Pocket Powder Diner · 11 stories

Meals and Makeup

I write about beauty finds and restaurant visits in Seoul and Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons

PlaceYongin, GyeonggiRestaurants

Family-of-four lamb BBQ and mala xiang guo in Gwanggyo: Hwaro Yangmi

Hwaro Yangmi Gwanggyo Sanghyeon Station Branch is an aged-lamb restaurant on the 1st floor of Gwanggyo Advance Hill, near Sanghyeon Station in Suji-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi. On a return visit, a family of four ordered two special mixed lamb sets plus mala xiang guo (spicy stir-fry pot), guobaorou (sweet and sour fried pork), mala tang and egg fried rice for ₩181,000 in total. The staff grilled the lamb chops, and both a mom sensitive to lamb smell and a picky dad were happy. Hwaro Yangmi is a good Gwanggyo pick for families who want lamb BBQ and Chinese sides together.

Written Sep 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Daechi-dong eel rice bowl weekend lunch, Hermès restroom: Manmok

Manmok is a Kanto-style eel rice bowl restaurant serving Gochang freshwater eel on Seolleung-ro 82-gil in Daechi-dong, Gangnam, Seoul. At a weekend lunch, Manmok's one-eel rice bowl (₩39,000) and one-and-a-half-eel rice bowl (₩50,000) were soft and clean-tasting with no fishy smell, and the shrimp chawanmushi and a restroom stocked with luxury-brand amenities showed real attention to detail. For a restorative meal for a team dinner or a date in Daechi-dong, Manmok is well worth recommending.

Written Sep 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongnam, GyeonggiRestaurants

Korean BBQ for a date near Jeongja Station: beef and lamb set, Nokji

Nokji Bundang Jeongja Branch is a beef and lamb grill restaurant near Exit 3 of Jeongja Station in Bundang, Seongnam, Gyeonggi. The beef and lamb set for two cost 101,000 won, and with myeongran pa-bap (pollock roe and green onion rice) for 6,000 won and beef jangteoguk (market-style beef soup) for 10,000 won the bill came to 117,000 won, with staff grilling and resting every cut from start to finish. With its wood-tone interior and 8-person tables, Nokji Bundang Jeongja Branch works for both date nights and team dinners.

Written Aug 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHwaseong, GyeonggiRestaurants

Dongtan BBQ date: beef ribs and cold buckwheat noodles, Jipbul Taebaek

Jipbul Taebaek Dongtan Flagship Branch is a straw-fire beef restaurant on Jisan 2-gil in Dongtan, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi. Two diners ordered woodae galbi (thick-cut bone-in beef rib) for two at 70,000 won and buckwheat mul naengmyeon (chilled noodle soup) at 7,000 won, with staff grilling the No. 7 flower-marbled rib meat from start to finish for dipping in black sesame sauce, then finished with icy naengmyeon topped with plenty of shredded egg. Between the straw-fire aroma, the juicy meat and staff trimming even the meat off the bone, Jipbul Taebaek is an easy pick for a Dongtan date or family dinner.

Written Sep 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Noon-opening Korean BBQ near Mangpo Station, Suwon: Olheun Gogi

Olheun Gogi Suwon Main Branch is a pork and beef grill restaurant on Yeongtong-ro 218beon-gil near Mangpo Station in Suwon, Gyeonggi. The writer came with her mother and younger sibling right at the noon opening and ordered the Olheun Pork Hansang Set for 118,000 won, where a staff member grilled the pork belly to sharp, even edges and the chilled hanwoo yukhoe (raw beef) was pleasantly chewy. Because the yukhoe comes with the set, Olheun Gogi is worth booking for a family meal of three or four.

Written Aug 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongin, GyeonggiRestaurants

Yongin Giheung kalguksu for a late 2pm lunch for two: Jangwongap

Jangwongap Kalguksu Yongin Giheung Branch is a shabu kalguksu (hand-cut noodle soup) restaurant on Gomae-ro in Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi. Arriving for a late lunch after 2pm with her mother, the writer ordered the brisket and minari wrap shabu kalguksu for two at 31,000 won and a whole shrimp seafood pancake at 13,500 won, for a total of 44,500 won. The noodles still held their bite after 8 minutes in the broth, and the kkakdugi (radish kimchi) fried rice at the end left the two of them completely full.

Written Aug 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Yeongtong-gu BBQ with doenjang sulbap and egg custard: Sogogi Twist

Sogogi Twist Yeongtong District Office Branch is a US prime-grade beef BBQ restaurant on Hyowon-ro in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon. Three of us shared the 1kg mixed prime beef platter for 88,000 won, which came with kkotsaeu-sal (shrimp-shaped shoulder cut), salchisal (chuck flap) and jebichuri (hanger steak), and added doenjang sulbap (rice in soybean paste stew) and egg custard — more than enough food. With 90 minutes of free parking and side dishes refilled without asking, Sogogi Twist is an easy pick for a group dinner.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongnam, GyeonggiRestaurants

Jeongja Station lamb house with kitchen-grilled 450g rack: Yangmadam

Yangmadam Bangchon Lamb, Bundang Direct Branch is a lamb specialty restaurant a 3-minute walk from Jeongja Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi. The order was the shoulder rack lamb ribs 450g (46,000 won) and the spicy hangover-curing solo lamb hot pot (15,000 won), both brought out fully grilled and torch-finished in the kitchen, so no smoke clung to clothes and there was no sizzling grill at the table. The lamb had no gamey smell and went well with the perilla-powder hot pot broth, making Yangmadam Bangchon Lamb a solid pick for a tidy lamb dinner near Jeongja Station.

Written Sep 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Ash brown dye after 7 years, scalp clinic: Anew Hair Cheongdam salon

Anew Hair Cheongdam Main Branch is a hair salon near Gangnam-gu Office Station that starts every visit with a personal color, face shape, and scalp diagnosis before any service. Planning a perm for volume trouble with mid-length hair, the writer chose color instead after consultation, going ash brown for the first time in 7 years and adding a scalp clinic. The consultation-led choice paid off, with high satisfaction and visibly calmer scalp flaking after the treatment.

Written Sep 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongnam, GyeonggiRestaurants

BBQ for two near Sunae Station: 480g black pork, Jeju Monteurak

Jeju Monteurak Bundang Sunae Branch is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Sunae Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, where staff grill Jeju black pork belly and shoulder at your table. Two sisters shared the Jeju Bansang set at 69,000 won (300g belly plus 180g shoulder, 480g total), chose the seafood doenjang jjigae (fermented soybean paste stew) and finished a firmly packed bowl of rice. The portion was just right for two, and the black pork tasted like the version eaten in Jeju itself.

Written Sep 6, 2026Sponsored
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