Double Pumper · 19 stories

The Second Pump

I write brief impressions of beauty products I use in everyday routines. · Writes about: Beauty products · Restaurants · Cafés · Hair & beauty salons · Food & snacks · Home & living

PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae sushi with roe salad refills and spoon-eaten aburi: Yu Iksang

Yu Iksang Sushi (유익상스시) is a sushi restaurant known for long-tail sushi, with fish slices that drape well past the rice, on the ground floor between an elementary school and Hongdae in Mapo, Seoul. The writer and a friend ordered the Couple A+ set: udon, shrimp tempura and a flying fish roe salad, then a two-tier tray of long-tail sushi, topping-loaded aburi, a roll as big as futomaki and free eggplant sushi. Generous portions and a friendly owner make Yu Iksang Sushi a Hongdae sushi spot you can take anyone to.

Written Apr 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Conveyor sushi dinner in Daechi: cheese conch & uni, Sushi Ian N

Sushi Ian N Seolleung Station is a flat-price conveyor sushi restaurant on Seolleung-ro 86-gil in Daechi-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, where every plate costs 1,990 won. At dinner, seated beside the conveyor rail, the writer started with white fish and went on to salmon yukhoe tataki, cheese conch, flounder fin, an uni sushi spotted among sold-out items, and the new truffle tataki and eel, for 13 plates in total. Sushi Ian N Seolleung Station is a good-value sushi spot with plenty of variety for solo meals, catch-ups with friends and family dinners.

Written Apr 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulCafés

Jamsil cake shop: sister's bunny cake and butter tteok, Circus Rabbit

Circus Rabbit is a handmade lettering cake and dessert shop on basement level 1 of Building B in Jangmi Shopping Complex (장미상가), Jamsil, Songpa, Seoul. The writer pre-booked a pink bunny lettering cake with milk-flavored cream through Naver for an older sister's birthday and also bought Shanghai butter tteok (buttery chewy rice cake) at Circus Rabbit. The name lettering made the birthday girl very happy, and Circus Rabbit's fresh-flower Parents' Day cakes are worth a look too.

Written Apr 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Seoulsup garden restaurant for a birthday party: Fleurs sur la route

Fleurs sur la route is a pasta, pizza and wine restaurant on a leafy lane near the Seoulsup tennis courts, at Seoulsup 2-gil in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. On a spring day, a group of friends held an early-evening birthday party in the Fleurs sur la route garden seating, ordering the flower-shaped signature Fleurs sur la route pizza and a liquor-steamed scallop pasta, and every friend applauded the food. With the blooming garden and the lights at sunset, Fleurs sur la route is worth recommending for a birthday gathering or a date near Seoulsup.

Written Apr 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulCafés

Seoulsup café after a meal: extra-milk iced latte & Noix, Notldun

Notldun is a coffee, cake and dessert café on Seoulsup 2-gil in Seongdong, Seoul, known for its open kitchen and floor-to-ceiling windows. After a meal in Seoulsup, the writer stopped by Notldun with a friend for the signature Noix, a madeleine and an iced latte made with extra milk on request, and was surprised that the Noix, expected to be firm, was full of soft cream and concentrated chocolate. Notldun is a good Seoulsup dessert café to visit when you want to make someone happy with a proper cake.

Written Apr 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Mangwon Korean BBQ, pork neck with free tofu stew: Dwaejibangatgan

Dwaejibangatgan is a Korean pork BBQ restaurant on the 2nd floor near Mangwon Station in Mapo, Seoul, where staff grill the meat for you and the sesame oil is real oil pressed at a mill. At Dwaejibangatgan the writer had a plate of fresh Korean pork neck (200g, ₩16,000), a plate of pork belly, steamed egg and naengmyeon (cold noodles), and the free soft tofu stew that comes with each plate and the homemade side dishes stood out. With good value and no grilling to do yourself, Dwaejibangatgan is a Mangwon pork BBQ spot worth remembering for a work dinner.

Written May 4, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongdong, SeoulRestaurants

Seongsu lunch date restaurant, then a Han River walk: Seongsu Darak

Seongsu Darak (성수다락) is an attic-themed Western restaurant on Ttukseom-ro 9-gil, a short walk from Seongsu Station Exit 3 in Seoul. On a sunny lunch date, two people shared spicy crab risotto (18,000 won), brisket perilla oil pasta (18,000 won) and a katsu sando (pork cutlet sandwich, 12,000 won). The portions left them stuffed, and they continued the date with a walk along the Han River. Seongsu Darak delivers atmosphere, flavor and generous portions for a Seongsu lunch date.

Written May 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Seogyo-dong gukbap lunch of sweet bulgogi and heaped rice: Yukjeon

Yukjeon Gukbap Seogyo Branch (육전국밥 서교점) is a 24-hour gukbap (Korean rice soup) restaurant on Woldeukeopbuk-ro in Seogyo-dong, Mapo, Seoul. For lunch, the writer ordered ttukbaegi bulgogi (stone-pot bulgogi) and miso gomtang (beef bone soup). The set came with 5 slices of yukjeon (pan-fried beef) grilled to order, plus self-serve banchan. With its clean broth and heaped bowl of rice, Yukjeon Gukbap Seogyo Branch makes a filling solo meal in Seogyo-dong.

Written May 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulCafés

Yeongdeungpo bakery: birthday cake to go and jambon baguette, BYWAY

BYWAY BAKERS Yeongdeungpo Branch is a large bakery café near Exit 1 of Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station in Seoul. The writer had a Hong Kong pineapple bun, a jambon baguette sandwich and an apple iced tea for lunch at BYWAY BAKERS, then took away a Basque cheesecake with apple jam and a slice of red velvet cake for a friend's birthday. With a wide range of breads at reasonable prices, BYWAY BAKERS is an easy pick for meeting friends near Yeongdeungpo-gu Office.

Written May 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwanak, SeoulRestaurants

Sillim salad restaurant for solo dining: beef pasta & egg, Prepers

Prepers Diet Food Sillim Main Branch is a two-floor salad and diet food restaurant on Sillim-ro in Gwanak, Seoul, open until 2 AM. Eating alone on a 2nd-floor sofa seat, the writer ordered the beef salad pasta with 150g of beef flank and an extra soft-boiled egg, plus a mango Amino Drink combo and fat-free Greek yogurt. Verdict: roomy seating and a generous portion of meat make Prepers Sillim Main Branch a great place to fill up on salad solo.

Written May 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceAsan, ChungnamRestaurants

Family shabu-shabu buffet in Asan with 3 rounds of LA galbi: Shabu20

Shabu20 Asan Onyang Branch is a shabu-shabu and salad bar restaurant on the 2nd floor of NH Hanaro Mart at 246 Nambu-ro in Asan, Chungnam. After a stop at Sinjeongho Lake, the writer's family had shabu-shabu in clear and spicy broths, and everyone refilled the LA galbi three times. They finished with kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), rice paper rolls, and ice cream and coffee to take away. Shabu20 Asan Onyang Branch is a roomy, cool spot for a family meal with plenty of galbi and shabu-shabu.

Written May 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Korean beef omakase in Gongdeok: signature lunch & sea bream rice, Usu

Usu is a hanwoo (Korean beef) omakase restaurant on B2 of the Lotte Castle President shopping arcade, right by Gongdeok Station Exit 2 in Mapo, Seoul, and every seat is in a private room. The lunch signature course at Usu serves about 110g of beef per person, but with a garnish, bite-size dishes, abalone five-color gardenia noodles, sea bream pot rice and seaweed soup it is genuinely filling. For a company meal or treating someone to a private beef lunch in Gongdeok, Usu's lunch course is a good choice.

Written May 28, 2026Sponsored