaf tempura dipped in the soy sauce and wasabi packed with the order were the best match. Ddogi-ne Twigim's thin, crisp batter keeps you eating even when full, and leftover tempura reheated in an air fryer the next day did not go soggy.

Written Oct 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonStays

Clean family-run Sokcho motel that freezes ice packs: Winners Motel

Winners Motel is a motel next to the Gyo-dong food town in Sokcho, Gangwon, run by the same family for 20 years. A cleanliness-focused writer stayed one night in a renovated room and was happy with the white bedding, the soundproofing, the late checkout and the fridge that freezes ice packs for market takeout. For a clean, good-value place to stay in Sokcho, Winners Motel is a good fit.

Written Oct 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Sokcho makguksu, first meal with my husband: dongchimi ladle, Topgol

Sokcho Topgol Makguksu Main Branch is a makguksu (buckwheat noodle) restaurant near Sokcho Beach in Sokcho, Gangwon, known for deulmemak (perilla oil buckwheat noodles). On our first Sokcho trip together, my husband and I made it our first meal, ordering 1 portion of suyuk (boiled pork), deulmemak and pollack sashimi buckwheat makguksu with extra pollack sashimi. Halfway through the deulmemak, we added a ladle of dongchimi (radish water kimchi) broth for a cool, refreshing second flavor. If you like mild, clean-tasting noodles, Sokcho Topgol Makguksu is a good first stop on a Sokcho trip.

Written Oct 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae gomtang restaurant: lunch and soju by the glass at Doonjeong

Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch (도온정 홍대직영점) is a Korean restaurant specializing in clear hanwoo beef soup (gomtang) on Donggyo-ro in Mapo, Seoul, named in the Blue Ribbon Survey two years in a row. Over lunch with her husband, the writer had clear hanwoo gomtang with brisket and with tendon, a half plate of gogi-muchim (seasoned beef) and soju jjabaegi by the glass. She loved the clear, deep broth served with the rice already in it and the large pieces of beef dipped in sauce. Even while dieting she couldn't stop drinking the broth, and Doonjeong is a Hongdae lunch spot she wants to return to.

Written Oct 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceDongjak, SeoulRestaurants

Isu Station BBQ, tripe 5x chewier than pork jowl: Baekho Yangdaechang

Baekho Yangdaechang (백호양대창) is a charcoal-grill beef tripe and intestine restaurant near Isu Station in Dongjak, Seoul. On an early-evening reservation, staff grilled teukyang (prime beef tripe), yangdaechang (tripe and large intestine) and gopchang (small intestine) over charcoal, and the meal ended with tripe fried rice topped with a runny-yolk fried egg. Baekho Yangdaechang's chewy prime tripe and filling-packed gopchang beat expectations for an Isu Station BBQ.

Written Jul 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangmyeong, GyeonggiHair & beauty salons

Gwangmyeong hair salon women's short cut + volume magic: Maple Hair

Maple Hair Gwangmyeong Sageori Station Branch is an eco-friendly hair salon on the 2nd floor of a building on Gwangmyeong-ro, near Gwangmyeong Sageori Station in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi. At Maple Hair, a grown-out hippie perm a little past shoulder length became a first-ever women's short cut, with volume magic (a straightening treatment that adds volume) lifting the crown and back of the head, plus new bangs and side bangs. Anyone nervous about going short can trust the Maple Hair designer, who explains each step along the way.

Written Jul 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Magongnaru Italian restaurant date, sous vide pork jowl masala: Romaok

Romaok Magok is an Italian restaurant on the 3rd floor of LG Arts Center Seoul near Magongnaru Station in Gangseo, Seoul, serving a menu by a chef said to come from a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Italy. On a weekday date with her husband, the writer ordered Romaok Magok's abalone innards pasta and sous vide pork jowl with masala sauce, plus a caprese salad that came as a Naver reservation perk. Verdict: the Colosseum- and arch-inspired interior and delicate plates made Romaok Magok a satisfying Magok date for both atmosphere and taste.

Written Jul 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeonnam-dong pasta date, 20-minute pre-monsoon wait: Hôtel de Couture

Hôtel de Couture (오뗄드꾸뜨) is a pasta and Western restaurant in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo, Seoul, near Hongik Univ. Station. On a hot day just before the monsoon, the blogger and her husband waited about 20 minutes at Hôtel de Couture, then shared egg in hell (eggs baked in tomato sauce, with extra bread) and carrot duck aglio olio; the runny yolks, tomato sauce, rich oil pasta and duck all worked well together. Verdict: Hôtel de Couture is a Yeonnam-dong date restaurant worth the wait.

Written Jul 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Bistro in Seochon, Seoul: summer wine pairing for two at Teen Seoul

Teen Seoul (틴 서울) is a Western-style bistro on Jahamun-ro 5-gil in Seochon, near Gyeongbokgung Station in Jongno, Seoul. On a summer vacation outing in Seoul, the writer and her husband sat on the second floor of Teen Seoul and paired a glass of white wine and a glass of sparkling wine with grilled sea bream and white ragu pasta made with fresh fettuccine. The wine and food matched so well that Teen Seoul is worth recommending for a date or an anniversary dinner.

Written Aug 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulRestaurants

Nowon Korean BBQ for in-laws with bibim naengmyeon: Junggye Gogi Party

Junggye Gogi Party Nowon Branch is a charcoal Korean BBQ restaurant on Junggye-ro 12-gil in Nowon, Seoul, serving both beef and pork. A party of four, including the writer's parents-in-law, booked ahead and ate the premium beef set 500g (sirloin, chuck flap and prime beef short rib), Iberico pork neck and jowl, and brisket doenjang (soybean paste) stew, then finished with bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles). With a 3-sauce set, 3 dipping salts and a separate tray for cooked meat, Junggye Gogi Party is an easy Korean BBQ spot to bring older family members to.

Written Aug 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulThings to do

Bukchon perfume workshop date: sweet musk 'chew muse' at Muhwawon

Muhwawon Bukchon Perfume Workshop (무화원) is a perfume-making studio near Anguk Station in Bukchon, Jongno, Seoul, where a course of about 1 hour 30 minutes takes you from a short scent survey to weighing your own perfume. The writer and her husband picked the ingredients together, and the perfume began with a soap-and-elegance mood before settling, after 3 blends, on a sweet musk scent named 'chew muse'. With Korean ingredients like hanji (Korean paper), herbal medicine, cedar and sweet osmanthus, Muhwawon is a strong pick for an indoor summer date and one of the more memorable things to do in Seoul.

Written Aug 6, 2026Sponsored