Blue Basket Browser · 8 stories

Blue Basket, Gangwon and Gyeonggi Shops

Writes about shopping streets, cafes, and small restaurants across Gangwon, Seoul, and Gyeonggi. · Writes about: Shopping · Restaurants · Cafés

PlaceJongno, SeoulCafés

Jongno bakery menu with prices for all 16 breads: Munhwa Bakery

Munhwa Bakery (문화제빵) is a tiled-roof bakery on Donhwamun-ro in Jongno, Seoul. Munhwa Bakery's display at the time of the visit listed 16 breads, priced from ₩5,800 for the rice chestnut loaf to ₩6,000 for the onion bagel, and the maple cream cheese bread (₩4,900) and onion bagel (₩6,000) were tasted firsthand. With a generously filled cream cheese onion bagel and a sweet, nutty maple cream cheese bread, Munhwa Bakery is a worthy stop on a Jongno bakery crawl.

Written Aug 9, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeouido pasta spot for two: galbi ragu and chamnamul vongole, MOI

MOI (모와) is a pasta and wine restaurant on the 2nd floor of Gongjak Sangga on Yeouinaru-ro in Yeouido, Seoul. The writer and her husband ordered the galbi ragu pasta (short rib ragu) and the chamnamul vongole pasta (clams with Korean wild parsley), each ₩23,000, and split both onto side plates to take turns. At MOI, the rich, savory galbi ragu and the fragrant chamnamul vongole are completely different styles, which makes them a great pair to order together.

Written Aug 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHoengseong, GangwonShopping

Hoengseong butcher shop: hanwoo yuksashimi 248g to go for ₩22,320

Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom is a hanwoo (Korean beef) butcher shop at 10 Munhwacheyuk-ro in Hoengseong-eup, Gangwon. On the drive back to Seoul after a day at Welli Hilli Water Planet, I picked up 248g of hanwoo yuksashimi (thick-sliced raw beef) for 22,320 won, and the shop packed the sauce and sesame oil dip with it so it was ready to eat straight from the box at home. The chewy texture and the savory flavor that builds with each bite made Hoengseong Hanu Jeongyukjeom's yuksashimi a fine match for whisky as well.

Written Aug 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Gwanghwamun gyukatsu lunch with my son, 53,000 won for two: Ichigyu

Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch is a Japanese gyukatsu (beef cutlet) restaurant on the basement level of Le Meilleur Jongno Town, near Gwanghwamun and Jonggak Station in Seoul. On this visit with her son, the writer ordered two gyukatsu sets plus an extra portion of meat for 53,000 won total, and the beef, grilled at the table on a cast-iron plate, came out tender with no chewiness. With rice and wasabi to cut the richness, Ichigyu is a Gwanghwamun lunch spot she would return to.

Written Aug 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Hyehwa Station Korean pub: minari octopus sukhoe, Hyehwahwa

Hyehwahwa is a straw-fire Korean pub (한식주점) on the second floor of a building tucked inside the Daemyeong-gil alley near Hyehwa Station in Jongno, Seoul. After a stop at the National Children's Science Museum, the writer came to Hyehwahwa for dinner and ordered the flame-grilled gopchang bomb spicy hot pot, straw-fire scented minari (water dropwort) and octopus sukhoe, a seaweed rice bowl and one bottle of soju. The spicy hot pot and the light, fresh octopus sukhoe made Hyehwahwa a good place for a meal and a drink at the same time.

Written Aug 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceYeongdeungpo, SeoulCafés

Egg tart and Kotomo Latte at Kotomo Coffee, a Yeongdeungpo café

Kotomo Coffee Yeongdeungpo-gu Office branch is a coffee and dessert café on Yangsan-ro near Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station in Seoul. The signature Kotomo Latte, made with house-aged concentrated milk, has a chewy, nutty texture, while the elderflower cold presso carries a soft floral scent and the egg tart is crisp outside and moist inside. Two coffees and a tart make Kotomo Coffee an easy stop for a short break, with up to 1 hour of free parking.

Written Aug 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Mangwon bossam restaurant with radish salad refills: Pyeongidambaek

Pyeongidambaek Ppyeo Kalguksu Main Branch is a bone kalguksu (pork bone noodle soup) and bossam (boiled pork with wraps) restaurant about a 5-minute walk from Exit 1 of Mangwon Station in Mapo, Seoul. Visiting with her son, the writer ordered the signature medium bossam at 42,000 won and shared the thick-cut pork belly with boiled cabbage and musaengchae (seasoned radish salad), which she asked to be refilled twice. The pork at Pyeongidambaek was tender with no gamey smell and the portion was generous, making it a filling meal for an adult and a child.

Written Aug 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJongno, SeoulRestaurants

Daehangno dim sum restaurant, 39,000-won rainy lunch: Cheonghwawon

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is a Taiwanese beef knife-cut noodle and dim sum restaurant a two-minute walk from Hyehwa Station Exit 4 in Jongno, Seoul. On a rainy weekday lunch, beef knife-cut noodles at 10,500 won plus three dim sum — xiaolongbao, shumai and crystal moon dumplings at 9,500 won each — came to 39,000 won, with a mild broth, hand-cut noodles of uneven thickness and three different dumpling textures to compare. Even a diner who usually avoids wheat noodles finished the whole bowl at Cheonghwawon.

Written Aug 17, 2026Sponsored
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