Cheonan Thin Notebook · 10 stories

A Thin Notebook Through Gyeonggi and Jeolla

Writes about restaurants, cafes, and beauty counters visited around Gyeonggi, Daejeon and Chungcheong, Seoul, and Gwangju and Jeolla. · Writes about: Restaurants · Hair & beauty salons · Cafés

PlaceCheonan, ChungnamRestaurants

Cheonan crab restaurant for no-appetite days: roe crab, Huni Gejang

Huni Gejang Cheonan Main Branch is a soy-marinated crab (ganjang gejang) restaurant on Taejosan-gil in Dongnam-gu, Cheonan, Chungnam. Two diners ordered one crab set and one roe crab set and had soy crab, spicy marinated crab, marinated shrimp, pot rice and steamed egg; the spacious hall, rear parking lot, table kiosks and high chairs made the visit easy, and the roe crab bibimbap with butter stood out. Huni Gejang is a good Cheonan pick when you have no appetite and need a rice-stealer meal.

Written Jun 16, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Family birthday Korean BBQ at Bangi Station: rib meat set, Hantiok

Hantiok (한티옥) Bangi branch is a hanok-style Korean BBQ restaurant on Wiryeseong-daero in Songpa, Seoul, right in front of Bangi Station and Olympic Park. For a family birthday, the writer booked a private room at Hantiok, ate the Emperor Rib Meat set (Andong guksi noodle soup included), then added seasoned galbi to wrap in bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles). With valet parking and a self-serve side dish bar, Hantiok Bangi branch was a satisfying place for a family gathering with parents.

Written Jun 29, 2026Sponsored
PlaceGangnam, SeoulCafés

Yangjae nut pie shop for birthday pies, not cake: Hodu Kkakki Brothers

Hodu Kkakki Brothers (호두까끼형제) is a takeout-only handmade nut pie shop in Dogok-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, about a 3-minute walk from Yangjae Station. For a family birthday, the writer picked up the cream-free Mix No. 1 (2 pieces each of 4 flavors, 8 pieces in total), put a candle in each flavor in place of a birthday cake, and shared it at a Han River park. For a special-occasion dessert or an elegant gift instead of a predictable cake, the Hodu Kkakki Brothers mixed pie is a good choice.

Written Jun 28, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHwaseong, GyeonggiRestaurants

Dongtan Chinese spot at 11 AM: jjamppong rice and tangsuyuk, Bultina

Bultina Kkomak Jjamppong Dongtan Namgwangjang Branch is a Chinese restaurant in Dongtan Namgwangjang, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, that specializes in cockle jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup). After a night of drinking, the writer went alone right at the 11 AM opening and paid for jjamppong rice packed with cockles and noodles, plus a small tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) with the sauce poured on. The verdict: Bultina's jjamppong rice is a strong pick if you want a hangover cure and an easy solo meal in one.

Written Jun 26, 2026Sponsored
PlaceHwaseong, GyeonggiRestaurants

Bongdam Chinese restaurant, late cold noodle lunch: Dongcheonhong

Dongcheonhong Bongdam Branch (동천홍 봉담점) is a Chinese restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building on Samcheonbyeongma-ro in Bongdam-eup, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi. After shopping at the Bongdam outlet, the blogger and her boyfriend came in just after the lunch rush and ordered à la carte: seafood ganjjajang (dry-fried black bean noodles), Chinese cold noodles in slushy iced broth with peanut sauce, and handmade fried dumplings served with salad. With rich, thick ganjjajang and refreshing, nutty summer cold noodles, Dongcheonhong Bongdam Branch is a Chinese restaurant in Bongdam worth returning to whenever a jjajangmyeon craving hits.

Written Jul 6, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSeongnam, GyeonggiRestaurants

Rainy-day opening-time shabu-shabu buffet in Namwirye: Dadam

Dadam Shabu Shabu & Wolnamssam Wirye Branch is an all-you-can-eat beef shabu-shabu and wolnamssam (rice paper wrap) restaurant on the 3rd floor of G&G Plaza in Wirye, Seongnam. Two diners arrived right at opening on a rainy day and paid ₩21,900 each for half-clear, half-spicy broth with beef belly and beef chuck, peanut sauce rice paper wraps and DIY affogato for dessert. With the same price on weekends and a neatly kept self-serve bar, Dadam Wirye is a good-value shabu-shabu buffet worth recommending.

Written Jul 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSuwon, GyeonggiHair & beauty salons

Yeongtong hair salon layered setting perm for frizzy hair: Kamiya Hair

Kamiya Hair Yeongtong (카미야헤어 영통점) is a hair salon on the 3rd floor of Yeju Plaza on Deogyeong-daero in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon. The writer, who struggled with frizzy hair, got a layered perm at Kamiya Hair Yeongtong in this order: a trim of damaged ends, softening solution, Amber scalp-care shampoo, flat-iron setting and a perm machine, and the result was calm, natural layered curls. Verdict: Kamiya Hair Yeongtong's layered perm is recommended for anyone who wants to tame frizzy hair without worrying about damage.

Written Oct 8, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamHair & beauty salons

Faded layered perm redo with protein care at CHOP Hair, Cheonan salon

CHOP Hair Cheonan Branch is a hair salon in Sinbu-dong, Cheonan, on the 3rd floor of Terminal Plaza across from Cheonan Bus Terminal. A layered perm done 6 months earlier had almost completely fallen out and the hair wasn't in strong condition, so the layered perm was redone with added protein nutrition care, with the owner-stylist checking the hair at every stage: softening, rods, heat treatment and neutralizing. The result at CHOP Hair Cheonan Branch was springy, bouncy curls with no damage, a thoroughly satisfying visit.

Written Aug 10, 2026Sponsored
PlaceCheonan, ChungnamRestaurants

Cheonan solo Korean BBQ with a fresh wasabi self-bar: Euljiro

Euljiro Yeontan Gui Cheonan Buldang Branch is a charcoal-grill meat and seafood restaurant in Buldang-dong, right next to Cheonan City Hall. Arriving right at opening, the writer ordered beef rib finger meat, marinated beef rib finger meat and garlic skirt meat, served with frozen radish salad plus fresh wasabi and pineapple from the self-bar. The first order starts at 300g and extra meat comes in 100g steps, so even a solo diner can work through several cuts.

Written Aug 11, 2026Sponsored
PlaceSongpa, SeoulRestaurants

Songpa fish shop half jack mackerel, half croaker: Yeongjae Susan

Yeongjae Susan is a sashimi and seafood takeout shop at 1F C-10, Garak Mall Sales Building in Songpa, Seoul, a two-minute walk from Garak Market Station. Ordering the jack mackerel sashimi combo and asking for croaker too, the owner split the plate half jack mackerel and half croaker and added croaker swim bladder and blanched croaker skin for free. Raw shrimp were eaten as sashimi first and the rest pan-grilled, and both the sashimi and the grilled shrimp were worth the trip.

Written Aug 19, 2026Sponsored
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