Cosmic Mansion Hannam • 코스믹맨션 한남점

Cosmic Mansion Hannam (코스믹맨션 한남점) is a home fragrance shop that is tucked away in one of the alleyways of Hannam-dong (한남동). This local brand has been around since 2013 and is probably considered one of the more famous niche fragrance brands in Seoul with its own loyal following. The brand has a sleek, minimalistic monochromatic branding and they sell high-quality, eco-friendly and all-natural scented products with affordable price.

Cosmic Mansion (코스믹맨션) is actually one of (if not) the first fragrance stores that I visited during my very first trip to Hannam-dong years ago when I was first visiting Seoul. It was one of the shops that left quite an impression on me since fragrance stores back then were not as abundant as they are now in city. Back then, if I remember correctly, they’re mainly focusing on home fragrance products (candle, soaps, room sprays, diffusers). But now, they’ve expanded their product lineup to include linen sachets, perfume and body & hand care products as well. I usually try to stop by the store every time I’m in the area and on every single visit, I usually ended up buying something before walking out of the store. My last purchase was 2 bottles of their Our Maison room spray (Scent: ‘Another Morning’ & ‘Garden Rain’) and ‘Another Morning’ perfume. Love their scents.

If you’re looking for an alternative or a more affordable options than the usual Tamburins, Grandhand or Non-Fiction selections, Cosmic Mansion is definitely the brand you should check out.

 

Cosmic Mansion • 코스믹맨션

Address: 서울 용산구 이태원로54길 31 2층
Telephone: 0507-1316-0652
Hours: Everyday 11:00 - 20:30

Instagram: @cosmicmansion
Cosmic Mansion Website

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House of Vinyl Mangwon • 하우스오브바이닐 망원점

House of Vinyl Mangwon (하우스오브바이닐 망원점)—just as the name suggests—is a vinyl cafe located in Mangwon (망원동) neighborhood in Seoul. The cafe occupies a house-like building with interior set up just like a cozy vintage living room, making coming here feel like visiting a friend’s home. In the main area of the cafe, there’s a record player, sound system speakers and a shelf between the speakers with their current nine picks of vinyl records on display. Next to and above the window that lets in natural light into the space, there are more vinyls that are stored neatly as a part of their in-house collection. 

What makes this cafe unique is on top of the fact that you can listen to LP records that are playing on rotation, guest can also request one song per person to play during their visit (although this is subject to availability and if they don’t have the requested song on their LP collections, they’ll play the digital format for you).

There are about 18 seats that are spread around different corners of the cafe, with almost all of them are for 2-person party. And since the place is not too big, they do impose a 1.5 hours usage time and a 1-person-1-drink-order rule for visiting patrons. For the menu, they serve coffee, non-coffee drinks, tea and a selection of desserts including a pretty uncommon option, the Pavlovas. Due to the pretty loud music playing inside the cafe, noise level at this place is pretty high. While it’s not too busy during the weekdays (at least when I was visiting), the cafe can get busy during the weekends with people lining up to get a seat inside the space. 

With the significant rise in popularity of vinyls these past past couple of years, House of Vinyl Mangwon (하우스오브바이닐 망원점) definitely has its own appeal and charm to LP as well as music and coffee enthusiasts and makes it a unique spot to visit in Seoul. 

 

House of Vinyl Mangwon • 하우스오브바이닐 망원점

Address: 서울 마포구 희우정로16길 23 1층
Telephone: 0507-1321-9546
Hours: Everyday 11:00 - 22:00

Instagram: @houseofvinyl_mangwon

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Heuk Hwa Dang Hongdae • 흑화당 홍대점

Heuk Hwa Dang Hongdae (흑화당 홍대점) is a Korean premium tea and dessert house that first became popular because of their Taiwan-inspired drinks such as Brown Sugar Milk Tea (흑당 버블밀크티) and Boba Milk Tea (버블 밀크티). On top of that, the South Korean franchise also sells coffee, tea fruit drinks, and ice cream that are made with high quality ingredients and local Taiwanese recipes. After gaining popularity in the local market, Heuk Hwa Dang began their international expansion in 2019 and has now opened additional outlets in Japan, Malaysia, and the US.

I first found Heuk Hwa Dang a couple years ago when I was craving for some boba milk tea when I was visiting Seoul. Although milk tea options are usually present in majority of cafe menus in Seoul, finding boba milk tea spots is actually pretty hard back then (there’s more options now in Seoul, but still nothing compared to the options we have in South East Asia or China in my opinion). And so when I found this spot, I was super happy because their milk tea is good AND their boba is also good (if you know, not all places can have both). Since their menu is based on Taiwanese recipes, their milk teas actually taste like the ones you’d find in Taiwan. Their signature ‘Brown Sugar Bubble’ (boba)—which is boiled fresh every 4 hours—also has the right taste and chewiness that I like.

🧋  Jasmine Bubble Milk Tea 쟈스민 버블 밀크티 ₩5,700 • 9.5/10

The tea is fragrant, the ratio of milk and tea is great, the boba is delicious and it tastes like Taiwanese style bubble milk tea. Overall, a solid Jasmine Bubble Milk Tea. Other menus I usually get from this place are the Green Bubble Milk Tea (녹차 버블 밀크티) and the Black Bubble Milk Tea (홍차 버블 밀크티). Both are also solid options in my opinion.

The cafe itself is not very big in this location. Seatings are limited to about 12 seats inside so most people usually do takeouts if they’re buying just drinks. Also, in case you didn’t know, some cafes in Korea don’t allow you to use takeout cups to sit inside the cafe (they’ll serve your drink in regular cups/mugs if you do dine-in). So if you order for takeout, you really need to leave the cafe and enjoy your drinks outside. This place is one of those places. 

What I like about this location is that it’s actually located in the middle of Hongdae (only 132m from Hongdae Station exit 9 홍대입구역9번출구) so it’s pretty easy to get to. And it closes pretty late (11:30 pm) compared to other cafes in general so I can usually get my boba fix after dinner. 

If you’re looking for a good boba or milk tea spot in Seoul, would definitely recommend you to try this one.

 

Heuk Hwa Dang Hongdae • 흑화당 홍대점

Address: 서울 마포구 어울마당로 115-2 1층
Telephone: 02-322-1636
Hours: Everyday 11:00-23:30

Instagram: @heuk_hwa_dang

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Kodak Corner Shop Seongsu • 코닥 성수직영점

Kodak Corner Shop Seongsu (코닥 성수직영점) is probably one of the most iconic and eye-catching shops in the trendy neighborhood of Seongsu-dong (성수동). Their bright yellow store facade combined with the retro aesthetic of one of the most well-known photography brands in the world often captured every passerby’s attention, inviting them to come into the store to explore more.

And more you’ll find as soon as you decide to enter the space. Not only can you find a collection of Kodak vintage cameras, 35mm slides and posters on display, but you can also find clothing and accessories—The Kodak Apparel—inside the Kodak Corner Shop. The Kodak Apparel (different from the Eastman Kodak company) itself is developed and designed by a South Korean firm called Highlight Brands (a division of Modern Works) who licenses the iconic Kodak name and logo to create a clothing line that is inspired by Kodak’s iconic heritage. The collections have that Kodak’s unique retro look but combined with a newer, trendier aesthetic that appeal to the more modern audience. The Seoul Kodak Corner Seongsu flagship store opened in early 2024 and has become one of the popular spots to visit by photography and fashion enthusiasts alike. 

 

Kodak Corner Shop Seongsu • 코닥 성수직영점

Address: 서울 성동구 연무장7길 3-1 1층
Telephone: 0507-1372-7965
Hours: Everyday 10:30-20:30

Instagram: @kodak_seongsu

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Matsunohana The Hyundai Seoul • 마츠노하나 더현대서울점

Matsunohana (마츠노하나) is an authentic Japanese restaurant specializing in Tendon (tempura donburi). Located in the basement of The Hyundai Seoul (더현대서울), Matsunohana serves a variety of Japanese meals centered on crispy Tendon and delicious Donburi with some additional seasonal menus. The restaurant itself is pretty spacious with clean modern design and plenty of two-person tables available making this a perfect place for solo diners and office workers around Yeouido who’s looking to grab a quick lunch. 

I’ve passed by this restaurant a couple of times before during lunch/dinner rush hours and they always seem to have a long line of people waiting for tables in front of the store. And every time I saw this, it always made me wonder on how good their tempura is. So one day when I was craving for some tempura, I decided to give this place a try. I went for a super late lunch on a Tuesday during odd hours (2:45 pm to be precise) to avoid the line. And my plan seemed to have worked because the restaurant was empty when I arrived. Although minutes later, there were a couple of different groups of people who walked in and dined in at the restaurant. So I guess I’m not the only one who’s having a super late lunch at this hour.

But anyways, after I was promptly seated, I placed my order and the food came out 5 minutes after. So service is definitely really quick at this place.

Shoyu Salmon Ebi Tendon (쇼유사케에비텐동) ₩18,800 | 9.5/10

Opted for the Shoyu Salmon Ebi Tendon which includes crispy fried shrimp, soy sauce salmon, onsen tamago and white rice. The salmon sashimi was fresh, nicely cut and seasoned. The soy sauce coating the salmon has the right amount of saltiness. The Ebi tempura was also really good, fresh shrimp that’s cooked just right with their special soy sauce lightly brushed on the outside of the tempura so you don’t have to dip the tempura into a dipping sauce. I also love the crispy breading that they use (the type that doesn’t scar the the roof my mouth if you know what I mean).

Hanwoo Daechang (한우 대창) ₩8,000 | 8.5/10

Out of all the sides listed on the menu, their Hanwoo Daechang was the one that intrigued me the most. Usually having to eat daechang with a friend since the minimum ordering portion is usually 2 servings, I jumped at a chance to eat daechang as a side. The daechang was fresh, pretty big, nicely cut and covered in a red sauce that I thought was going to be too spicy for me who doesn’t eat spicy food well. But turned out, it actually wasn’t too spicy (at least it was manageable for me and for you who eat spicy food, this is probably not spicy at all). The texture of the daechang was also really good, chewy on the outside but soft on the inside. 

All and all, really liked the food that I ordered and will definitely come back again when I’m craving some tempura. If you’re ever in The Hyundai Seoul and have no idea what to eat, Matsunohana is definitely one place to try. 

 

Matsunohana • 마츠노하나

Address: 서울 영등포구 여의대로 108 더현대서울 지하1층
Telephone: 02-3277-0760
Hours: Monday-Thursday 10:30-20:00 | Friday-Sunday 10:30-20:30

Instagram: @matsu_no_1
Naver: 마츠노하나 더현대서울점

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