Bucheon Noon Ladle · 44 stories

Ladle at Midday

I write about restaurants and meals I encounter around Seoul. · Writes about: Hair & beauty salons · Restaurants · Cafés · Bars

PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulRestaurants

Sinchon gamjatang spot: 8 bones in a ₩35,000 small pot, Pyeongando

Pyeongando Sikdang Sinchon Branch (평안도식당 신촌점) is a 24-hour hangover soup and gukbap (rice soup) chain restaurant on Yeonse-ro 4-gil in Sinchon, Seoul. The writer came for gukbap but was won over by the smell from the next table and ordered the small Pyeongando gamjatang (pork bone stew) for ₩35,000, which came with 8 bones, a thick broth loaded with perilla seeds and free unlimited rice. Pyeongando Sikdang Sinchon Branch is an easygoing Sinchon hangover soup spot that works for a meal or a night of drinks.

Written May 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBucheon, GyeonggiBars

Sinjungdong Station pub: citrus beer & bulgogi pizza, Geumbyeol Beer

Geumbyeol Beer Sinjungdong (금별맥주 신중동점) is a pub near Sinjungdong Station in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, with a stylish, restaurant-like interior and outdoor patio seating. Arriving right at opening time, the writer ordered hot crispy chicken (22,000 won), a pastry-dough bulgogi pizza (13,900 won), and green tangerine and grapefruit beers (6,000 won each); the crunchy chicken and the flaky pizza crust stood out most. Geumbyeol Beer Sinjungdong is a good fit if you want good-value bar food with a seat on the patio.

Written May 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYangcheon, SeoulRestaurants

Gopchang at opening in Mokdong: snowman cheese fried rice, Omokgyo

Omokgyo Gopchang Mokdong Main Branch is a grilled gopchang (beef small intestine) restaurant near Omokgyo Station in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Two diners arrived right at opening for the traditional handmade garlic gopchang (28,900 won), limited each day, and the mixed gopchang (27,900 won), then finished with fried rice with extra rice and cheese. Tender casings, rich nutty filling and a fried rice portion that felt like enough for four made Omokgyo Gopchang a place the writer promised to come back to.

Written Oct 31, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwanak, SeoulRestaurants

Sillim Station salad restaurant for skeptics: three plates at Prepers

Prepers Diet Food Sillim Main Branch is a salad and diet food restaurant near Sillim Station in Gwanak, Seoul, open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. The writer, who used to think salad tasted bad, tried the Chicken Plate Salad (7,900 won), the Chicken Cobb Plate (7,900 won) and the Pork Plate Salad (9,900 won). The tender sous-vide chicken breast and pork tenderloin and the nutty sweet pumpkin and sweet potato salads changed the writer's mind. Prepers Sillim Main Branch is a good-value salad lunch spot where the basic greens and toppings fill you up even without pasta or rice.

Written May 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGuro, SeoulRestaurants

Guro Chinese restaurant weekday dinner for two: Junghwa Yori Hyeon

Junghwa Yori Hyeon (중화요리현) is a Chinese restaurant in Ace Twin Tower 1 at Guro Digital Complex (Gudi), Guro, Seoul. On a weekday evening busy with office team dinners, the writer and her husband shared jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and a tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) set, and loved the smoky jjamppong, textbook jjajangmyeon and generous tangsuyuk. For big portions and good-value Chinese food in Gudi, Junghwa Yori Hyeon is the answer.

Written May 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGuro, SeoulBars

Guro bar for a jjamppong sundubu and pork cutlet meal: Monthly Beer

Monthly Beer Guro Digital Complex Station Branch is a newly opened gastropub on the first floor along Kkalkkal Street (깔깔거리) in Guro Digital Complex, Guro, Seoul. Over a non-alcoholic Cass Lemon Zero, the writer had jjamppong sundubu (spicy seafood soft tofu stew, 18,900 won), a real pork loin cutlet (10,900 won) and 2,000 won extra rice, and was pleased with the generous portions, the rich broth and staff who ask about refills before you do. Monthly Beer is a good-value Guro Digital Complex bar for when you want a filling meal with your drinks rather than just alcohol.

Written May 27, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwanak, SeoulRestaurants

Gwanak hanwoo burger joint: triple cheese vs cheeseburger, Daily Fix

Daily Fix Seoul National University Entrance is a burger joint on Gwanak-ro near Seoul National University Station in Gwanak, Seoul, that makes handmade burgers with 100% hanwoo (Korean beef) patties. Ordered as sets with 18Fries and regular fries, the Daily Fix Triple Cheese Burger didn't feel heavy despite three patties, and the Cheeseburger was a well-balanced, easy pick for eating alone. Even a family member who rarely eats burgers enjoyed the meal, making Daily Fix a handmade burger spot worth revisiting.

Written May 30, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGuro, SeoulRestaurants

Guro pot rice restaurant after E-Mart: steak & chili pickles, Solsot

Solsot Guro G-Valley branch is a sotbap (rice cooked in an individual pot) restaurant on the 2nd floor of G-Valley Biz Plaza near Gudi Station in Guro, Seoul. After shopping at a nearby E-Mart, the writer ordered the steak pot rice and abalone pot rice (17,000 won each), got a free mini kimchi pancake for a receipt review, added pickled mountain chili, and finished with nurungji (scorched rice) and sungnyung (scorched-rice tea). Tender steak, abalone pot rice rich with the flavor of the innards and sungnyung made with broth made Solsot Guro G-Valley branch a satisfying, filling Korean meal.

Written Oct 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGuro, SeoulRestaurants

Sindorim jokbal restaurant: last table, radish bibimbap, Sambaekga

Sindorim Sambaekga (신도림삼백가) is a Korean restaurant serving jokbal (braised pork trotters), bossam (boiled pork) and kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) in the Prugio shopping arcade across from Sindorim Station in Guro, Seoul. On a packed evening, the writer took the last free table for two, ate the Sambaek jokbal and kalguksu set for ₩51,000, and made a young radish kimchi barley bibimbap with rice from the self-serve bar. Book Sindorim Sambaekga ahead and you get jokbal and kalguksu together in one filling meal.

Written Oct 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulCafés

Hongdae café after dinner: Häagen-Dazs coffee slush at Think Fruit

Think Fruit is a dessert café on Wausan-ro 29-gil near Hongik Univ. Station in Mapo, Seoul, serving soufflés piled with seasonal fruit. After dinner in Hongdae, the writer ordered a mango strawberry soufflé (₩23,000), a Häagen-Dazs coffee slush (₩7,800) and a hot americano (₩5,500), and the fruit and drinks completely changed the mind of someone who never liked soufflé. If you want a soufflé café in Hongdae while fruit is in season, Think Fruit is an easy recommendation.

Written Jun 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeocho, SeoulRestaurants

Seocho Korean restaurant for dark-broth dakhanmari: Seocho Jeonggye

Seocho Jeonggye is a Korean restaurant on Beobwon-ro 1-gil near Seocho Station in Seoul, specializing in dakhanmari (whole chicken stew) and dakdoritang (spicy braised chicken). Back for a second visit after a satisfying first meal, the writer ordered the cauldron-simmered dakhanmari for 30,000 won and a potato pancake. The highlights were a broth rich enough to turn brownish, kimchi the restaurant says it mixes fresh every day, and a thick potato pancake served with soy and peanut dipping sauces. For a hearty summer stamina meal, Seocho Jeonggye's dakhanmari and potato pancake combination is well worth ordering.

Written Jun 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeo-gu, IncheonRestaurants

Shabu-shabu buffet for a friends' gathering in Cheongna: Shabuway

Shabuway Ruwon City Cheongna Branch (샤브웨이 루원시티 청라점) is a shabu-shabu buffet on the 2nd floor of Ruwon Top Plaza in Ruwon City, Cheongna, Seo-gu, Incheon. A group of friends ordered shiitake broth and spicy broth, refilled the meat as they ate, and tried self-bar sides like salmon salad and fried dishes plus chocolate and yuzu tomato desserts. With a spacious, upscale dining room and a solid lineup of sides, Shabuway Ruwon City Cheongna Branch is worth recommending for a friends' gathering or a group dinner.

Written Jun 14, 2026Sponsored