Balm Shelf Keeper · 52 stories
I write about beauty products I try in everyday routines. · Writes about: Beauty products · Restaurants · Shopping · Hair & beauty salons · Cafés · Bars · Things to do
Hero Board Game Cafe Nowon Branch is a board game café near Exit 9 of Nowon Station in Seoul. After work, the writer had dinner in a 2-person curtain room (kimchi fried rice and Jjapaghetti with an extra fried egg), then lost track of time playing Shark Island and Gemblo. Hero Board Game Cafe Nowon Branch is a recommended indoor date for two on a hot day in Nowon.
Hodukkakki Brothers Bangbae branch is a handmade walnut pie café near Naebang Station in Seocho, Seoul. For Mom's birthday, the writer skipped a regular fresh cream cake and took home a whole signature walnut pie, Mom's favorite, as the birthday cake, and Mom especially loved its thin crust and not-too-sweet filling. For a parent's birthday or another special day, a walnut pie cake from Hodukkakki Brothers Bangbae branch is a great handmade dessert gift.
Focaccia Cucina is an Italian café specialising in handmade focaccia sandwiches on Banpo-daero 21-gil in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The writer ate a weekday solo lunch at Focaccia Cucina: a granola salad piled with arugula and a Pollo (chicken) sandwich made with chicken breast marinated for 20 hours. With 2-person tables, a window bar and kiosk ordering, Focaccia Cucina is an easy spot for a healthy solo lunch near Seocho Station.
Coffee829 Gyodae is a takeaway-only café near Exit 14 of Gyodae Station in Seocho, Seoul, where coffee can be ordered with a choice of Blue Moon, Red Moon or decaf beans. On this visit the writer had a sized-up misugaru milk (a roasted multigrain drink) and took home a 500ml bottle of cold brew Dutch coffee for a home café. Coffee829 Gyodae is a handy Gyodae Station café for a filling non-coffee drink plus cold brew to enjoy at home.
Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch is a jokbal (braised pork trotters) and bossam (boiled pork wraps) restaurant within a 3-minute walk of Nowon Station Exit 1, toward Nowon Culture Street in Nowon, Seoul. On a Saturday afternoon the writer ordered the large Gwihan jokbal and a flying fish roe rice ball, and was impressed by the thick-cut jokbal's chewy skin, meat with no gamey smell, and generous side dishes that even include makguksu (buckwheat noodles). With a wide hall and a broad jokbal and bossam menu, Gwihan Jokbal Nowon Branch is worth recommending for company dinners and group gatherings near Nowon Station.
Hoegi Wang Galbitang (회기왕갈비탕) is a Korean restaurant on Imun-ro in Dongdaemun, Seoul, specializing in galbitang (beef short rib soup) and braised beef short ribs, within a 10-minute walk of Hoegi Station Exit 1. For a public-holiday family lunch, the writer drove to Hoegi Wang Galbitang, parked out front, shared one stamina galbitang and one spicy galbitang, and finished with 17-grain misugaru and barley gangjeong from the self bar. Hoegi Wang Galbitang is a satisfying choice for a nourishing family meal when you come by car.
Katsu Shokudou Suyu (카츠쇼쿠도우 수유점) is a Japanese-style handmade tonkatsu restaurant serving yuzu-aged pork cutlets on the first floor of Episode Suyu 838, near Exit 5 of Suyu Station in Gangbuk, Seoul. On a return visit, the writer ordered the loin katsu (rosu katsu) à la carte and the mozzarella cheese katsu à la carte, which is limited to a set number each day, and liked piling on yuzu wasabi and dipping the cutlet in sauce best. Both the loin katsu and the cheese katsu were satisfying, making Katsu Shokudou Suyu a Suyu Station tonkatsu spot worth visiting again.
Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch (청화원 대학로점) is a Taiwanese-style Chinese restaurant near Exit 4 of Hyehwa Station in Jongno, Seoul. Eating there after work while on a diet, the writer skipped the signature beef noodles for jingjiang rousi (shredded pork in sweet bean sauce, wrapped in dried tofu skin) and tried laziji (fried chicken with dried chilies) for the first time. The jingjiang rousi was light, filling and a regular order, but the laziji, described as not spicy, turned out quite hot for a writer who can't handle heat.
Hair Studio Baekga Yaksu Station is a hair salon near Exit 3 of Yaksu Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. The writer booked a weekday-evening appointment after work and had the head designer trim an existing men's two-block cut, followed by a shampoo with scalp massage and tips for styling at home. With the messy back and sides cleaned up neatly, the writer would happily return to Hair Studio Baekga Yaksu Station.
Hair Studio Baekga Yaksu Station is a hair salon on Dongho-ro in Jung-gu, Seoul, within a 3-minute walk of Yaksu Station Exit 3. To tidy grown-out hair, the writer got a medium-length layered cut from the deputy director at Hair Studio Baekga. The cut took off only a little length to avoid the awkward grow-out stage and trimmed eye-poking see-through bangs to brow length; cuts start at ₩25,000. The once-heavy hair came out lighter with visible layers, making Hair Studio Baekga a Yaksu Station salon worth revisiting.
Center Coffee Gwanghwamun is a Blue Ribbon–certified café on the first basement floor (B1) of the Seoul Finance Center (SFC Mall), between Gwanghwamun Station and City Hall Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. On a weekend Cheonggyecheon date, the writer needed coffee and stopped in near closing time for an iced americano, an iced praline latte with crunchy bits of unrefined sugar, and a Matilda chocolate cake. The coffee, desserts and atmosphere were all satisfying, making Center Coffee Gwanghwamun a café date spot in Gwanghwamun worth returning to.
Sallering Daehak-ro is a Korean-style bibim poke and salad shop in Jongno, Seoul, about a 5-minute walk from Hyehwa Station Exit 1. After work on a weekday, the writer picked up a regular favorite, the Atlantic raw salmon bibim poke, as a takeout salmon salad with a 100g mixed-greens-only base and Classic Balsamic dressing for a solo dinner. Sallering Daehak-ro is a clean, easy-on-the-stomach choice for a solo dinner in Daehak-ro.
