Jamsil Mirror Meal Diarist · 9 stories

Small Mirror, Seoul Restaurants and Beauty

Writes about neighborhood restaurants and beauty spots she visits around Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons

PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Daehangno Taiwanese restaurant, pre-show dinner for two: Cheonghwawon

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is a Taiwanese and Chinese restaurant on Daemyeong-gil in Jongno, Seoul, with seating on the first and second floors. Before a play in Daehangno, a couple shared knife-cut beef noodles, xiaolongbao, guobaorou and iced black tea on a weekend evening; the guobaorou, which never went soggy, was the top pick, and the portions were generous and the owner friendly. For a filling meal before a show in Daehangno, Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is a satisfying choice.

Written Jun 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Beef daechang grill in Garak-dong, Seoul on a rainy Friday: Jinseong

Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Garak Flagship (진성한우곱창 가락본점) is a Korean beef gopchang (small intestine) and daechang (large intestine) grill in Garak-dong, Songpa, Seoul. On a rainy Friday just after 6 PM, a couple waited in line, then ordered 1 serving of gopchang and 2 servings of daechang, grilled at the table by staff and eaten with 3 kinds of kimchi and garlic sauce until both were completely stuffed. Verdict: for daechang or beef gopchang in Garak-dong, Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Garak Flagship is a regular's favorite worth the wait.

Written Jun 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Garak Market fish shop, bike picnic in Olympic Park: Yeongjae Susan

Yeongjae Susan is a sashimi-focused seafood shop on the 1st floor of the Panmae-dong building at Garak Mall in Songpa, Seoul. The writer and their spouse took out a small set of autumn shad (jeoneo), red sea bream and flounder sashimi from Yeongjae Susan, rode Ddareungi (Seoul's public bikes) to Olympic Park and ate it on a picnic mat. Verdict: switching between the rich, nutty autumn shad and the clean, mild sea bream and flounder made the Olympic Park sashimi picnic a satisfying one.

Written Oct 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Wood-fired pizza pub by Bangi Station: non-alcoholic beer at Hope So

Hope So (홉쏘) is a wood-fired pizza pub in the Bangi-dong food alley in Songpa, Seoul, with a wide range of beers, non-alcoholic beer, outdoor street seating and second-floor seats. After work on a weeknight, a couple ordered a margherita wood-fired pizza, a seafood pesce pasta in tomato sauce, a Clausthaler Classic non-alcoholic beer and a 500ml Cass, and the two left full. Hope So is a Bangi-dong dinner spot where you can still enjoy the pub atmosphere with non-alcoholic beer on nights you can't drink.

Written Jun 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Songpa raw beef restaurant, octopus set and brisket add-on: Hampyeong

Hampyeong Yukhoe Bangi Main Branch is a yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) and mungtigi (thick-cut raw beef) restaurant tucked inside Bangi Meokja Alley in Songpa, Seoul. Two diners ordered the yukhoe nakji tangtangi (beef tartare with chopped live octopus) plus raw beef mungtigi (medium) set. Curious about other tables' plates, they added brisket yukhoe, and the yukhoe, octopus and mungtigi were all fresh with no fishy or gamey taste. Hampyeong Yukhoe Bangi Main Branch is worth recommending for tartare that tastes of the beef rather than the seasoning, and chewy mungtigi.

Written Jun 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Songpa burger joint: truffle burger and fries at Downtown Jamsil

Downtown Jamsil is a handmade burger restaurant on Baekjegobun-ro 45-gil in Songpa, Seoul, near Songpanaru Station. On a weekend afternoon the writer ordered the Downtowner burger and a Double Cheese Truffle Burger set, and the rich, beefy patties, crisp fries and spicy pickles were all satisfying. If you love burgers, Downtown Jamsil is well worth a visit.

Written Jul 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Apgujeong weekend date restaurant, omurice years later: Eulji Darak

Eulji Darak Apgujeong Dosan Park is a Western restaurant near Apgujeongnodeo Station in Gangnam, Seoul, on the 2nd floor of a building on Eonju-ro 168-gil, and you enter by pushing open a bookshelf. On a weekend date with her husband, the writer ordered the Darak omurice, Darak rose pasta, katsu sando, a butter highball and a Coke Zero, and found the Darak omurice tasted exactly as she remembered from her first visit years earlier. Eulji Darak Apgujeong Dosan Park is worth recommending as an atmospheric pasta and omurice date spot in Apgujeong and as a venue for a wedding invitation meetup.

Written Jul 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Gangnam hair salon sleek magic straightening before monsoon: Beorn

Beorn Hair Cheongdam (비오른헤어 청담점) is a hair salon on the 2nd floor of 710 Seolleung-ro, near Gangnam-gu Office Station in Gangnam, Seoul. The writer, who was growing out curly, frizzy hair, planned a layered cut with a C-curl perm. After a consultation, the writer took the designer's advice and got magic straightening plus a cut instead, ending up with a natural, sleek style that kept root volume and shape at the sides. If curls worry you right before monsoon season, start with a perm-or-straightening consultation at Beorn Hair Cheongdam.

Written Jul 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Garak Market fish shop croaker skin with highballs: Yeongjae Susan

Yeongjae Susan (영재수산) is a sashimi takeout shop at Unit C-10 on the 1st floor of the Garak Mall sales building at Garak Market in Songpa, Seoul. A couple took home the small Mineonggwangchamhoe (민농광참회), a summer combo of wild croaker with its skin and swim bladder, large flounder and large sea bream, and turned the free spicy stew kit into a minari (water dropwort) fish stew. Thanks to the chewy special cuts, the combo beat their usual assorted sashimi, and the ice-pack packaging and parking ticket made the takeout run easy.

Written Aug 3, 2026Sponsored
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