Table Talk Mapo · 87 stories

Rice and Conversation

I write about meals at restaurants I visit in Gangwon and Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Beauty products · Cafés · Shopping · Bars · Hair & beauty salons · Food & snacks · Fashion · Books & stationery

PlaceMapo, SeoulCafés

Laptop-friendly Gongdeok café: almond Einspänner by the window, Ieo

Ieo Coffee Roasters Gongdeok Branch is a roastery café tucked into an alley off Gyeongui Line Forest Park near Daeheung Station in Mapo, Seoul. The writer was looking for a place to study and work in Gongdeok, set up a laptop at a window seat and stayed from the daytime sun into the evening lighting with the signature almond Einspänner (cream-topped coffee), financiers and cookies. Quiet without feeling stuffy and filled with the nutty smell of roasting beans, Ieo Coffee Roasters is worth recommending for long laptop sessions in Gongdeok and Daeheung.

Written May 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulCafés

Seochon café for laptop work and alley walks: Wine Stein Seochon

Wine Stein Seochon is a brunch café by day and wine bar by night on the third floor of a building in Seochon, near Gyeongbokgung Station in Seoul. On a sunny day the writer stopped by Wine Stein Seochon for a brunch set and coffee, enjoyed the sunlight through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the widely spaced seats and the wine shelves and decor, then strolled the Seochon alleys. Spacious and comfortable, Wine Stein Seochon is a good café for long stays or laptop work and an easy fit for a day out in Seochon.

Written May 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Gwanghwamun kaisendon spot with parking: aburidon & ilpumdon, Ilpum

Ilpum Gwanghwamun is a Japanese restaurant in Jongno, Seoul, specializing in kaisendon (seafood rice bowls) and sake don (salmon rice bowls), on the second basement floor of 19 Jongno. On a weekend visit, the aburidon and ilpumdon each came with chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), udon and panna cotta, so a single bowl felt like a course meal; with many families dining and parking support available, Ilpum Gwanghwamun also looked like a good spot to bring parents. There is a wait even on weekends, so book Ilpum Gwanghwamun through Catch Table before you go.

Written May 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulCafés

Sunlit Seochon café: garlic bread and caramel latte at Respire

Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is a two-floor bakery café in a Seochon alley near Gyeongbokgung Station in Jongno, Seoul. The writer tried the garlic bread, coffee, a caramel latte and salt bread, and especially enjoyed the bread, crisp outside and moist inside, the caramel latte that wasn't just sweet, and the sunlit wood-toned window seats. Respire Bakery Cafe Seochon is a strong pick for a Seochon date or brunch when you want good bread, coffee and atmosphere in one stop.

Written May 28, 2026Sponsored
ProductCeramineBeauty products

Vegan hydrating sheet mask for dry skin: Ceramine Chaoreum Red Mask

Ceramine Chaoreum Red Mask Pack is a vegan sheet mask that the brand says contains bellflower extract, Red Complex and niacinamide. A reviewer with sensitive skin used the Ceramine Chaoreum Red Mask Pack on skin dried out by UV and air conditioning and found the essence generous, with moisture lasting from right after use until the next morning. Verdict: the Ceramine Chaoreum Red Mask Pack stands out more as a hydrating mask than as a skin-tone care mask.

Written May 31, 2026Product provided
ProductCeramineBeauty products

Sheet mask for hot, dry summer skin: Ceramine Aqua Cypress Mask Pack

Ceramine Aqua Cypress Mask Pack is a hydrating, soothing sheet mask made with cypress leaf extract. On dry skin worn out by air conditioning and UV, the thin plant-based sheet of Ceramine Aqua Cypress Mask Pack clung closely to the face, and its generous essence kept skin moist long after removal. For anyone dealing with summer heat and tight, dehydrated skin, Ceramine Aqua Cypress Mask Pack is a good sheet mask to keep in the fridge.

Written May 31, 2026Product provided
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Burger shop for a Seokchon Lake picnic: shrimp burger, Downtown Jamsil

Downtown Jamsil is a craft burger shop near Songpanaru Station and Seokchon Lake in Songpa, Seoul. At Downtown Jamsil the writer ate the Downtown Burger, the Shrimp Burger, fries, onion rings and a Coke Zero, and the bacon-and-cheese signature Downtown Burger and the thick shrimp patty stood out. Downtown Jamsil makes a great Jamsil date spot, whether you eat in at a relaxed pace or take your burgers to go for a Seokchon Lake picnic.

Written May 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulCafés

Open-kitchen soft serve in Yeouido: injeolmi & matcha coconut at Berg

Berg The Hyundai Seoul is a soft serve ice cream café in the 6th-floor dessert zone of The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido, Seoul. At Berg's black-and-orange open shop, the writer tried the injeolmi (roasted soybean powder rice cake) ice cream and the matcha coconut, and especially loved the chewy, dense soft serve and the matcha that is rich but not bitter. Berg is a good dessert break while shopping at The Hyundai Seoul, and a must-visit for matcha lovers.

Written May 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulBars

Natural wine bar in Gongdeok for friends: whelk and octopus, Danjeong

Danjeong Gongdeok (단정) is a Blue Ribbon-listed natural wine bar in the Gongdeok Parc Xi shopping arcade near Gongdeok Station in Mapo, Seoul. The writer met friends at Danjeong for a glass of white wine, a Heineken and a grapefruit soda alongside whelk, stone octopus and mushroom cream pasta, and found that the soft lighting and well-spaced tables made conversation easy. For a quiet dining bar with wine and food, or a small team dinner in Gongdeok, Danjeong Gongdeok is a good fit.

Written May 31, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongsan, SeoulRestaurants

Family brunch café in Ichon, Seoul: truffle bacon Benedict at Mellang

Mellang (카페멜랑) is a brunch café in Ichon, Yongsan, Seoul, where diners can park in the Hangang Mansion apartment complex, which makes Mellang an easy stop before or after the National Museum of Korea. The writer drove there on a weekend, ordered bisque shrimp rosé pasta and truffle bacon eggs Benedict, then continued on to the National Museum of Korea. For well-made food in a relaxed setting in Ichon, Mellang paired with a museum walk is a satisfying choice.

Written Jun 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Group Chinese meal in Gwanghwamun with parking: monkfish, Bobo Sikdang

Bobo Sikdang Gwanghwamun is chef Jang Bo-won's Chinese restaurant in the basement of the KT Gwanghwamun Building in Jongno, Seoul, connected directly to Gwanghwamun Station, with parking support for diners who arrive by car. Instead of the butter tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), the writer ordered ganpung monkfish (crispy monkfish in a spicy glaze), peanut sprout pork stir-fry and crab fried rice, and everyone at the table named the ganpung monkfish the best dish. Bobo Sikdang Gwanghwamun is a solid pick for a group meal when you want distinctive Chinese food in a clean, modern setting.

Written Jun 2, 2026Sponsored
ProductCeramineBeauty products

Hydrating face mist for dry skin: Ceramine Everlasting Tone-Up Mist

Ceramine Everlasting Tone-Up Mist is a fine-fog hydrating face mist that the brand says contains cypress water and birch sap. A Korean blogger with dry skin sprayed Ceramine Everlasting Tone-Up Mist throughout the day, in place of toner right after cleansing, before and after makeup, and while out, and found the spray fine, the absorption light and fresh, and no stinging in the eyes. Verdict: an easy everyday mist for anyone whose skin feels tight from air conditioning.

Written Jun 1, 2026Product provided