Crisp and Soft · 46 stories

Taste and Texture

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

PlaceMichuhol, IncheonRestaurants

Guwol-dong Korean restaurant in Incheon: Hantiok cold noodle set meal

Hantiok Lotte Department Store Incheon Branch is a Korean set-meal restaurant on basement floor 1 of Lotte Department Store in Guwol-dong, Michuhol, Incheon. A mul-makguksu (cold buckwheat noodle) set costs 20,000 won and a bossam (boiled pork) set 22,000 won, and both arrived about 10 minutes after ordering with dongchimi-based noodle broth, tender bossam, meat dumplings and a spicy hanwoo Andong gukbap. Hantiok is an easy, fuss-free choice for a family or group meal after shopping.

Written Sep 20, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulCafés

Sinnonhyeon bakery café, fig pie and hibiscus tea: Upper and Under

Upper and Under is a large bakery café in Gangnam, Seoul, spread over the basement, 1st and 2nd floors, 298m from Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 6. On an evening visit many bakery items were already sold out, so the order was fig pie at 8,300 won, Earl Grey grapefruit cake at 8,500 won, the signature salted caramel at 8,500 won and hibiscus tea at 6,500 won. The sweet-and-salty salted caramel and the seasonal fig pie were the highlights, and Upper and Under is worth a return visit with an americano.

Written Sep 19, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Seokchon Lake pizza restaurant with kimchi sides: Pizza Never Sleeps

Pizza Never Sleeps Songridan-gil Branch is an American-style wood-fired pizza restaurant of about 50 pyeong on Songridan-gil in Songpa, Seoul, near Seokchon Lake. After booking a table, the writer ordered a large half-and-half of cheese and pepperoni and refilled the tangy kimchi, served instead of cucumber pickles, and the cheongyang mayo sauce three times. One large pizza was just right for two adult men, so Pizza Never Sleeps works for both a date and a group get-together.

Written Sep 18, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulCafés

Hongdae café for fig soufflé pancake and peach lemonade: Think Fruit

Think Fruit is a premium fruit dessert and brunch café in Mapo, Seoul, 281m from Exit 7 of Hongik University Station. The fig soufflé pancake, ordered with an iced Americano and a peach lemonade, took about 20 minutes to arrive and came topped with Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream and house-made whipped cream, ranking in this blogger's top three soufflés ever. It is easy to see why Think Fruit made the Blue Ribbon Survey list among Hongdae dessert cafés.

Written Sep 17, 2026Sponsored
PlaceMapo, SeoulRestaurants

Hongdae sushi restaurant, counter seats and tempura crust: Yu Iksang

Yu Iksang Sushi is a sushi restaurant in Hongdae, Seoul, 335 meters from Hongik University Station Exit 9, where a chef with 17 years of experience makes the long-tail sushi that is the house signature. From a counter seat, the Couple A Plus set (56,000 won) brought salmon and flounder long-tail sushi, garlic shrimp and tamago aburi, sushi dusted with tempura flour in a special sauce, and a complimentary eggplant sushi. The pieces at Yu Iksang Sushi are thick enough to cut with scissors, so it suits anyone after a genuinely filling meal.

Written Sep 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceBucheon, GyeonggiRestaurants

Sinjung-dong set-meal restaurant with CatchTable wait: Gim Myeongju

Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang Sinjung-dong Branch is a three-story Korean set-meal (hanjeongsik) restaurant near Sinjungdong Station in Bucheon, Gyeonggi. The Tteuranchae Bapsang table setting is 26,000 won for two, and adding the 18,000 won baby octopus stir-fry (jjukkumi) brought pressure-cooked rice, cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) and 12 side dishes with free refills; the spicy-sweet baby octopus was tender and never fishy. Gim Myeongju Tteuranchae Bapsang works well for a family gathering or celebration meal in Bucheon.

Written Sep 5, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangseo, SeoulCafés

5-piece financier discount box at Balsan Station café: Byway Bakers

Byway Bakers Balsan Station is a dessert café near Balsan Station in Gangseo, Seoul, baking financiers, salt bread, and egg tarts with grass-fed butter in-house. A 5-piece mix-and-match financier box (salty, pecan pie, almond choco, golden cheese, fig) came to ₩13,500 on discount, not too sweet with a nutty butter flavor that made it a great gift. The wakkbu salt bread was sold out, so a return trip earlier in the day is planned.

Written Sep 9, 2026Sponsored
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