Pages and Jars · 12 stories

A Few Pages, A Few Products

I share notes on books and beauty products I try in everyday life. · Writes about: Books & stationery · Beauty products · Cafés · Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Bars

PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Gongdeok Korean lunch: milky sagolbap and piled-high yukhoe, Horangi

Horangi Gotgan Gongdeok Branch (호랭이곳간 공덕점) is a Korean restaurant specializing in sagolbap (rice with beef bone broth) near Gongdeok Station in Mapo, Seoul, known by word of mouth as an office-worker lunch spot. At Horangi Gotgan the writer ordered the signature sagolbap, a yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef bibimbap) piled high with yukhoe, and a side of nurungji tangsuyuk, and was especially pleased with the milk-white bone broth and the generous yukhoe. The verdict: all three dishes at Horangi Gotgan were a complete success.

Written Oct 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulCafés

Gongdeok bakery: nut financier & lemon madeleine, Fluffy Bake Shop

Fluffy Bake Shop is a French-style baked-goods dessert café a 2-minute walk from Exit 2 of Gongdeok Station in Mapo, Seoul. Arriving right after lunch, when some trays had already sold out, the writer picked canelés, nut and burnt-butter financiers, and lemon and matcha glazed madeleines for a home-café spread, with madeleines priced at ₩3,500–3,700. Fluffy Bake Shop earns a 100% return verdict for great texture and flavor at around ₩3,000-something per piece.

Written Oct 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulCafés

Yeonnam-dong bakery with a tourist queue: yakbap bread, Mandong Jegwa

Mandong Jegwa (만동제과) is a bakery in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul, best known for its garlic bread (garlic baguette). On a day when even foreign tourists were queuing, the blogger snacked on staff-cut samples and bought ang cream (3,500 won), yakbap (sweet sticky rice) bread (3,800 won), chestnut, red bean and mugwort bread (7,200 won), eongdeongi "butt" bread (3,500 won) and jalapeño ciabatta. With so many generously filled breads, Mandong Jegwa is a bakery-tour stop worth repeating on every trip to Yeonnam-dong.

Written Oct 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Udon shop by Sejong University: croquette with a student ID, Kosi

Kosi Konkuk University Branch is a house-made udon and handmade tonkatsu restaurant on Achasan-ro in Gwangjin, Seoul, between Konkuk Univ. Station and Sejong University, featured on SBS's Master of Living as a noodle master. The visit covered tori bukkake udon (chicken udon with sauce poured over, 11,000 won), kama butter udon (11,000 won) and a half-and-half loin and cheese katsu, and a shop sign says Sejong University students who show their student ID get a sweet potato croquette. Kosi Konkuk University Branch delivered chewy noodles and crisp katsu for a satisfying meal.

Written Oct 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulBars

Korean pub near Gunja Station for jar strawberry makgeolli: Saechamjip

Saechamjip is a Korean pub (hansik jujeom) near Gunja Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. On a night out with friends, the writer ordered Saechamjip's signature strawberry makgeolli (rice wine), made from fresh strawberries ground in-house, with gabri kimchi stew (made with pork gabrisal), pollock roe rolls wrapped in gamtae seaweed, and a pollock roe cheese potato pancake. Saechamjip's strawberry makgeolli is smooth with no bitterness, so even light drinkers can enjoy it comfortably.

Written Sep 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Sinchon salon hair botox care instead of a volume perm: Demon Hair

Demon Hair Sinchon Branch is a hair salon on the second floor of the building right next to Hyundai Department Store Sinchon, near Sinchon Station in Seodaemun, Seoul. A hair test at Demon Hair showed protein-deficient hair, so the planned volume perm was postponed for One-Kill Botox Care, a recovery clinic using R07 Repair One-Kill Botox shampoo and cream finished with low-temperature magic straightening. One session at Demon Hair Sinchon Branch already left the hair visibly smoother and softer.

Written Sep 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangneung, GangwonCafés

Gangneung takeaway café, black sesame vs corn sand: Gangneung Sand

Gangneung Sand Main Branch is a cookie sand dessert café in an alley on Seonggok-goyang-gil in Gangneung, Gangwon. On a trip with my husband we skipped the seating and picked up one box each of black sesame sand and Chodang sweet corn sand for the drive home, and the black sesame was nutty without being heavy while the corn sand was sweet enough to keep reaching for. The gift boxes from Gangneung Sand look neat enough to hand over as a Gangneung souvenir.

Written Sep 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangneung, GangwonRestaurants

Gangneung ocean-view sashimi and icy mulhoe platter: Samsami-ne

Samsami-ne Gyeongpodae Main Branch is a live-fish sashimi and mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) restaurant right in front of Gyeongpo Beach in Gangneung, Gangwon. From a window seat looking out at the beach, the meal came as one full spread: assorted sashimi including red sea bream yubiki, assorted mulhoe in an icy broth, and sides such as steamed egg and white kimchi, with sushi rice served separately so you can build your own sashimi sushi. Samsami-ne is worth planning into a Gangneung trip alongside a walk around Gyeongpodae.

Written Sep 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangneung, GangwonCafés

Gangneung brunch café with stroller space and pastries: Baegya Coffee

Baegya Coffee is a large ocean-view bakery café spread over three floors in front of Sageunjin Beach in Gangneung, Gangwon. On a morning visit to Baegya Coffee, an iced americano, a latte and crisp pastries came to a window seat looking out at the sea, and the wide, tidy interior was busy with families pushing strollers. Baegya Coffee works best as a brunch stop before a walk along Sageunjin Beach on a Gangneung trip.

Written Sep 20, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Kongguksu and 1L soy milk to go in Sangam, Seoul: Sangam Hoegwan

Sangam Hoegwan is a kongguksu (chilled soy milk noodle soup) restaurant in the basement 1 food court of Sangam IT Tower in Mapo, Seoul. The pumpkin kongguksu and the perilla oil milmyeon were each ordered as a dumpling set for 2,000 won extra, and the soy milk broth was rich enough to take home a 1L container of it. Writing a Naver review also earns a free ubae soy milk drink, making Sangam Hoegwan an easy pick for lunch or a solo meal in Sangam.

Written Sep 19, 2026Sponsored
ProductHEEDABeauty products

Makeup balm remover for blackhead-prone summer skin: HEEDA Jirisan

HEEDA Jirisan Charcoal Cleansing Balm is a 100ml solid cleansing balm the writer tried through the summer for sebum and blackheads on combination skin. Scooped with the spatula, the HEEDA balm softened into an oil on contact with body heat, and dark lipstick drawn on the back of the hand came off after rolling and rinsing with water. At 25,900 won, it worked as a straightforward makeup balm remover for oily-feeling summer days.

Written Jul 17, 2024Product provided
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