Sora Bin · 3 stories
Writes about small restaurants and cafes tucked around Seoul's residential streets. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés
Byway Bakers Balsan Station is a financier-focused dessert bakery café in Gangseo, Seoul, right in front of NC Department Store on Gangseo-ro 56ga-gil. For a parents' gift, the blogger chose five financiers — salt, fig, walnut, pistachio and vanilla — and had them packed in a gift case, at around 16,000–17,000 won for five. The fig financier was the most memorable, and the next order at Byway Bakers will be walnut, salt and fig.
Miss Jokbal Seoul Myeongdong Branch is a jokbal (braised pork trotter) restaurant on Myeongdong 3-gil in Jung-gu, Seoul, near Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station. On Malbok, the last of Korea's hottest summer days, four diners booked through Naver Reservation and ordered the half-and-half jokbal — half spicy fire jokbal, half classic — with tray makguksu, while kimchi kalguksu, salad and side dishes came included. The fire jokbal was so meaty that the group added flying fish roe rice balls at the end.
Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza is a wood-fired pizza and pasta restaurant on Dokmak-ro 7-gil near Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul. After booking through Naver and arriving at lunch, the writer ordered one pizza split half Manjo and half Croccante plus Gamberi Crema Penne pasta, and the sweet potato-topped Manjo was the best sweet potato pizza they had ever tried, while the penne was their favourite pasta of the year. Wood interiors, soft lighting and wide gaps between tables make Hongdae Hwadeok Pizza an easy recommendation for a Hapjeong date.
