Yangju Third Bag · 7 stories
Writes about restaurants, shopping streets, cafes, and bars across Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon. · Writes about: Restaurants · Cafés · Bars · Shopping
Manmok is a Japanese eel rice bowl restaurant near Seolleung Station in Gangnam, Seoul. A half eel rice bowl ordered for lunch arrived as a full set with sesame-dressed salad and chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard), followed by a choice of milk tea or matcha ice cream. Manmok's Gochang freshwater eel, grilled Kanto-style, was soft and clean-tasting, and the sides and dessert make it a well-rounded eel lunch in Gangnam.
Premium Gyukatsu Gyudo Mapo Gongdeok Main Branch is a gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) and yakiniku restaurant on basement level 1 of the Obelisk building, right outside Exit 2 of Mapo Station in Seoul. On a Mapo outing with her mom, the writer grilled a yakiniku set on personal grills and also tried gamtae myeongnan (pollock roe with gamtae seaweed) and ochazuke (rice in broth) made with tonkotsu broth. With its calm atmosphere and varied set, Gyudo Mapo Gongdeok Main Branch is a Mapo Station gyukatsu restaurant well suited to a meal with Mom.
Hwangbuja Twigim (황부자튀김) is a squid sundae and tempura stall at Stalls 26 and 27 of Sokcho Jungang Market (Sokcho Tourism and Fish Market) in Sokcho, Gangwon. On a hot day the writer ordered Set No. 8, squid sundae (squid stuffed with rice) and jumbo shrimp tempura, with hallabong (Jeju citrus) juice. The squid sundae came warm straight off the griddle, and the shrimp tempura had a thin, crisp coating. Hwangbuja Twigim is a good stop for trying the market's signature snacks in one go on a Sokcho trip.
Hwangbuja Jeotgal (황부자젓갈) is a salted seafood (jeotgal) shop at stall 25 of Sokcho Central Market (Sokcho Tourism and Fish Market) in Sokcho, Gangwon, where you can taste myeongran-jeot (salted pollock roe), squid, octopus and clam jeotgal before buying. On a summer trip to Sokcho, the writer bought 650g of grade-1 low-salt white pollock roe at Hwangbuja Jeotgal, carried it home packed with ice packs and ate it on rice without sesame oil. Mild rather than salty and pleasantly nutty, Hwangbuja Jeotgal's low-salt white pollock roe was a satisfying pick for Sokcho travelers looking for side dishes or jeotgal gifts.
Seoul Boutique is a pasta, pizza and risotto gastropub on Mallidan-gil, the street in front of Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. The order at Seoul Boutique was spinach pizza, seafood crab-butter cream pasta and beef tripe tomato risotto, and each level has its own mood: an outdoor terrace, a ground-floor pub, a vintage second-floor lounge and a rooftop with a view of Namsan. Parking is cheap and easy at the Son Gi-jeong Sports Park public lot, a 10-minute walk away.
Moonbird is a large bakery café in Goeup-dong, Yangju, Gyeonggi, with a big garden and panoramic views. Moonbird runs a care kids zone and a no-kids zone side by side, and this visit meant browsing the Hello Kitty cakes in the display case before ordering an Earl Grey fig slice cake and a croissant sandwich. With nature framed by floor-to-ceiling windows, Moonbird is a Yangju café where you can settle in for a proper meal, not just coffee.
Manpo Galbi Yangju Main Branch is a charcoal galbi restaurant on Songnang-ro in Yangju, Gyeonggi. For a family gathering, the table ordered 4 servings of hand-cut Korean pork galbi, brisket doenjang jjigae and pudding steamed egg from the tablet at each table, and the house-made Hamhung naengmyeon came free, one mul (cold broth) and one bibim (spicy). With yukhoe and yukjeon served as standard side dishes and ppeong-seukeurim for dessert, Manpo Galbi made for a generous family meal.
