Desk Essentials · 46 stories

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I write about digital tools and beauty products I use and notice. · Writes about: Beauty products · Tech & gadgets · Cafés · Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Things to do · Shopping · Home & living · Books & stationery · Fashion · Food & snacks · Bars

PlaceSokcho, GangwonRestaurants

Sokcho market fried food, Set 11 for the drive home: Hwangbuja

Hwangbuja Twigim (황부자튀김) is a fried food and squid sundae (stuffed squid) shop deep inside Sokcho Jungang Market (Sokcho Tourist & Fish Market), right next to Hwangbuja Jeotgal. The blogger ordered Set 11 (nurungji squid sundae and egg-battered squid sundae) and added a small shell-free seed shrimp gangjeong (sweet-glazed fried tiny shrimp) spotted at the counter, all packed to eat in the car on the way home. Both squid sundaes at Hwangbuja Twigim were so good it was hard to pick a winner, making it a strong recommendation for anyone after squid sundae in Sokcho.

Written Apr 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoseong, GangwonRestaurants

Goseong sashimi house, black sea bream for a mom-to-be: Bongpo Hoega

Bongpo Hoega (봉포회가) is a couple-run sashimi restaurant by Bongpo beach in Toseong, Goseong, Gangwon. A pregnant writer chose Bongpo Hoega for its freshness and ordered the small sashimi set (120,000 won) for two: same-day black sea bream sashimi, a table full of side dishes, free mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) for a review, and spicy fish stew, enough for 3–4 people. For anyone in Sokcho or Goseong who is careful enough about freshness to worry about raw fish, Bongpo Hoega is a sashimi house worth trusting.

Written Apr 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwanak, SeoulRestaurants

Bongcheon restaurant, DIY chive octopus pork belly: Sangdo Neulbori

Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch (상도늘보리 봉천역점) is a Korean restaurant in Gwanak, Seoul, about a 5-minute walk from Bongcheon Station, serving jjukkumi (webfoot octopus), kodari (semi-dried pollock) and barley rice. On a packed weekday evening, a regular ordered chive octopus pork belly for 2 with barley rice, made bibimbap from the self-serve namul and enjoyed the generous side dishes. The staff were so busy that the octopus had to be stir-fried at the table without help, and the fried rice never came. The verdict: the sauce and the table full of side dishes make Sangdo Neulbori a Bongcheon Station octopus spot worth returning to again and again.

Written Apr 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSokcho, GangwonCafés

Sokcho bakery café with easy parking and ₩10,000 gift sets: Bultan

Sokcho Bultan Gamja Bread Main Store is a bakery café on Haksapyeong-gil in Sokcho, Gangwon, known for potato bread and jjondeugi (chewy snack strips). On the drive back to Seoul, the writer bought a 4-piece potato bread box and a 12-piece jjondeugi set for ₩10,000 each. The spacious car park was easy even for a new driver, and the family loved the potato bread, which is generously filled with Korean-grown potato. Sokcho Bultan Gamja Bread Main Store is a handy stop on the way home for an affordable Sokcho souvenir.

Written Apr 20, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGeumcheon, SeoulRestaurants

Takeout pizza in Gasan: garlic shrimp still good cold, Clap Pizza

Clap Pizza Gasan Public is a pizza restaurant on the first floor of the Gasan Public building near Gasan Digital Complex Station in Geumcheon, Seoul. The writer took home a large Garlic Shrimp pizza for the high ₩20,000s after a ₩5,000 takeout discount, and even slightly cold it was good enough that they ate every shrimp tail. For a cheap takeout pizza lunch at Gasan Public, the Clap Pizza Garlic Shrimp is a safe bet.

Written Apr 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongsan, SeoulRestaurants

Sinyongsan gomtang restaurant: tax office parking, window seat, Baekok

Baekok Yongsan (백옥 용산) is a two-story gomtang (slow-simmered bone soup) restaurant near Exit 2 of Sinyongsan Station in Yongsan, Seoul, across from the HYBE building. On a chilly evening the writer parked at the nearby Yongsan Tax Office, took a 2nd-floor window seat at Baekok Yongsan and ordered yeol-gomtang, special pork gomtang, cabbage dumplings and mung bean pancake; the meat felt bigger than on earlier visits, and extra rice was free, so every bowl was emptied. Baekok Yongsan is a Yongsan Station gomtang spot the writer will definitely return to.

Written Apr 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Sadang Station hot pot restaurant: weekend lunch special, Okdoenjang

Okdoenjang Sadang Station Branch (옥된장 사당역점) is a doenjang (soybean paste) hot pot restaurant on Bangbaecheon-ro 2-gil near Sadang Station in Seocho, Seoul, and it runs its lunch special on weekends as well as weekdays. The writer visited around 2 p.m. on a weekend and ordered the lunch special beef belly doenjang hot pot (11,000 won per person) plus a small assorted boiled pork salad, a side offered only at the Sadang Station branch. For doenjang hot pot at a modest price even on weekends, Okdoenjang Sadang Station Branch is a good choice.

Written Apr 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongsan, SeoulRestaurants

Chicken takeout at Yongsan Station for a Han River picnic: Ppareuju

Ppareuju Deopbap & Gangjeong is a takeout shop on the 3rd floor of Yongsan Station in Yongsan, Seoul, selling dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken), deopbap (rice bowls) and peanut bread. Instead of packing a Han River picnic lunch, the blogger took away small boxes of Puringkle, soy and seasoned dakgangjeong, plus peanut bread and cream shrimp; a small dakgangjeong costs just ₩6,000, and the cream shrimp, a first for the blogger, stood out. Verdict: Ppareuju is a good stop on the way to the Han River instead of pricey delivery food.

Written Apr 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Weeknight Gongdeok Korean BBQ, 200g hanwoo set: Gogikkun Kim Chunbae

Gogikkun Kim Chunbae Gongdeok Direct Store is a Korean BBQ restaurant serving hanwoo (Korean beef) and hanDon (Korean pork). It sits about 600m from Gongdeok Station Exit 1, on a ground floor beside Gyeongui Line Forest Park in Mapo, Seoul. On a weekday around 7 p.m., two of us had the 200g hanwoo + Korean pork set for two dipped in meljeot (salted fermented anchovy sauce) and finished with kkakdugi (radish kimchi) fried rice, while group diners filled the restaurant almost completely and a wait formed. For a hearty Korean BBQ date or team dinner near Gongdeok Station, book Gogikkun Kim Chunbae on Naver before you go.

Written Apr 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Gangnam wax salon, Brazilian at 26 weeks pregnant: Super Waxing

Super Waxing Gangnam is a one-on-one waxing salon a 5-minute walk from Exit 11 of Gangnam Station in Seoul. At 26 weeks pregnant, the writer had a Brazilian wax at Super Waxing Gangnam to feel fresher before giving birth; the waxer kept checking the wax temperature and how she felt throughout, then explained aftercare for her skin type. If you want a pregnancy-friendly waxing salon to visit every 6 weeks until your due date, Super Waxing Gangnam is worth considering.

Written Apr 30, 2026Sponsored
ProductSalaryman Luji (월급쟁이 루지)Books & stationery

Finance book on property, US stocks and Bitcoin: Blueprint for Wealth

Salaryman Luji's Blueprint for Wealth (Salaryman Luji (월급쟁이 Salaryman Luji (월급쟁이 루지)) 부의 설계) is a Korean personal finance book that combines real estate, US stocks and Bitcoin into one investing strategy for financial freedom. The reviewer received a free copy. Having both lost and made money investing without much knowledge, the reviewer found it the first finance book they wanted to read to the end, thanks to data up to 2026 and highlighter-style emphasis. For office workers interested in all three assets, Salaryman Luji's Blueprint for Wealth is a good single book for getting the big picture.

Written Apr 29, 2026Product provided
PlaceGwanak, SeoulRestaurants

24-hour sundaeguk spot on Sillim's Fashion Culture Street: Sinjuokmi

Sinjuokmi Sillim Station branch (신주옥미 신림역점) is a newly opened 24-hour sundaeguk (Korean blood sausage soup) restaurant on Sillim's Fashion Culture Street in Gwanak, Seoul. On a rainy Saturday late at night, the writer ordered the spicy sundaeguk, which came with 2 black and 2 white sundae and plenty of meat; the self-serve bar and parking right in front of Sinjuokmi stood out most. Sinjuokmi is worth a return visit near Sillim Station for a clean bowl of sundaeguk made exactly to your taste.

Written May 2, 2026Sponsored