Market Bag Diarist · 35 stories
I write about beauty products I use in everyday routines. · Writes about: Beauty products · Restaurants · Home & living · Cafés · Stays · Food & snacks · Shopping
Najujeil Hongeo (나주제일홍어) is a skate (hongeo) specialty shop on Yeongsanpo Skate Street in Naju, Jeonnam. The writer bought a 250g domestic skate sashimi platter to go for 25,000 won (serves 2–3), with chojang dipping sauce included, and served it at home with boiled pork as samhap (skate paired with pork). The grandmother liked the Najujeil Hongeo skate enough to ask for another order, making it a reliable gift for elders.
Ilsang Heukyeomso Maewol-dong is a black goat restaurant in Maewol-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, with private rooms that make it a good choice for family meals. The writer ordered three black goat soups (siraegi, perilla and bone broth). Every soup came with 140g or more of meat and a pot rice topped with shiitake mushrooms and ginkgo nuts, and the mild taste had no gamey smell. Ilsang Heukyeomso is a satisfying spot for a nourishing meal with parents or kids.
Sangol Chueojeong Gochang Main Branch (산골추어정 고창본점) is a chueotang (loach soup) restaurant on Sanjeong-gil in Gochang-eup, Jeonbuk, that calls itself an everyday health-tonic loach soup specialist. After seeing the lavender at Cheongnongwon in Gochang, the writer ordered cordyceps loach soup and a sweet potato cheese pork cutlet. The soup came with shiitake and sprout ginseng pot rice, and Sanghwang mushroom and Solomon's seal tea was served both for the scorched rice and as drinking water, so the whole meal felt healthy. For a rich yet clean, restorative meal made with Korean-grown ingredients, Sangol Chueojeong Gochang Main Branch is a good choice.
The European Haenggung Main Branch is a wood-fired pizza and Western restaurant in Haenggung-dong, Suwon, right in front of Hwaseong Haenggung palace. After touring Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, the writer ordered a margherita pizza and the signature salsiccia ravioli, and the chewy, crisp dough and rich salsiccia (Italian sausage) flavor stood out. For authentic wood-fired pizza on a Suwon Hwaseong sightseeing day, The European Haenggung Main Branch is a thoroughly satisfying stop.
Jeongjiyoung Coffee Roasters Hwahongmun Branch is a local roastery café right in front of Hwahongmun Gate in Haenggung-dong, Suwon. On a weekday afternoon, the blogger sat outdoors facing Hwahongmun with an iced Americano and the signature Coconut, whose coconut aroma and chewy espresso foam made it taste like dessert. Jeongjiyoung Coffee Roasters is worth a stop on a Suwon trip if you want a Hwahongmun view with a sweet signature coffee.
Filling Donkatsu Yongbong Branch is an aged donkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) restaurant on Seoljuk-ro in Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju. The writer ordered the garlic cheese salad donkatsu and the new mushroom cream pasta, and enjoyed the thick yet juicy cutlet and the rich, creamy sauce on the rigatoni. A card promising that the restaurant will pay your bill if anything is wrong with the food has gone unused for 4 years, a sign of Filling Donkatsu's confidence in its cooking.
Gujeon Gukbap Yongbong Main Branch (구전국밥 용봉본점) is a 24-hour gukbap (rice soup) restaurant in Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, near Champions Field. The writer ordered the Halmaep mixed pork gukbap and the Namdo garlic grilled gopchang (grilled intestines), finding a rich yet clean broth, generous meat, and gopchang served with a chive salad. Gujeon Gukbap Yongbong Main Branch is an easy stop at any hour, whether for a meal before or after baseball, a late-night bite or a hangover cure.
Yuil Jangeo (유일장어) is a farm-run freshwater eel charcoal grill on Donggok-ro in Gwangsan, Gwangju. Three diners picked about ₩50,000 worth of eel from Yuil Jangeo's chilled showcase, grilled the pre-seared eel over charcoal, then stirred the table's perilla seed powder into the dessert eel soup and finished every drop. With a large parking lot, private rooms and a self-serve bar, Yuil Jangeo is a solid, good-value eel restaurant for family meals or work dinners.
Kkankkanhan Jokbal Yongbong Branch (깐깐한족발 용봉점) is a jokbal (braised pig's trotters) restaurant in Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, where black sesame salad, steamed egg and kkobuli (curly) fish cake soup come as the basic starter set. On a friend's recommendation, the writer ordered the large charcoal-grilled jokbal with flying fish roe rice balls and found the jokbal chewy with a smoky charcoal aroma, and the portion big enough to fill two or three adults. From the starters to the main dish, Kkankkanhan Jokbal Yongbong Branch is a solid Yongbong-dong jokbal spot for both dinner and drinks.
GRAY LAZY is a large, high-ceilinged café on the second floor at Daejukseo-ro in Samhyang-eup, Namak, Muan. After a meal in Namak, the writer ordered an iced americano, an iced vanilla bean latte and churros with ice cream at GRAY LAZY. The low-acidity americano, the gently sweet vanilla bean latte and the churros fried right after ordering were all satisfying. With roomy seating and window seats overlooking a park, GRAY LAZY is a Namak café worth lingering in after a meal.
Miok Kalguksu (미옥칼국수) is a Korean restaurant in Namak, Samhyang-eup, Muan, serving chicken kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) made with noodles cut in-house. The writer ordered the summer-only Miok chogye kalguksu (chilled chicken noodle soup) for two and okdak, a handmade dumpling wrapped in chicken skin, and the icy, rich chicken broth, chewy noodles and crispy okdak made a great combination. Miok Kalguksu is a kalguksu spot where people line up even in summer for a coolness that is different from naengmyeon.
Bada Han Geureut — Dongcheon Main Branch, Gwangju is a seafood restaurant in Dongcheon-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, serving lunch sets such as fresh seafood stew sets and a crab meat set, plus sashimi and seafood dishes in the evening. The writer ordered the crab meat set for two, mixed the crab meat bibimbap with perilla oil only and no gochujang, and was pleased with the fresh cod stew, stir-fried pork, japchae, side dishes and easy parking. Bada Han Geureut Dongcheon Main Branch is a Dongcheon-dong spot that covers both a weekday office lunch and an evening team dinner or family gathering.
