Crisp and Soft · 46 stories

Taste and Texture

I write about meals I’ve had at restaurants in Seoul. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés

PlaceBucheon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Bucheon Korean restaurant, same-day-milled pot rice: Gim Myeongju

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Sinjung-dong Branch is a Korean set-meal restaurant (hanjeongsik) near Sinjungdong Station in Bucheon, with unlimited refills on side dishes. A regular ordered the Tteuranchae Bapsang set for two at 13,000 won per person, added grilled mackerel (15,000 won), and enjoyed pressure-cooker pot rice made from same-day-milled yellow rice, cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew), self-serve bar side dishes and plum tea, and her parents were very satisfied too. Having tried almost the entire menu, she recommends Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang as a gathering spot in Sinjungdong.

Written Nov 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeohae, IncheonRestaurants

Year-end party eel buffet in Cheongna with free bokbunja: Songrimbok

Songrimbok Jangeo Freshwater Eel Unlimited Refill Cheongna Direct Branch is a charcoal-grill, all-you-can-eat eel and meat restaurant near Cheongna Lake Park in Incheon. The writer paid 29,900 won per adult plus a 3,000 won table setting fee and refilled raw eel, pork belly, pork neck and chicken neck from the self-serve bar to grill over charcoal; the eel was clean-tasting rather than fishy, and the chicken neck beat expectations. With one free bottle of bokbunja wine per table for company dinners and year-end gatherings, Songrimbok Cheongna is a strong pick for group get-togethers in Cheongna.

Written Nov 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNamdong, IncheonRestaurants

Date-night sashimi course in Guwol-dong, Incheon: Soraepogu Haenam

Soraepogu Haenam Susan Guwol branch (소래포구해남수산 구월점) is a seafood-course sashimi restaurant with private rooms in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, near Incheon City Hall Station. The writer booked a private room for a date with a boyfriend and had the B course at 48,000 won per person: 10 kinds of seafood; flatfish, great amberjack and red sea bream sashimi; and spicy fish stew with fish roe rice to finish. The writer was very satisfied with Soraepogu Haenam Susan and recommends it for year-end gatherings and company dinners near Incheon City Hall.

Written Nov 12, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulBars

Hapjeong private-room izakaya for winter yellowtail: Hapjeong Gonggam

Hapjeong Gonggam (합정공감) is a private-room izakaya on the second floor of a building, a 5-minute walk from Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul. On a booked second-round visit, the writer ordered yellowtail ankimo salt gimbap (seaweed rice roll with yellowtail and monkfish liver, 52,000 won), smashed cucumber salad (10,000 won) and a Suntory highball (7,500 won); the yellowtail and monkfish liver were rich with no fishy taste, and the highball had a strong whisky flavour. For winter yellowtail and a quiet place to talk, Hapjeong Gonggam is a good fit.

Written Nov 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hapjeong Thai lunch with parents, back from Thailand: Saeng Augustine

Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch is a Thai restaurant on basement level 1 of Mecenatpolis at Hapjeong Station in Mapo, Seoul. Just back from a trip to Thailand, the writer booked lunch there with their parents and ordered Thai-style rice noodle soup (13,000 won) and poo pat pong curry, a Thai stir-fried crab curry (36,000 won); the parents liked the crab curry more than the noodle soup. Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch is a Thai restaurant near Hapjeong Station that even picky parents enjoyed, making it a good choice for family gatherings.

Written Nov 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNamdong, IncheonRestaurants

Guwol-dong second-round sashimi: ₩43,000 platter at Donghae Eojang

Donghae Eojang Incheon Guwol is a seasonal seafood and sashimi restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building near Yesulhoegwan Station in Guwol-dong, Namdong, Incheon. The writer came for a second round after dinner and ordered the small live sashimi platter (43,000 won) and seafood ramyeon (7,500 won), and was pleased with the thick cuts of salmon, flounder, rockfish, red seabream and yellowtail, the DIY kimchi pancakes from the self-bar and the generous side dishes. Donghae Eojang Incheon Guwol serves ample portions and high-quality fish even as a second-round stop, making it a Guwol-dong sashimi restaurant worth revisiting.

Written Nov 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae chicken with parents: garlic cream baguette ball, Goobne

Goobne Chicken Hongdae Red Road is an oven-roasted chicken restaurant on Hongdae's Red Road, off Jandari-ro in Mapo, Seoul, with a neon-lit pub-style 1st floor and spacious group seating on the 2nd floor. The writer ordered a favorite, Gochu Basasak (crispy oven-roasted chicken with chili seasoning), plus a 3,300-won Garlic Cream Baguette Ball and a Coke, and was very happy with the moist meat and the cream-filled baguette. Verdict: Goobne Chicken Hongdae Red Road is a good Hongdae chicken spot for anyone who finds fried chicken too heavy, and for a meal with parents.

Written Nov 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulCafés

Gongdeok bakery: Lescure butter Pepero Day gifts, Fluffy Bake Shop

Fluffy Bake Shop is a bakery café near Gongdeok Station in Mapo, Seoul, that bakes its own madeleines, financiers and canelés with AOP-grade Lescure butter. Arriving at 2 p.m. on a weekend to a nearly sold-out display, the writer still picked 2 financiers, 4 madeleines and a vanilla canelé and enjoyed them with milk. With especially chewy canelés and financiers, Fluffy Bake Shop is well worth recommending for dessert gifts.

Written Nov 7, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulRestaurants

Balsan Japanese restaurant, salmon sake don dinner date: Ilpum Magok

Ilpum Magok (일품 마곡점) is a Japanese restaurant specializing in kaisendon (seafood rice bowls), sashimi and sushi, located between Magok Station and Balsan Station in Gangseo, Seoul. On an evening date with her boyfriend, the writer sat at the counter and ordered the sashimi don (special) for 39,000 won and the salmon sake don (salmon rice bowl) for 26,000 won. Each set came with chawanmushi, udon and dessert. Ilpum Magok's full sets and generous salmon make it a place she keeps returning to, and a solid pick for a date or group dinner in Magok.

Written Nov 3, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeohae, IncheonRestaurants

Cheongna hanwoo restaurant instead of omakase: Suksung Myeongjak

Suksung Myeongjak Cheongna (숙성명작 청라) is an aged hanwoo (Korean beef) restaurant in Cheongna, Seohae, Incheon, reportedly named in the Blue Ribbon Survey seven years in a row, from 2020 to 2026. The writer had 21-day-aged hanwoo striploin grilled by staff, plus a sea urchin uni platter, the soy-sauce-based signature yukhoe (beef tartare), perilla oil buckwheat noodles, spicy hanwoo haejang noodles and doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew). Verdict: Suksung Myeongjak Cheongna is a hanwoo dining spot worth choosing over a pricey hanwoo omakase for anniversaries or treating someone.

Written Nov 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Yeonnam-dong American restaurant, wedding invite meetup: Hey Joji

Hey Joji is a Western restaurant in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo, Seoul, styled like a mid-century American home. The writer booked Hey Joji for a wedding invitation meetup with friends, and the four of them shared six dishes: house steak (₩31,000), duck steak cream risotto, Cajun shrimp rosé pasta, waffle chicken, chicken tender Caesar salad and corn ribs, with generous portions and every dish a hit. Hey Joji is a good-value pick in Yeonnam-dong for a wedding invitation meetup or a date.

Written Oct 25, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMichuhol, IncheonRestaurants

Incheon bulgogi restaurant for parents with weak teeth: Dongchuwon

Dongchuwon Bulgogi (동추원불고기) is a Seoul-style Korean beef (hanwoo) bulgogi restaurant with a light, brothy sauce in Hagik-dong, Michuhol, Incheon, near Inha University. The writer took frail parents there for the Korean beef bulgogi set for 2 (28,900 won per person), got free beef brisket shabu through the October event, and finished with dessert naengmyeon (cold noodles) and omija tea, and the parents, who have weak teeth, ate the tender meat easily. The writer, a regular at Dongchuwon Bulgogi, recommends it for family gatherings and a nourishing meal out.

Written Oct 24, 2026Sponsored