Keepsake Keeper · 32 stories

Things We Keep

I write about everyday life at home and the things that fill it. · Writes about: Home & living · Restaurants · Cafés · Food & snacks · Things to do · Shopping

PlaceGwangsan, GwangjuCafés

Gwangju mugwort bakery: matcha-like injeolmi choco pie, Ssukseu

Ssukseu Choco Pie (쑥스초코파이) is a mugwort dessert bakery on Songjeong-ro 8beon-gil in Gwangsan, Gwangju, near Songjeong Station. On the way back to Seoul after a trip, the writer picked a 6-item set of choco pies, chocolate cheesecake, a scone and a cookie; the kids loved the chocolate cheesecake, while the writer's father and aunt loved the sea-breeze mugwort injeolmi (soybean-powder rice cake) choco pie. Ssukseu Choco Pie makes mugwort desserts that even people put off by mugwort's bitterness can enjoy, with a nutty flavor much like matcha.

Written Jun 1, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Gwangjin bossam restaurant for a sibling from Incheon: Sosa Myeonok

Sosa Myeonok (소사면옥) is a bossam-focused Korean restaurant on Neungdong-ro in Gwangjin, Seoul, between Gunja Station and Children's Grand Park. After falling for the Sosa Myeonok bossam (boiled pork wraps) on an earlier visit, the writer brought a younger sibling visiting from Incheon. They enjoyed the bossam with cabbage kimchi, scallion kimchi, chili peppers, doenjang (soybean paste) and fish sauce, plus a self-bar of radish pickles, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) and young radish kimchi. The sibling was happy too, making Sosa Myeonok a spot worth remembering for family meals or hosting guests.

Written Oct 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Gwangjin bossam restaurant revisit: small bossam for two, Sosa Myeonok

Sosa Myeonok (소사면옥) is a Korean restaurant known for bossam (boiled pork wraps), on Neungdong-ro in Gwangjin, Seoul, between Children's Grand Park and Gunja Station. The writer first visited Sosa Myeonok soon after it opened and came back much later with a sibling visiting from overseas. They ordered only a small bossam and ate it with bossam kimchi, doenjang (soybean paste) and radish from the self-serve bar. The verdict: Sosa Myeonok's bossam is a must-try on a day you crave bossam or for a family meal with your parents.

Written Jun 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceNowon, SeoulRestaurants

Sundae soup lunch in Nowon: large bone soup, two rice bowls, Somunnan

Somunnan Gamjatang Junggye main branch (소문난감자탕해장국) is a 24-hour gamjatang (pork bone stew) and haejangguk (hangover soup) restaurant on Deongneung-ro in Nowon, Seoul, near Sanggye Station Exit 2. At lunch the writer ordered a large pork bone soup and a sundae soup (Korean sausage soup) made with glutinous rice sundae, ate the sundae soup with rice stirred in, and shared the bones from the large pork bone soup, finishing two bowls of rice. Somunnan Gamjatang is worth a visit for a filling meal in Nowon with rich sundae soup broth and tender pork bone meat.

Written Oct 22, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulCafés

Children's Grand Park café for a soup and bread brunch: Wonz Coffee

Wonz Coffee Children's Grand Park Main Branch is a café at 32 Jayang-ro 32-gil in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, known for its coffee, where you choose your bean flavor when you order. The writer skipped lunch and arrived in the late afternoon for a latte and an iced Americano made with nutty beans, plus a brunch set of soup and bread. The coffee came served separately so the writer could pour it in to finish each drink, which made the visit fun. Wonz Coffee is a Gwangjin café strongly recommended for great coffee and a light meal in one stop.

Written Jun 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulCafés

Café near Olympic Park: strawberry bingsu, walnut cakes, Young Coffee

Young Coffee Jamsil Trizium is a bingsu (Korean shaved ice) dessert café in Samjeon-dong, Songpa, Seoul, near Samjeon Station and Jamsil Saenae. Late one afternoon, the writer ordered a strawberry cream cheese bingsu and 5 red bean cream cheese walnut cakes (hodu-gwaja); the bingsu was bigger than expected, and the two together cost under ₩20,000. Young Coffee Jamsil Trizium suits anyone after good-value bingsu and walnut cakes, or takeout before a visit to Olympic Park.

Written Jun 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Konkuk Univ. katsu and udon shop: a first-timer's cold udon set, Kosi

Kosi Konkuk University Branch is a Japanese restaurant specializing in house-made udon and tonkatsu, on Achasan-ro near Konkuk Univ. Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. A regular took a sibling there for the first time, ordering loin katsu with an extra side katsu for themselves and recommending the cold udon set, which comes with tempura and inari sushi (fried tofu pouch rice), to the sibling, who loved both the noodles and the katsu. The verdict at Kosi: add a side katsu when you order udon, and make your katsu a set so you get udon too.

Written Jun 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGwangjin, SeoulRestaurants

Opening-time 3-rib galbitang in Gwangjin: Achasan Tong Galbitang

Achasan Tong Galbitang (아차산통갈비탕) is a galbitang (beef short rib soup) restaurant on Jayang-ro in Gwangjin, Seoul, near Exit 2 of Achasan Station on Line 5. The writer ate the special galbitang with 3 rib bones by hand, finished with 17-grain misugaru (roasted grain drink) and barley gangjeong (puffed barley snack) from the self-bar, and even bought extra barley gangjeong to take home. Achasan Tong Galbitang has a wait, so for a meal before or after an Achasan hike or a group meal, arrive right at opening or avoid peak mealtimes.

Written Jun 15, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJeju, JejuCafés

Jeju café after flower viewing with kids: mango bingsu at Lala Cafe

Lala Cafe is a bakery café on Namjo-ro in Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, near Ecoland, specializing in apple mango bingsu (shaved ice dessert). On a weekend drive home from flower viewing with the kids, the writer ordered a Jeju fresh apple mango bingsu for 2 and 2 hot vanilla lattes, eating the mango first and then mixing in condensed milk and apple mango puree. Lala Cafe won over the writer with both its fresh apple mango bingsu and its nutty, non-acidic coffee.

Written Jun 14, 2026Sponsored
PlaceJeju, JejuRestaurants

Ara-dong, Jeju restaurant: lunch for 2, pizza to go for kids: Cultured

Cultured is a family restaurant on Seungcheon-ro in Ara-dong, Jeju City, known as a go-to Western restaurant in Ara-dong since opening in 2016. On a weekday the writer had Cultured's two-person lunch set (38,500 won) of pizza, salad, pasta and drinks, then took a whole pastry-dough gorgonzola pizza home as an after-school snack for the kids. Cultured's lunch set is generous enough to feed three, which makes it a great-value lunch.

Written Jun 13, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongnam, GyeonggiRestaurants

Sunae Station Korean restaurant, quickest chicken gomtang: Myeongyeok

Myeongyeok Bundang Sunae is a Korean restaurant at the Hyundai Pantheon corner near Sunae Station in Bundang, Seongnam, specializing in chicken kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), naengmyeon (cold noodles) and old-style chicken katsu. After a lunchtime wait, the writer used table ordering for chicken gomtang (chicken soup) and a chicken kalguksu set with tenderloin chicken katsu, added hot broth and free-refill rice from the self-serve bar, and turned dinner rolls into mini katsu burgers. Verdict: Myeongyeok Bundang Sunae is a Sunae Station kalguksu spot the writer bookmarked right after the meal.

Written Oct 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGoyang, GyeonggiCafés

Wondang bakery café with garden view: Haagen-Dazs affogato, Baedagol

Baedagol Bakery House (배다골베이커리하우스) is a garden bakery café in Wondang, Deogyang-gu, Goyang, and the third themed café from Baedagol, whose cafés are built around herbs, gardens, dogs and mountains. The writer and his wife sat at a first-floor window seat overlooking the garden with a fresh mango yogurt smoothie, a Haagen-Dazs affogato, multigrain ang-butter bread (red bean paste and butter) and salt bread, and were happy with both the mango drink and the bread. For a flower-filled garden view with reasonably priced bread, Baedagol Bakery House is a good choice.

Written Jun 24, 2026Sponsored