Mirror Table Regular · 31 stories

Mirror and Menu

I write about beauty finds and restaurant visits around Seoul. · Writes about: Hair & beauty salons · Restaurants · Bars · Cafés · Shopping

PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Tonkatsu date night near Chungmuro Station: truffle fries at Ondoon

Ondoon Chungmuro Main Branch is a tonkatsu and makguksu (buckwheat noodle) restaurant on the 2nd floor near Exit 6 of Chungmuro Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. Two people visited Ondoon straight after work and ordered a half-and-half loin and cheese katsu (13,500 won), a seaweed makguksu tonkatsu set (15,000 won) and truffle fries (7,000 won), then got a peach kaymak (clotted cream dessert) on the house as they finished. The writer calls Ondoon the best tonkatsu she has eaten this year and plans to become a regular.

Written Jul 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJung-gu, SeoulRestaurants

Sindang gopchang restaurant where a skeptic loved daechang: Jinseong

Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang Sindang Direct Branch is a Korean beef gopchang (grilled beef small intestine) restaurant right outside Exit 7 of Sindang Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. A regular with more than 10 visits brought her boyfriend, who dislikes gopchang, and ordered 2 servings of hanwoo gopchang, 1 serving of daechang (large intestine) and kkakdugi yangbap (radish kimchi fried rice), and the boyfriend ate more daechang than she did. With no gamey smell, house-made kimchi and staff who grill at the table, Jinseong Hanwoo Gopchang is a dependable Sindang pick whenever a gopchang craving hits.

Written Jul 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Self wedding snap hair and makeup at a Dangsan salon: Charom

Charom Makeup & Hair is a one-person makeup and hair studio in Dangsan, Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, a 3-minute walk from Dangsan Station Exit 4. Before a self-photo studio shoot with her boyfriend, practice for a studio shoot planned for next year, the blogger paid in the mid-₩100,000s for hair and makeup at Charom Makeup & Hair, including straightened hair with a gasi-bun (spiky bun) half-up style. Verdict: the morning makeup from Charom Makeup & Hair survived a hot day out in Seongsu-dong and lasted to the evening shoot with no touch-ups.

Written Aug 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hapjeong anniversary dinner, two ragu pastas compared: Ragu Hapjeong

Ragu Hapjeong is a pasta and steak restaurant in Mapo, Seoul, a 7-minute walk from Hapjeong Station Exit 7 or Sangsu Station Exit 4. On an anniversary date the writer ordered the chopped steak salad at 17,000 won, the ragu steak at 33,000 won and Grandma's Ragu Pasta at 19,000 won, then liked the food and the mood enough to skip a second venue and add porcini ragu pasta at 21,000 won with house wine and sangria. The tomato-and-meat grandma's ragu and the mushroom-rich porcini ragu taste so different that couples at Ragu Hapjeong should order one of each.

Written Aug 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulBars

Jonggak Station bar for a group of 4: feast set at Ari Gyegok Jonggak

Ari Gyegok Jonggak is a Korean restaurant-bar in Jongno, Seoul, a three-minute walk from Exit 4 of Jonggak Station. Four friends met there for a wedding-invitation dinner and ordered the feast set, paying 1,000 won extra to swap in the perilla seed chicken hot pot, then shared rice-crust monkfish liver hoe (raw liver), whole fried pork, chicken yukjeon (pan-fried chicken in egg batter) and black sesame cucumber salad with soju-and-beer mixes. On this second visit both the food and the atmosphere held up, making Ari Gyegok Jonggak an easy recommendation for a group meal near Jonggak.

Written Sep 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Staff-grilled frozen pork belly in Jongno 3-ga: Chowon Restaurant

Chowon Restaurant Jongno 3-ga Branch is an outdoor tent (pojangmacha-style) Korean BBQ spot a 2-minute walk from Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 5 in Jongno, Seoul. On a weeknight visit for two, the writer ordered frozen pork belly, doenjang stew with beef brisket, steamed egg, and rice, with staff grilling every piece so the couple could focus on conversation. Even someone who normally skips frozen pork belly came away a convert.

Written Sep 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeodaemun, SeoulHair & beauty salons

Ewha hair salon gray root dye fixes 8-month patchy tone: Eco Revy Hair

Eco Revy Hair Ewha Branch is a hair salon and head spa two minutes from Ewha Station Exit 3 in Seodaemun, Seoul. The writer, who gets gray root touch-ups every month, had Eco Revy Hair blend eight months of patchy tone at the root touch-up price, then added a Perfection 3 clinic shampoo and a One Kill Botox Cream treatment. For anyone worried about damage from frequent coloring, this was a well-matched combination.

Written Sep 6, 2026Sponsored
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