Fork Circuit Rider · 21 stories

Forks Around Seoul

I write about restaurant meals I encounter around Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Bars · Food & snacks · Cafés · Beauty products · Things to do

PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Irwon-dong tonkatsu dinner: tomato vs Cheongyang curry, Sioldon

Sioldon Irwon Branch is a Japanese-style tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) restaurant in Irwon-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, near Samsung Seoul Hospital, serving sirloin, tenderloin, premium sirloin and cheese katsu made with 72-hour cross-aged pork. For dinner the writer ordered the tenderloin katsu set (₩14,900) with an added cheese katsu (₩4,900), plus a mini tomato curry and a mini Cheongyang chili curry (₩3,000 each), and found the salt-cured tenderloin tender and full of pork flavor even without sauce. If you want soft, savory aged tonkatsu, Sioldon Irwon Branch is well worth a visit.

Written Apr 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Sinchon hair salon silk Botox repair instead of a perm: Demon Hair

Demon Hair Sinchon Branch is a hair salon near Sinchon Station in Seodaemun, Seoul, that focuses on repair clinic treatments. The writer went in for a perm but was told their hair was at damage level 4 out of 5, so they had Silk Botox Repair Care instead. Thanks to real-time explanations throughout and a blow-dry that brought the curls back, the Silk Botox Repair Care at Demon Hair left the hair looking good even without styling.

Written May 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulBars

Hapjeong yakitori bar with street-stall seats and 5 dishes: Yakitori

Yakitori Iyu is a yakitori izakaya on Jandari-ro in Hongdae/Hapjeong, Mapo, Seoul, with street-stall-style seating. On a fine-weather evening, the writer ordered 5 dishes (a 3-skewer set of momo, sasami and tebasaki, negima, tori paitan ramen, yaki onigiri topped with butter and whole pork belly yuringi) with Kirin and Asahi draft beer. For crisp-outside, juicy-inside chicken skewers full of charcoal flavor in a street-stall mood, Yakitori Iyu is a sure pick.

Written May 10, 2026Sponsored
ProductYunoaBeauty products

Barrier repair cream after derm treatments: Yunoa EGF Repair Cream

Yunoa EGF Repair Cream is a Korean barrier repair cream that combines cica, panthenol and ceramide with EGF, exosomes and peptides, and costs under ₩20,000. The writer, who has oily but dehydrated skin and gets dermatology treatments, layered Yunoa EGF Repair Cream over hydrating products. Skin stayed moist into the next day, makeup didn't pill on top, and after a few days texture looked smoother with less tightness after washing. Yunoa EGF Repair Cream suits anyone who wants soothing, moisture and repair in one affordable cream.

Written May 13, 2026Product provided
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiHair & beauty salons

Ilsan nail salon for magnetic gel gradient almond nails: Nail & Style

Nail & Style (Nail & Style Leplus Ilsan WesternDom Branch) is a nail salon on the 2nd floor of WesternDom Block A, near Jeongbalsan Station in Ilsan, Goyang. The writer picked a magnetic gel and gradient design from senior stylist Seoeun's personal art board and got everything from removing old parts to cuticle care and a finishing pack in about 1.5 hours, with gentle handling of thinned nails and especially pleasing oval and almond shapes. For quick, pretty nails Nail & Style is worth a visit, and if shape matters most, ask for senior stylist Seoeun.

Written May 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Gangnam burger shop: truffle burger & garlic butter fries, Downtowner

Downtowner Cheongdam is a handmade burger restaurant on Dosan-daero 53-gil near Apgujeongnodeo Station in Gangnam, Seoul. On a weekend outing to Cheongdam, the writer ordered the Double Cheese Truffle Burger set with the fries swapped for garlic butter fries and especially loved the subtle truffle aroma, the buttery bun and the sweet garlic fries. Downtowner Cheongdam is a solid pick when you want a classic, delicious handmade burger in the Apgujeong Rodeo area.

Written May 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGuro, SeoulRestaurants

Guro sashimi restaurant with aged red drum and mulhoe: Neomsiljip

Neomsiljip (넘실집) is an aged sashimi restaurant in Guro Digital Complex (Gudi), Guro, Seoul. On a Saturday evening the writer ordered Neomsiljip's two-person aged sashimi set of salmon, sea bream and red drum with a bottle of Cheongha, and the set also came with grilled flounder, fried shrimp and sweet potato, mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), ramyeon and sushi rice for making your own sushi. Both the sashimi and the sides were delicious, making Neomsiljip a solid recommendation for aged sashimi in Guro Digital Complex.

Written May 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYongsan, SeoulBars

Itaewon cocktail bar, games and a photo with a new couple: Yahwa

Yahwa Honsul Bar Seoul Itaewon Branch is a solo-drinking bar on the 3rd floor of 6 Itaewon-ro 23-gil in Yongsan, Seoul, where guests talk and play games with other customers while they drink. On their first-ever solo-drinking bar visit, the writer and a friend tried the signature cocktails Dohwa, Kkotjam, Moonlight Peony and Peach Crush, shared truffle chips and games with the two guests opposite, and ended up taking a photo together. Yahwa Honsul Bar is a place where you really can leave with new friends, even if it's your first time at a solo-drinking bar.

Written May 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae poke shop: Witch Soup-style tomato soup & poke, Slow Cali

Slow Cali Hongdae Entrance Station Branch (슬로우캘리 홍대입구역점) is a poke, salad and soup franchise about a 5-minute walk from Hongik Univ. Station toward Sinchon, in Seodaemun, Seoul. Craving a clean meal, the writer paired the All-in-One Poke with a spicy tomato vegetable soup and a sweet pumpkin soup. The writer was happy with all three: salmon and tuna with no fishy taste, a tomato soup that captures the flavor of Witch Soup (a Korean tomato-vegetable diet soup), and a pumpkin soup as sweet as a dessert. Verdict: if you want a poke spot near the station with consistent flavor, Slow Cali is a solid pick.

Written May 24, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulRestaurants

Yeoksam eel restaurant: 3 rice bowls compared on a weekend, Yangsando

Yangsando Yeoksam is a Nagoya-style freshwater eel rice bowl restaurant on Nonhyeon-ro 85-gil, between Gangnam Station and Yeoksam Station in Seoul. Three of us visited Yangsando Yeoksam on a weekend and ordered the signature hitsumabushi (27,000 won), the new eggplant eel bowl (23,000 won) and the sakedon (17,000 won), and each bowl came with its own neat set of side dishes. Verdict: Yangsando Yeoksam showed someone who never liked eel what a great eel rice bowl really tastes like.

Written May 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Hongdae hair salon C-curl bob magic setting after 10 years: U Art Hair

U Art Hair Hongdae is a hair salon on the 3rd floor of a building, about a 5-minute walk from Hongik Univ. Station in Mapo, Seoul. Long told that her damaged hair was too risky to perm, the writer cut her hair by half for her first bob in 10 years and got a magic setting perm (straightening on top, setting perm below) after a careful cut of more than 30 minutes refining layers and thickness. The verdict: U Art Hair Hongdae delivered a mature yet lovely C-curl bob that beat her expectations.

Written Jun 3, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulBars

Izakaya near Seonyudo Station for aged sashimi: Seonyu Icheung

Seonyu Icheung (선유이층) Dangsan branch is a second-floor izakaya specializing in aged sashimi, located between Seonyudo Station and Dangsan Station in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. After an outing to Seonyudo, the writer ordered the small assorted sashimi platter (₩49,000) of sea bream, salmon, flatfish, sea urchin and sweet shrimp, plus a Seonyu Highball and a Cutty Sark Prohibition highball, and the fish was so good that a friend who hated sea urchin applauded. Seonyu Icheung is a great spot near Seonyudo for a plate of sashimi and a relaxed highball.

Written Jun 5, 2026Sponsored