Dog-eared Evenings · 4 stories
Writes about neighborhood bookshops, cafes, and the occasional bar or restaurant found while wandering Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon. · Writes about: Restaurants · Books & stationery · Cafés · Bars
Eulji Pocha Guro Digital Complex Branch is a retro alley-themed Korean pub near Gudi Station in Guro, Seoul. The writer drank beer with yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) topped with an egg yolk, then used the coins given with every food order to try the claw machine inside Eulji Pocha. Verdict: Eulji Pocha is a Gudi Station bar that adds the fun of playing to the fun of eating.
Monthly Beer Guro Digital Complex Station Branch (월간맥주 구로디지털단지역점) is a pub and beer bar serving full dishes in Guro Digital Complex (Gudi), Guro, Seoul. The writer ordered cream cheese dried persimmon rolls and October's promotional beer, Asahi, listed at 3,900 won. The promo beer was the highlight, and the bar and restroom were clean. For a casual beer in a tidy space or a group get-together, Monthly Beer Guro Digital Complex Station Branch is worth shortlisting.
Cheonghwaweon (청화원) is a knife-cut noodle and dumpling restaurant on Myeongmul-gil, near Exit 3 of Sinchon Station in Seodaemun, Seoul. A grad student and a friend shared xiaolongbao, youpo knife-cut noodles (hand-shaved noodles dressed with hot oil) and beef stir-fried noodles for lunch; the youpo noodles have a mala aroma but only one-chili heat, so they were easy to eat. Verdict: Cheonghwaweon gets the location, taste and price right, making it a great Chinese restaurant for lunch in Sinchon.
Kkua Ewha (꾸아 이대점) is a Vietnamese restaurant on the 2nd floor, right in front of the main gate of Ewha Womans University in Seodaemun, Seoul. Over dinner with a friend doing a master's degree, the writer ordered the morning glory set and flame-grilled pho and shared one bottle of beer: the salty, fragrant morning glory was a great match for the beer, and the pho broth was clean rather than heavy. Kkua Ewha is spacious, a good place to eat slowly and talk.
