Palette Route · 10 stories

Loose Palette, Sejong-Seoul Rounds

Writes about restaurants, cafes, and beauty spots across Gyeonggi, Seoul, Daejeon-Chungcheong, Gwangju-Jeolla, Daegu-Gyeongbuk, Sejong, and Gangwon. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Hair & beauty salons

PlaceGochang, JeonbukRestaurants

Gochang loach soup with grilled tofu the kids loved: Sangol Chueojeong

Sangol Chueojeong Gochang Main Branch is a loach soup (chueotang) restaurant serving everyday nourishing food from a standalone building on Sanjeong-gil in Gochang-eup, Gochang, Jeonbuk. With the kids, the writer ordered Sanghwang loach soup (13,000 won), a sweet potato cheese cutlet (15,000 won) and a small plate of suyuk (boiled pork, 18,000 won), adding pot rice (2,000 won). The pot rice came topped with sprout ginseng, the Sanghwang mushroom-brewed water and grilled tofu side dish went down well with the kids, and the meal felt healthy. The writer calls Sangol Chueojeong's soup the best loach soup they have ever had and plans to return next week with their mother.

Written Jun 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheongju, ChungbukRestaurants

Cheongju snack bar with ₩6,000 tteokbokki on green plates: Bubuduri

Bubuduri Tteokbokki (부부두리떡볶이) Bongmyeong branch is a Korean snack bar in Bongmyeong-dong, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, that runs as a snack bar by day and as a pub serving tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) with drinks in the evening. The writer ordered Duri tteokbokki, chewy sundae (Korean blood sausage), fish cake in broth and the basic fritter plate, and found the wheat rice cake tteokbokki, served on retro green plates, generous for ₩6,000 a serving, with a tasty sweet-and-spicy sauce. At Bubuduri Tteokbokki, the Duri tteokbokki and chewy sundae combination is well worth ordering.

Written Jun 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYuseong, DaejeonRestaurants

Daejeon noodle shop: soybean kalguksu needing no salt, Yongja 1

Yongja 1 Gwanpyeong Branch (용자1 관평점) is a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) restaurant in Gwanpyeong-dong, Yuseong, Daejeon, serving house-made noodles and kimchi steamed dumplings. The writer visited on a weekday after 1 p.m. and ordered dumpling kalguksu, soybean kalguksu and steamed dumplings; the soybean kalguksu tasted right without any added salt, and the steamed dumplings (₩9,000 for 8) were the writer's pick for the signature dish. For fans of kimchi dumplings and summer soybean kalguksu, Yongja 1 Gwanpyeong Branch earned a 300% intention to return.

Written Jun 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulCafés

Yeoksam coffee shop: Original & Dark S'mores levain cookies, Mini Male

Mini Male Coffee Roaster Yeoksam Branch is a specialty coffee shop a 2-minute walk from Exit 6 of Yeoksam Station in Gangnam, Seoul. The writer tried the signature handmade New York cookies, Original Levain and Dark S'mores (₩4,500 each), along with a Helsinki latte and an iced Americano, and notes that takeout orders get ₩500 off. Mini Male Coffee Roaster Yeoksam Branch is a good pick for pairing a smooth, non-bitter Helsinki latte with melt-in-your-mouth levain cookies.

Written Jun 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeo-gu, DaejeonRestaurants

Inari sushi shop by Daejeon City Hall Station: gift box, Kitsune Yubu

Kitsune Yubu Daejeon Dunsan (키츠네유부 대전둔산점) is an inari sushi (seasoned tofu pockets filled with rice) shop in Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, a 1-minute walk from Exit 7 of Daejeon City Hall Station. The writer chose inari sushi by looking at the display models, took them home in a showcase-style box, and named the Korean beef yukhoe (seasoned raw beef) inari and raw salmon inari as top picks. Kitsune Yubu's generous rice makes it filling, and its neat packaging makes it a good choice for gifts too.

Written Jun 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHwaseong, GyeonggiRestaurants

Daechang hot pot for one & egg risotto in Lotte Dongtan: Horangigul

Horangigul (호랑이굴) is a Japanese-style restaurant serving gopchang and daechang (beef small and large intestine) hot pot and rice bowl set meals on B1 of Lotte Department Store Dongtan in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi. A regular who stops by on every trip to Dongtan ordered a daechang hot pot for one (₩16,500) with Asahi draft beer and egg okonomiyaki, then finished with Japanese udon noodles and egg risotto. The writer rates Horangigul's daechang hot pot as far better than the motsunabe they ate in Fukuoka.

Written Jun 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSejongRestaurants

Sejong galbi kimchi stew, no Donghaksa trip: Chung-sil Hoegwan

Chung-sil Hoegwan (충실회관) is a Korean restaurant specializing in kimchi stew and pork belly near the Hansol-dong Complex Community Center in Sejong. On a second visit, the writer ordered the galbi kimchi hot pot for two with pot rice (₩30,000) and enjoyed the rich but not overpowering broth made with Korean-raised fresh ribs and aged kimchi, plus free self-serve ramen noodles. Chung-sil Hoegwan is worth returning to whenever you want a clean, satisfying galbi kimchi stew in Sejong without heading out to Donghaksa.

Written Oct 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSejongCafés

Sejong coffee lovers' roastery café for a nutty latte: Café The Corner

Café The Corner (카페더코너) is a roastery café on a corner of the Dodam-dong food street in Sejong that roasts its own specialty green beans. The writer, a self-described coffee lover, tried Café The Corner's nutty latte, clean americano and a honey bread topped with chocolate and caramel glaze, and fell for the rich, full-bodied beans with no gritty aftertaste. Open until 1am, Café The Corner is a strong pick for great coffee and a late-night hangout in Dodam-dong.

Written Oct 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSejongRestaurants

Sejong BBQ: how to eat thin-sliced pork belly at Yachae Hanssam Daepae

Yachae Hanssam Daepae (야채한쌈대패) is a thin-sliced pork belly BBQ restaurant on the ground floor of the Sanul Maeul Complex 7 shopping arcade in Sanul-dong, Sejong, serving 100% Korean pork. The writer has returned several times for its self-serve bar of seasonal wrap greens like kale and angelica leaves, and explains how to eat the full plate (36,000 won for two) with young radish, perilla powder, ssamjang (dipping paste) and garlic. For the writer, Yachae Hanssam Daepae is the tastiest thin-sliced pork belly spot they have tried in Sejong.

Written Aug 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiCafés

Gwanggyo coffee shop: Basque cheesecake & cream latte, Café Diaz

Café Diaz Galleria Gwanggyo is a cake café inside GOURMET 494 on the B1 floor of Galleria Gwanggyo in Suwon, Gyeonggi. The writer ordered a café latte, the signature cream latte and a Basque cheesecake at Café Diaz, and found the signature cream latte, where coffee bitterness rises after the sweet cream, an especially good match for the cheesecake. Verdict: coffee lovers should visit Café Diaz Galleria Gwanggyo.

Written Oct 6, 2026Sponsored
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