Bukgu Mirror Rounder · 6 stories
Writes about restaurants, beauty spots, and cafes she visits around Gwangju and the Jeolla region. · Writes about: Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Cafés
Eomaek Hair Project Cheomdan Branch is a hair salon in Cheomdan, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. The writer's fine, damaged hair kept as much length as possible: split ends were trimmed, and a mid-length C-curl perm with layers at the bottom was added. The curls come back just by drying the hair, so Eomaek Hair Project Cheomdan Branch is a good choice for anyone with fine hair looking for an easy-care summer perm.
Hoyang Horim (호양호림) is a café in a renovated hanok (traditional Korean house) near the Peterson missionary house in Yangnim-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju. For a weekly after-work book club with friends, the writer sat on Hoyang Horim's floor seats with gaeseongjuak (fried glutinous rice cakes), an injeolmi waffle (waffle with soybean-powdered rice cake), a decaf condensed-milk latte and a cream coffee, staying until the night view came out. With its calm hanok atmosphere and easy conversation, Hoyang Horim is a Yangnim-dong café worth returning to for the next book club.
Kkankkanhan Jokbal Yongbong Branch is a jokbal (braised pork trotter) restaurant on the main road at Jeoncheolu intersection in Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, offering dine-in, takeout and delivery. The writer ordered charcoal-grilled jokbal with a large makguksu (cold buckwheat noodle) set, served with complimentary fish cake skewers, steamed egg and fish cake soup. The writer especially enjoyed the makguksu, which came in a bowl as big as the jokbal plate, wrapped in lettuce with the jokbal. If you like smoky charcoal flavor, the charcoal-grilled jokbal at Kkankkanhan Jokbal Yongbong Branch is a great fit.
Sin Jjukkumi Unlimited Refill Duam Branch is an all-you-can-eat buffet in Duam-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, serving jjukkumi (webfoot octopus), fresh pork belly and thin-sliced pork belly. The writer had the three-way jjukkumi, fresh pork belly and thin-sliced pork belly combo for ₩23,500 per adult. Because Sin Jjukkumi has no parking lot, the writer parked on the roadside and skipped the ₩10,000 unlimited drinks option. The verdict: grilling thin-sliced pork belly and jjukkumi side by side on the half-and-half pan and wrapping them in perilla leaves is what makes Sin Jjukkumi Duam Branch worth it.
Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha Gwangju Wolsan Branch (황금회포차 월산점) is a sashimi restaurant and pocha (Korean pub) on Gunbun-ro in Nam-gu, Gwangju, near Mudeung Market. On an ordinary Wednesday at 7pm the hall at Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha was nearly full, and the raw shrimp and live fish sashimi set for 2 (65,000 won) came with side dishes, seaweed soup, grilled fish, butter-grilled shrimp heads and a spicy fish stew to finish. Verdict: Hwanggeum Hoe Pocha's sweet summer raw shrimp keeps the somaek (soju-beer mix) flowing.
Bueokgan Suwan Branch is a six-year-old pasta and pizza restaurant in the Suwan district dining alley in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. Four friends ordered the set menu — soup, pizza, two mains, salad and two drinks — and ate sweet pumpkin soup, basil arugula pizza, vongole, seafood tomato pasta and baby napa cabbage (albaechu) salad topped with a poached egg. The white-toned room gets plenty of sunlight for photos, and street parking in the alley was easy on a weekday evening.
