Lipstick Diner · 6 stories

Thin Compact, Gyeonggi, Busan/Gyeongnam and Daejeon/Chungcheong Beauty and Restaurants

Writes about restaurant meals and small beauty finds across Gyeonggi, Busan/Gyeongnam, and Daejeon/Chungcheong. · Writes about: Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons

PlaceGangseo, BusanRestaurants

Soba shop in Myeongji, Busan: summer cold soba and tonkotsu, Menmen

Menmen Main Branch is a soba and ramen shop in Myeongji, Gangseo-gu, Busan, right in front of Neoul Park. The writer visited Menmen with their son and ordered cold soba (naengsoba, 9,000 won) and tonkotsu ramen (10,000 won). They praised the well-cooked, chewy cold soba noodles, the tonkotsu broth that was neither salty nor greasy, and the properly seasoned marinated egg. Verdict: if you want refreshing cold soba on a sweltering summer day, Menmen is a recommended stop.

Written Jul 14, 2026Sponsored
PlacePyeongtaek, GyeonggiRestaurants

Pyeongtaek naengmyeon with heaps of myeongi namul: Seoul Myeonok

Seoul Myeonok (서울면옥) is a third-generation naengmyeon (cold noodle) restaurant right in front of Pyeongtaek Station in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, reportedly featured on the TV show Master of Living (생활의 달인). On a weekday, an hour before closing, a family visiting from Busan ordered bibim naengmyeon and Pyongyang naengmyeon (11,000 won each) plus a small domestic suyuk (boiled meat slices, 30,000 won), and loved the generous myeongi namul (wild garlic greens), rich broth and thick noodles. Even a diner who usually finds Pyongyang naengmyeon bland enjoyed Seoul Myeonok's version, making it a guaranteed return stop on any future Pyeongtaek trip.

Written Jul 23, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSaha, BusanHair & beauty salons

Hadan, Busan lash salon: LU curl lash lift for puffy lids, Bitnaneun

Bitnaneun Lash Wax Skin is a lash, skin care and waxing salon on the 4th floor of the U+ building at Hadan Station in Saha, Busan. The writer, who has puffy eyelids and an inner double eyelid, asked for lashes curled up high without discomfort on the lids. The writer got the LU curl lash lift, felt no stinging or watering during the treatment, and had no poking feeling through day 6. For a noticeable yet natural curl on inner double eyelids, the LU curl lash lift at Bitnaneun Lash Wax Skin is worth considering.

Written Jul 21, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheongju, ChungbukRestaurants

Cheongju pot rice on a Busan family trip: last gimbap, Sorori Sotbap

Sorori Sotbap Culture Factory Branch (소로리솥밥 문화제조창직영점) is a sotbap (rice cooked in a hot pot) restaurant on the 1st floor of the Cheongju Culture Factory, the building housing the contemporary art museum, on Sangdang-ro in Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju. A family from Busan on a holiday trip arrived at 1:30 PM on a Saturday and got one buckwheat gimbap roll just before it sold out. They ordered buckwheat salmon gimbap (₩13,000), abalone butter pot rice (₩16,000) and crab pot rice (₩14,000), and children's tableware and toys from Sorori Sotbap made the wait easy. The verdict: crab pot rice suited the kids, while abalone butter pot rice suited the adults.

Written Jul 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, BusanRestaurants

Myeongji summer mulhoe spot with in-season mullet: Suseong Susan

Suseong Susan (수성수산) is a mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) and sashimi rice bowl restaurant by the sea in Sinho-dong, Gangseo-gu, Busan. The writer and her husband ordered two 3-fish mulhoe sets with in-season mullet at ₩20,000 each and ate them in order: sashimi, abalone sashimi, somyeon noodles, then rice. The fish wasn't fishy and the portions were generous. After three summers of visits, the writer rates Suseong Susan's mulhoe as its best dish, ahead of the sashimi rice bowl.

Written Jul 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBusanjin, BusanRestaurants

Seomyeon tonkatsu lunch with four kids: Katsu Gimseondo

Katsu Gimseondo is a tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) restaurant in Busanjin, Busan, a 7-8 minute walk from Jeonpo Station in the Seomyeon area. Four kids and two adults taking a break from a school-holiday Pokemon stamp tour had lunch here, ordering the tenderloin cutlet set for 14,000 won and the loin cutlet set for 13,000 won, with the kids seated side by side at the bar counter facing the kitchen because the restaurant was full. Good with salt, with wasabi or with sauce, Katsu Gimseondo was the kind of find that made everyone forget the summer heat.

Written Aug 4, 2026Sponsored
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