Goun Chatjib - A Chinese Tea House in Sinchon

Goun Chatjib is one of my favorite cafes in Sinchon, because of the fact that I have always really loved traditional Chinese tea.  Goun Chatjib has the full set up with all the ingredients necessary to make it in the shop, but they also sell tea pots, cups and tea that you can make at home.

There are so many different types of tea on the menu that it may be a little bit overwhelming at first.  The people who work here are extremely kind so you can ask them for a recommendation.  There are types of tea offered that I didn't even know existed prior to coming here.  They have of course white, green and black tea as well as several fermented puer varieties.  There are also a few other Chinese teas as well as tea from Taiwan.

In addition to all of this, there are also several Korean style teas as well such as ginger tea, yujacha, omijacha and several fruit teas such as a orange or grapefruit.  On top of all of this, they also have other more common teas like rooibos, peppermint, lavender, mate, chamomile, et. at.  Finally, they also have a special iced black tea (one of my favorites) and some other deserts like bingsu.  Like I said before, the menu in this place is extensive.

The atmosphere in Goun Chatjib is very quite and relaxing and on top of everything, the tea at this place is extremely affordable.  Most of the varieties range between 4,000 to 7,000 won.  The place is very clean and calming, and it is one of my favorite places to go work on my laptop during the day.

Interior

Traditional Chinese Tea

Alternate Tea Making Set up for One

Teas

Teas and Cups

More Cups

Tea Pots

Puer Teas

More Puer Teas

Milk Teas, Black Teas and Fruit Teas

Traditional Korean Teas, Fruit Teas and Herb Teas

"Hwacha" and European Black Teas

Green Teas, White Teas and Yellow Teas

Black Teas

Chinese and Taiwanese "Qing-cha" Varieties

Deserts, Bingsu and Iced Black Tea

I recently went back to this place and had their black tea affogato which was very interesting as well and wanted to add a few pictures of this.  It came with green tea ice cream and the black tea was so strong it was about as bitter as coffee.  It was quite the combination.

Black Tea Affogato

Another Angle

Old Address System: 서울특별시 마포구 노고산동 33-19 108호

New Address System: 서울특별시 마포구 신촌로20길 9 가동 108호

Goun Chatjib on Google Maps

Goun Chatjib on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about Goun Chatjib

Nice Tea Pics

Great Shots of Interior, Tea Ceremony and Owner

Nice Pics of Tea Making

Sinchon Donburimono 신촌돈부리모노 - A Japanese Place in Sinchon

Sinchon Donburimono as the name suggests is primarily a donburi place in Sinchon, but they also had udon and some other dishes and sides.  The testament to how good this place is, is it's popularity.  Don't be surprised to wait when you come to this place if it is during regular eating times.  The line is usually out the door.  However, there is a secret I'll let you in on.  Sinchon Donburimono has two locations, and although the second location is not far from the station and the quality is just as good, it is nowhere as close to as busy as the original location.

I have been to this place on several occasions and I have had a few of their dishes.  The donburi is excellent as is the karaage and udon.  There is only one thing that I ate that I did not like as much as I had expected and that was the Salmon over rice.  Another issue with Sinchon Donburimono is that the portions tend to be on the smaller side and I recommend ordering at least three things for two people.  However, the prices are low making that aspect acceptable.

This place has a quick get in and out sort of feel to it.  It is quiet and a nice place to go with a friend, but if you with big groups or in instances where you want to talk for a while or drink, you might consider another restaurant.

Storefront of the Original Location

Menu

Menu

Simple Donburi

Fried Chicken (Karage)

Original Location
Old Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 창천동 5-95 1층

New Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 연세로4길 46 1층

Original Location of Sinchon Donburimono on Google Maps

Original Location of Sinchon Donburimono on Naver Maps

New Location
Old Address System: 서울특별시 마포구 노고산동 33-19

New Address System: 서울특별시 마포구 신촌로20길 9

New Location of Sinchon Donburimono on Google Maps

New Location of Sinchon Donburimono on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about Sinchon Donburimono

Pics of Storefront, Menu, Standard Donburi and Salmon Donburi

Pics of Udon, Raw Beef Rice, and Salmon Rice

Pics of Noodles, Donburi, Okonomiyaki

Awesome Talk Cafe - International Language Exchange Cafe in Sinchon

Awesome Talk is an international language exchange cafe that is open five days a week in Sinchon.  It is closed on Monday and Thursday, but every other day you can go and there tend to be people there.  I haven't been in recent times, but each day is made for to study a specific language, or for other special events like parties and making friends.

This is a great place for expats to hang out when they want to speak English.  There are all types of English meet up groups in Seoul, but this one in particular is quite nice because it is always there and always open.  The reason that this makes Awesome Talk stand out as opposed to other meet up groups is because you often see the same faces in the cafe and therefore you get to know the people well and make friends.  At other meet up groups it can be a crap shoot.

If you are looking to practice Korean, then Sunday is the day for you, but this is not the greatest cafe for Korean practice in my opinion.  This is a great place when you want a break from speaking Korean and to speak English.  There are also days dedicated to other languages, and some of them tend to be quite studious.

Awesome Talk is a bit hit or miss in terms of how many people show up at the place.  At times the cafe is completely full with really cool people, and at others there are few people to talk to.  However, if you have time to go consistently, you can make friends with a lot of people including the workers and the owner so it is fun even on slow days.

Awesome Talk Sign

The Entrance to Awesome Talk

Old Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 창천동 52-119

New Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 연세로7안길 32

Awesome Talk on Google Maps

Awesome Talk on Naver Maps

Additional Information about Awesome Talk

Official Awesome Talk Meetup Page

Korea Bridge Article about Awesome Talk

Awesome Talk Facebook Page

Yutakana 유타카나 - A Japanese Bento, Curry and Donburi Place in Sinchon

Yutakana is a Japanese bento place in Sinchon that I have gone to several times and never been disappointed.  This is a great little gem that anyone who lives in the area should know about, and can go to from time to time.

Yutakana has the atmosphere of a quiet Japanese bar or sake house, and is a great place to take a date for dinner and drinking is optional.  Although they do have Japanese beer and sake, the atmosphere of this place does not make you feel like you have to drink.  It is an interesting restaurant bar in between mix.  There are huge windows which make this place an outdoor feel that makes it a great place to go during summer.

I generally order the bentos at this place, my favorite being the roasted duck bento.  As with most Japanese bentos, it comes with a massive array of all different kinds of things and duck is really only a small part of what you are getting.  There is seafood, fried food, fish eggs, fish cakes and a whole lot more that comes along with this dish. In another bowl that comes below the bento bowl there is some seasoned rice that also comes along with it.

In addition to bentos, this place also serves donburi and curry.  The only comment that I can make is that the donburi was a bit smaller than expected.  However, it does come with unlimited rice, but I would rather fill up on something other than rice personally.  There is also udon which is also very good.

All in all this is a great place to add to the list and I recommend it highly.

Unfortunately, I do not have any photos of the food at Yutakana, so please consult the blogs below for pictures of the food.

Storefront

Old Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 창천동 13-36

New Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 연세로4길 36

Yutakana on Google Maps

Yutakana on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about Yutakana

Pics of Storefront, Menu, Curry and Bento

Extensive Pics of Curry and Menu

Pics of Donburi, Fried Food and Curry

Pics of Bento and Donburi

Seorae Kalmegi 서래 갈매기 - Great Chain Meat Place

Seorae is one of my favorite meat places that is a huge chain all over Korea.  I am pretty sure that this place started in Daegu which is where I lived when I first got to Korea.  This place has it all.  The atmosphere is excellent the food is cheap and tasty, and it will leave you feeling satisfied.

This place has a noisy bar like atmosphere like a lot of meat places do, and it is definitely a great place to go with big groups of people.  It is a great place to go to get your fix of food and drink before going out on a weekend night especially with friends.  I would not exactly recommend Seorae as a romantic date spot, but if you are into the more fun and party type of dates then it is definitely a good place to go.

The main meat that they serve at this place is kalmaegisal which is one of my favorite cuts.  They have both a marinated version which is a little spicy and normal version.  I personally prefer the normal version, but both are pretty tasty.  The meat at Seorae is about 15,000 for 500 grams which is a much better price than most of the other meat restaurants in the Sinchon area.  The one issue with Seorae is that there are not too many sides, only onions, salad and bean sprouts which is normal for Sinchon, but bad in other parts of the country.

Unfortunately, I do not have any photos of the food at Seorae, so please refer to the blogs for photos of the food.

Storefront

Seorae is a huge chain place with several locations.  Below the details to the Sinchon location are listed.  Here is a general Naver Maps search for all locations of Seorae Kalmegi

Old Address System (Sinchon Location): 서울특별시 서대문구 창천동 52-139

New Address System (Sinchon Location): 서울특별시 서대문구 연세로7안길 26 현 빌딩

Seorae Kalmegi's Sinchon Location on Google Maps

Seorae Kalmegi's Sinchon Location on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about Seorae

Good Photos of Meat and Sides

Extensive High Quality Photos of Meat, Storefront, Etc.

Photos of Sides, Meat, Shop, Etc.

Gosami - Fried Fish in Sinchon

I have tried several of the fried fish places in Sinchon and one of them stands out above the rest due to its awesome atmosphere, low price and generous portions.  This place is of course Gosami.  Gosami is located in a place that is a bit difficult to find for people who are new to Sinchon, but if you use the map locations below, you should have no trouble.

The atmosphere of Gosami is like that of the bars that are open all day in Spain.  It is busy and action packed.  You feel like you would have no trouble drinking here even in the middle of the day, but you also wouldn't mind bringing someone here to discuss business.  It is a hip, trendy and all purpose type of place and it is quite famous in Sinchon as shown by the photos of famous people who have eaten there covering the walls.

There are a few different types of fish that are served at this delicious restaurant, and despite the fact that the price may look a little high for one, it is enough to serve two easily.  Most people order both a fish and a soup and split those between two people which makes Gosami relatively inexpensive.  I usually get the Samchi which comes with a massive portion and I vary the soups which are all of good quality.

Gosami is a fun place to take your friends or family and I recommend it as one of the best fish places I have eaten at in Sinchon.

Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of the food at Gosami, so please consult the blogs below for additional photos of the food.

Storefront

Storefront and Menu

Samchi and Godeungeo

Old Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 창천동 53-8

New Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 연세로7안길 38

Gosami on Google Maps

Gosami on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about Gosami

Storefront, Menu, Shop, Food Pics

Extensive Pics of Shop and Food

Good Pics of Menu and Food

Norangtongdalk - Best Chain Chicken Place

Norangtongdalk is a chain chicken place that I have seen at least a few locations of in Seoul.  I have only ever been to the one in Sinchon, so I don't know if the quality varies between locations but the Sinchon location is to die for.  There are countless chicken restaurants in Sinchon, and Norangtongdalk is may very well be the best out of all of them.

Norangtongdalk has a bar and party like atmosphere that makes it a good place to go out drinking on a Friday night.  It is a great place to go with a group of friends and have a few beers or some soju while you chow down on some of the best fried chicken Seoul has to offer.  The place is loud and happening.  It is extremely popular, but the wait times are usually not too long if there is one at all.

I generally always get the three variety combo plate which comes with plain fried chicken, a spicy chili sauce chicken and another variety marinated in a delicious sauce with onions.  The one that comes with the onions is like heaven in your mouth, but all of the different types are tasty.  The only sides that come at this place are radish and salad as well as a chili sauce and salt for dipping.  I have been to several of the chicken places in Sinchon, and Norangtongdalk stands out as well above most of the others.

Be aware that this place is open only in the evenings and at night.

Storefront

Chicken Menu

Extras on the Menu

Three Varieties of Chicken

Note: This is a chain restaurant with several locations.  The information below is about the Sinchon location, but you may be able to find a Norangtongdalk near you.  Here are all the locations of Norangtongdalk on Naver Maps.

Old Address System (Sinchon Location): 서울특별시 서대문구 창천동 52-8

New Address System (Sinchon Location): 서울특별시 서대문구 연세로11길 10

Norangtongdalk Sinchon Location on Google Maps

Norangtongdalk Sinchon Location on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about Norangtongdalk

Storefront, Interior, Menu, Chicken

Storefront, Chicken, Sides

Aromdee Thai - Sinchon

Aromdee Thai is a small Thai restaurant that just opened up in Sinchon.  At the time of writing this this place has only been open for about a week, but I have already had the chance to eat there once trying two of their dishes and a Thai Iced Tea.  Aromdee is definitely good enough to make it onto this blog, and it blows the only other Thai place I know of (Bangkok Express) out of the water.

We ordered one of the noodle soups and the shrimp yellow curry.  The broth of the soup was excellent and it came with generous portions of meat and veggies.  The yellow curry was also very good, but it was a bit different from the yellow curries that I have had before.  It has some sort of an egg or tofu base, and was not drowning in curry sauce like the others that I have had.

The atmosphere in this place is just a small family style restaurant that would be good to go with friends or on a date.  They have some pretty cool decorations in the place as well that make it quite colorful.  The food and atmosphere make this place one that I would definitely recommend to anyone, and I will certainly be going back to try some more of their dishes.

Storefront

Menu

Interior

Beef Soup

Soup, Crab Curry and Rice

Yellow Curry Shrimp

Old Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 창천동 5-86

New Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 연세로4길 52

Aromdee Thai on Google Maps

Aromdee Thai on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about Aromdee Thai

Extensive Pics of Storefront, Menu, Food, Restaurant

Tons of Pictures of the Storefront, Menu, Food, Etc.

Pics of Food, Etc.

Yunssi Grill Bang - Great Fusion Korean in Hongdae

Yunssi Grill Bang is a Korean fusion restaurant that is located in Hongdae's new happening district, Yeonnam-dong.  If you have never been to Yeonnam-dong which is out exit 3 of Honggik University Station, you should absolutely make the trip.  There is a park that was put in recently that is a wonderful place to hang out on summer nights and a ton of foreign restaurants with excellent food.  Yeonnam-dong is more quiet than the rest of Hongdae, but still keeps the cool modern atmosphere which is making it a hot place among Koreans.

Yunssi Grill Bang is one of those places that makes Yeonnam-dong so cool.  This place is extremely popular and so it almost always has a huge line outside the door.  The atmosphere in this place is excellent for a Friday night out with the friends and gives a sort of a bar like feel.  You will enjoy Yunssi Grill Bang is you like soju, but it is also just a nice place to go with friends or even for a fun date.

This place features a variety of set menus, many of which involve a special type of samgyupsal (pork belly) that has been smoked or marinated to give it a special touch.  The meat comes with a variety of side dishes that you can choose from.  We had a gugbab (a soup dish containing rice) and bibimnengmyeon (mixed cold noodles).  I especially liked the gugbab and samgyupsal, but the nengmyeon was also quite good.

This is a very unique restaurant that makes Korean food, but with a twist that makes it stand out just about every other restaurant that I have been to.  This is fusion food that is done well, and everything here tastes great.  I have noticed though that some Koreans do not find this restaurant as good as I do, and I think this is because they have an expectation of how Korean food should taste and this place deviates from that expectation.  However, like I said there is always a huge line outside this place which shows it popularity.

I apologize for not having pictures of the food, but you can consult the blogs below for food photos.

Yunsssi Grill Bang Storefront

Old Address System: 서울특별시 마포구 연남동 228-8

New Address System: 서울특별시 마포구 성미산로 184

Yunssi Grill Bang on Google Maps

Yunssi Grill Bang on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about Yunssi Grill Bang

Extensive Pictures of Restaurant, Menu and Food

Extensive Photos of the Restaurant, Food, and Menu

Storefront, Food and Menu Pics

Pizza Mall - An All You Can Eat Pizza Place That Tastes Just Like Home

Pizza Mall is one of those buffet chains that are oh so popular in Korea.  It is similar to many of the other popular buffet chains like Ashley's, Sushi-O, etc. but their specialty is pizza and that is about half of what they serve at this place.  The other half is a variety of pastas, salads, deserts, drinks, and other typical foods that you might find at one of these typical buffet places.

About a year or so ago there was an all you can eat special that Pizza Hut was running a few times that also came with a salad bar, and at that time I was getting my fix of stuffing my face with cheap pizza.  When that disappeared, it left a little hole in my heart, a hole that has been filled with Pizza Mall.

This place is actually not all that expensive.  At lunch it is 9,900 won and for dinner and weekends they charge 12,900 for a no limit all you can eat buffet.  I am going to have to be completely honest and say that this is not the most high quality food that you can find, and not everything included in the buffet is extremely delicious or anything like that.

That being said, several of the pizzas are quite good and taste exactly like home.  The pepperoni pizza tastes exactly like a typical pizza place back in the states, and I also found the four cheese pizza to be quite tasty.  There are several other varieties of pizza that are included in the buffet, ranging from good, OK to I'm not enjoying this.  The other items are a good balance because they although veggies and greens are not plentiful they do exist.

Several of the other items were also good enough for a buffet place, but it really was a few variety of the pizzas that make me want to give this place a recommendation.  They do an awesome job with a few and since it is a buffet, you can just fill up on those that you like and leave those you don't.

The atmosphere in this place is fine for all occasions.  It is a family style restaurant, but could work fine for dates or special occasions as well.  It has the feel that most of these buffet style restaurants give off which is that of a department store where all are welcome into the factory.  Nothing extreme about it at all.

I apologize for not having pictures of this place, but we arrived quite late and were too busy eating to take them.  Please check the blogs below for pictures.




*Note: Pizza Mall is chain with many locations.  Below you will find the Sinchon location, but there may be a Pizza Mall near you.  Here is a Naver Maps search for all locations of Pizza Mall

Old Address System (Sinchon Location): 서울특별시 마포구 노고산동 57-1 그랜드마트 5층

New Address System (Sinchon Location): 서울특별시 마포구 신촌로 94 그랜드플라자

Pizza Mall Sinchon Location on Google Maps

Pizza Mall in Sinchon on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about Pizza Mall

Extensive Pics of Interior, Set up, Food, Etc.

Lots of Food Pics

Interior and Food Pics

The Baker's Table - German Restaurant and Bakery - Itaewon

The Baker's Table is a German style restaurant and bakery located near Haebangchon and Geongridan.  I have been to this place several times, and to be perfectly frank I think it is quite hit or miss.  Some of their menu items are fantastic and other things I thought were just OK.

The Baker's Table has the atmosphere of a calm cafe, where you can still get real food.  It feels like those cafe/bar/restaurant mixes that really only exist in Europe.  It is a great place for a relaxed brunch on a calm Sunday morning.  It has a relaxed and calm cafe vibe.

I have had a few of the paninis, sandwiches and some of the other entrees that they serve at this place, but I have actually never made it down there to try the brunch.  I thought the paninis were not really all that good, but most of the other dishes were pretty good.

I have had a few of their sandwiches and I thought they were quite good.  One in particular that is really nice is the steak sandwich.  It comes with a generous portion of steak, and the freshness of the vegetables in the sandwich are really what makes it so good.

The entree that I had that I thought was quite good was the schnitzel.  The meat portions are very generous, and the schniztel comes in two varieties.  I recommend the one that comes with mashed potatoes and mushrooms, because the sides are at least as good as the meat itself.

The bread in this place is a mixed bag.  I enjoyed some of it and I didn't enjoy others.  One thing to be aware of is this is a German place, so the bread tends to be quite think, especially compared to other places in Korea.  If you experiment around you can find something you like here.

Schnitzel with Fries

Schnitzel with Mashed Potatoes and Mushrooms

Old Address System: 서울특별시 용산구 이태원동 691

New Address System: 서울특별시 용산구 녹사평대로 244-1

The Baker's Table on Google Maps

The Baker's Table on Naver Maps

Additional Blogs about The Baker's Table:

Pics of Bread, Menu, Brunch

Full Menu, Bread and Food Pics

Bread, Menu, Entrees, Sandwiches

Seolbing 설빙

Seoulbing is a bingsu (shaved ice) restaurant with about a million locations throughout Seoul and probably all of Korea.  It is a very popular huge chain, and at the time of writing this they recently released their Strawberry Bingsu which has made a lot of my Korean friends want to go there to give it a try.

Most of the Seoulbing restaurants are big and loud.  They have a nice atmosphere for a date or for a group of friends, and there is always one that is around no matter what area you are in.  This makes the place extremely convenient, and they have good consistency at all of the locations that I have been.  It is definitely a solid place with good quality food.

Their bingsu is made with sweetened condensed milk and extra is given on the side to make it extra sweet.  It often has rice cakes and red bean paste in it as is traditional with bingsu, but they also have a ton of fruit, chocolate and other varieties as well.

This time we had the Strawberry bingsu and it was delicious.  They have two varieties, a standard and a premium.  Pictured below is the standard which comes with strawberries, red bean and rice cake which tastes like Japanese Mochi.  I have also tried the premium which comes with chocolate and cheesecake as well.  I actually thought the standard might have been better than the premium version, but that is probably a matter of taste.

Seoulbing is a solid restaurant and everything that I have had there is of above average quality.  There are specialty bingsu places that have more charm, but for a massive chain place with locations just about everywhere, this place is excellent.

Strawberry Bingsu

I recently went back to Seolbing and tried their honey bread with ice cream and I wanted to comment on that down there.  It was sweet sliced bread with possibly some rice cake in the middle covered with injeolmi (which is a bean powder), honey and a scoop of ice cream.  The warm crunchy bread provided a great contrast for the ice cream and this is a great sweetfest if you are looking for that.

Honey Bread with Ice Cream

Seoulbing's Official Website

Additional Blogs about Seolbing:

Storefront, Menu, Pricing, Bingsu!

Premium Strawberry Bingsu and Bread

Injeolmi Bingsu

연어상회 - Salmon Store - Yeoneo SangHwe - Sinchon

Yeoneo Sanghwe is an unlimited refill Salmon place that I have recently been seeing pop up all over the place.  This place generally has a huge line outside of it so I have been hesitant to go for a really long time, but today I was with a friend and we saw it with a shorter line than usual so we decided to try it out.  Despite thinking that there was only one person in front of us, there were actually two others who had called in.  I think this really speaks to the popularity of this place.

This place has the atmosphere of a place you would go out with your friends to drink in a Friday night.  It is upbeat and loud, and I saw some people drinking something that looked like Mango Makoli (a Korean wine made from rice), but I am not sure what it was.

There are three different options that include unlimited salmon, all of which are between 14,000 and 17,000 won.  The one that we ordered came with jeon (a Korean pancake), salad, breaded and deep fried squid and salmon eggs for sides.  The most expensive one also came with yukhwe (raw beef).

The salmon is clearly frozen, but despite that, it is actually quite tasty.  All of the sides were excellent as well.  One minor drawback is that the sides are not unlimited.  If you are planning on gorging yourself at this place, then I recommend pacing yourself on the sides and consuming as much salmon early on so you aren't left at the end with piles of salmon and no sides.  I think eating frozen salmon without anything else wouldn't be to tasty.

Anyways, this place is definitely worth checking out as long as you aren't a sushi snob.  The salmon is pretty good quality, but it is not of top quality.  Overall I'd say it's pretty good value considering the price.

Our Entire Set

Without the Fried Food

Sinchon Location on Google Maps

Sinchon Location on Naver Maps

New Address System: 서울 서대문구 연세로12길 20 현석빌딩

Old Address System: 서울특별시 서대문구 창천동 46-12

Additional Blogs about Yeoneo Sanhwe

Pics of Storefront, Menu, Food

Good Food Pics

Storefront, Menu, Food