Harbor Stool Spoon · 24 stories
I write about restaurant visits around Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés
LOOOP Bakery (루프 베이커리 카페) is a four-floor bakery café on Yeonmujang 5-gil in Seongsu, Seoul, open until 2 a.m. On a weekday visit just before evening, the writer ordered an Americano with the Balance beans, a decaf Americano and a basil salt bread at LOOOP Bakery, and found the 1st floor busy while the 2nd and 3rd floors were quiet. LOOOP Bakery is a good pick for coffee and bread late at night in Seongsu.
UWA Hongdae Main Branch is a Japanese teppan (iron griddle) restaurant on the 2nd floor at 21-16 Wausan-ro 21-gil, Mapo, Seoul. The writer ordered a chicken tomato okonomiyaki and a shrimp classic yakisoba with orange juice and oolong tea. The big shrimp and the soft, flour-free batter made from yam stood out most. For a light, alcohol-free teppan meal in Hongdae that sits easy on the stomach, UWA Hongdae Main Branch is a good fit.
Elato Bundang is a Mexican restaurant on Naejeong-ro in Jeongja-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam. On a weekday lunch visit, the writer parked beside the restaurant and ordered fajitas for 2: beef, pork, chicken and shrimp under plenty of cheese, kept warm to the last bite on a mini brazier, with refillable tortillas, salad and sauces. Elato Bundang is a rare fajita spot that refills even the tortillas for free.
Hansang Charyim Bapsang Sinseoldong is a Korean set-meal restaurant on the 1st floor of 28 Hanbit-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, serving bossam (boiled pork wraps) with 19 side dishes on one table. On a weekday just after lunchtime, the writer shared the Hansang Bossam Set for 2 while Hansang Charyim Bapsang quickly filled with office groups and Japanese travelers, and the braised lotus root, baby crab and odor-free bossam were all above average. For a Korean meal with plenty of side dishes, the Hansang Bossam Set at Hansang Charyim Bapsang Sinseoldong is a good fit.
Dwaeji Mansion Pangyo Avenue France Branch is a pork belly and pork neck Korean BBQ restaurant on the first floor of Pangyo Avenue France in Pangyo, Seongnam, where staff grill the meat from start to finish. The writer booked a weekday table well after the lunch rush and ordered 2 servings of Insaeng Moksal (signature pork neck) and kimchi stew. The staff's suggested order of salt, ginger vinegar with wasabi, herring roe with minari (water parsley), and grilled minari with fish sauce stood out. Dwaeji Mansion Pangyo Avenue France Branch is a pork neck spot whose side dishes and sauces alone make a return visit tempting.
Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon (청화 우육도삭면) is a Taiwanese beef noodle and Chinese restaurant on the ground floor of Le Meilleur Jongno Town, in the Pimatgol alley between Gwanghwamun and Jonggak in Seoul. Craving mala one weekend, the writer ate there alone, tried knife-cut noodles (dosakmyeon) for the first time and added guobaorou (crispy sweet-and-sour pork); both the rich bone-broth beef noodles and the generously sauced, crisp-outside, tender-inside guobaorou were satisfying. Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon is a solid pick for first-time knife-cut noodles or a solo Chinese meal.
Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun is a bakery café spread over floors 1 to 3 on Mugyo-ro in Jung-gu, Seoul. After a filling meal, the writer passed on the choco baguette and ordered an original butter scone, a yuja-lemon madeleine and Norwegian Wood (a strawberry matcha latte), then settled into the cozy 3rd floor. The Lemangdoré Gwanghwamun butter scone isn't dry even without jam, so it's a good way to taste a scone on its own.
Kosi Konkuk University Branch is an udon restaurant on Achasan-ro near Konkuk Univ. in Gwangjin, Seoul. On a weekend visit at an off-peak hour, the writer ordered ebi tempura udon, kama butter udon and a spicy gyudon + udon set, and was impressed by the springy, chewy noodles, the friendly service despite the crowd, and set udon served in a bowl as big as the gyudon. For chewy noodles and generous portions, the gyudon + udon set with kama butter at Kosi Konkuk University Branch is worth ordering together.
Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch (아빠찜 하남본점) is a Korean restaurant on Wolho-ro in Hanam, Gyeonggi, specializing in braised and steamed kodari (semi-dried pollock). On a weekday evening, the writer ordered a medium siraegi (dried radish greens) braised pollock, shrimp tempura, Hyangmi pot rice and flying fish roe fried rice; staff deboned the pollock first, and even someone who dislikes fishy flavors enjoyed it with no fishy taste at all. Appa Jjim Hanam Main Branch is a braised pollock spot where the flying fish roe fried rice is worth ordering even when you're full.
Waltz and Dr. Mahn is a café right beside the Bukhan River in Joan-myeon, Namyangju, Gyeonggi, with a café-restaurant on the 1st floor and a museum on the 2nd floor. On a cool autumn day with the windows thrown open, an opera cake, a Vienna coffee and a peppermint tea served with a strainer came with a view of the Bukhan River. Thanks to the rich chocolate opera cake and a peppermint tea that never turned bitter, Waltz and Dr. Mahn is a good stop to pair with a riverside walk.
The Pizzeria Market Hanam Misa is a wood-fired pizza restaurant on Misagangbyeonbuk-ro in Hanam, Gyeonggi, and the writer has been a regular since it opened. On this visit the writer ordered a Caesar salad with anchovies, a half-and-half wood-fired pizza with the autumn-only fig prosciutto and the truffle mushroom, and a Dancing Cider Apple. The autumn-only fig prosciutto pizza was good enough to beat the writer's longtime favourite, the truffle mushroom pizza.
Iseon Hwaduk Jokbal Bossam Myeongil Branch is a Korean restaurant near Myeongil Station in Gangdong, Seoul, that finishes its jokbal (braised pig's trotter) with a second roast in a wood-fired oven. On a weekday evening visit, the order was the large wood-fired front-leg jokbal, served with the complimentary sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew) and a bowl of makguksu (chilled buckwheat noodles) chosen through the review event. The oven-roasted jokbal at Iseon Hwaduk Jokbal Bossam came out lean and free of any gamey smell, so it never turned heavy even at the end of the meal.
