'Korean food' means food unique to Korea. It is characterized by making the most of the natural flavors and aromas of the ingredients compared to other foods. It is also well known as a healthy wellness food that mainly uses steamed or boiled recipes instead of frying and frying in oil. A new craze is blowing in the Korean food world, which was felt as static as the times were changing. Restaurants that present Korean food closest to our daily lives in a familiar yet new way have sprung up and are captivating the tastes of gourmets.
The main character is the “Korean Dining Bar,†where you can enjoy food and alcohol that combines Western, Japanese, French, and Italian styles with a Korean base. Creativity is incorporated into the sophisticated recipes of Korean food to create a single piece of food. We invite you to a new world of Korean food that you have never experienced before without losing the unique identity of Korean food. There are also more and more Korean catering restaurants that entrust everything to the chef, such as sushi and Korean beef omakase, adding to the range of choices. A collaboration of various alcoholic beverages and fresh Korean food! Here are 5 of the best Korean dining bars that go beyond omakase and tapas.
Seoul's Korean pick-up dining bar is Dosan Park Fish Market, Apgujeong Hwakefield, Apgujeong Rodeo Earl's Bistro, After the Sea of Mangwon-dong, Geumho-dong Kitchen Today, Apgujeong An Kitchen, Hyochang Park Yongmun-dong Mugeum House, Namyeong-dong Bampijang, Hapjeong Geumri, Apgujeong Kotabai, Dosan Park Bontae, Seochon Juban, Hongdae Yoon-seoul, Dosan Park Hojok Class, Geumho-dong, Seongsu, Seoul There are Rian, Seongsu Four Seasons, Seongsu Midorim, Seongsu Midorim, Yeonnam-dong Heart, Garosu-gil Ant House, Mulrae Chae Yun-hee, Dosan Park Kyuban, Dosan Park Mukjeon, Nambah in Jamsil, Haebang-chon Yunju-dang, Insadong Eum, Korean Bar Ansi Makgeolli in Gyeongridan-gil, and Jangbyeol-dong in Munjeong-dong.
1. Dosan Park's “Fish Museum†that makes the most of the unique flavors of seafood
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“Fish Meal Jeon Cheong†uses Korean cooking techniques to unravel a variety of seafood dishes. The first floor is a bar where you can enjoy à la carte seafood dishes, and the second floor is a room where you can enjoy a private course. The signature menu is an amuse bouche that is stacked like ice cream on an Ankimo minicon to enhance the taste buds and then prepare authentic dishes. Dishes made with seafood from all over the country, such as Goseong sweet shrimp capellini, steamed Taean octopus, and grilled South Sea mackerel, are characterized by being prepared using the natural flavors of the ingredients. It also stands out for its variety of main dishes consisting of five-ply pork cooked with sous vide and meat dishes made with grilled Korean beef sirloin on charcoal.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 16-7 Dosan-daero 49-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
▲Opening hours: 17:00 — 01:00 every day, closed on Sundays
â–²Price: 80,000 won for a side meal, 37,000 won for Korean beef
â–²Testimonial (Today's shikigin noodle soup): I went there because the chef was a male chef, and it was also a success. In particular, the sweet shrimp capellini, which had a strong perilla oil flavor, still comes to mind. It was nice that the savory scent of perilla oil remained in my mouth. I felt that croffles topped with honey were also a dessert that made good use of current trends.
2. Apgujeong's 'Hwabingjang' with a Nordic fish market sensibility
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“Hwabingjang†is a second brand of the charcoal-grilled food specialty store “Charcoal Jangâ€. A seafood wine bar and whiskey sea aiming for a Nordic fish market style. You can enjoy watching food being prepared in a lively manner from the long counter seats along the open kitchen. The signature menu, “Hwabijang Mini Seafood Tower,†stands out for its stylish plating with seafood dishes on 2 floors. Cold dishes containing the freshness of seasonal seafood are served on the 1st floor, and warm dishes that make use of umami are served on the 2nd floor, respectively. This season, you can find oyster plates and steamed scallops, komak, and steamed conch. Please note that you must order 1 bottle with food.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 8, Apgujeong-ro 50-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
▲Opening hours: 16:00 — 22:00 every day, closed on Sundays
â–²Price: Hwabijang Mini Seafood Tower 45,000 won, Negido Tartar and Kimbugak 33,000 won
â–²Review (Shikigin Walnut Almond): Reservations are full in advance, so I recommend making a reservation 2-3 weeks in advance. There are so many different wines that go well with seafood, so the food was even more delicious. The seafood tower oysters were really about the size of the palm of your hand, and I think the ocean came right into my mouth as soon as I put them in my mouth. At the end, I ate ramen with lots of blue crab, and the soup was very rich.
3. Apgujeong Rodeo's 'Earl Su Bistro', a fantastic marriage of Korean food and traditional sake
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'Earl's Bistro' was created as a collaboration between Hongdae Korean bar 'Earsu' and CEO Lee Seung-hoon of Baekgom Makgeolli. You can enjoy pairing traditional sake with course meals based on traditional Banja cuisine. The signature menu is the “Appetizer Course,†which captures the flavors of the season with the most delicious ingredients each month. The mini mother-of-pearl box is filled with handmade incense made from mugwort, windproof herbs, and offal seaweed, marking the beginning of the April course. Next, anchovy sashimi sauce, snowy horse seafood chapchae, skewer dumpling & red bean paste tempura, spring herbs, rapeseed noodles with flavored clams, and mugwort ice cream topped with seopsan ginseng will be served one after the other. Among the courses, “skewer dumplings†made by filling them with minced meat between large pieces of yellowtail are the most popular. You can enjoy the moist juiciness and light fish meat at the same time.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: B1F, 39, Apgujeong-ro 48-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
▲Opening hours: 17:00 — 22:00 every day, closed on Sundays and Mondays
â–²Price: Snack course 55,000 won, traditional sake pairing course (4 types) 33,000 won
â–²Testimonial (Shikigami 4-Dimensional Dream Rabbit): There are 4 types and 7 types of traditional sake pairings, but on this day, I chose 7 types! Depending on the menu that changes every month, it's fun to change the traditional sake as well. The skewer dumpling is a unique dish I've tried for the first time, but it's ten times more delicious when eaten with pickles! The side dishes made from fermented ingredients such as kimchi and soy sauce were also really delicious.
4. “Kitchen Today†in Kumho-dong comes with a new charm every month
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[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 9-1, Jangteo 5-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
â–²Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 18:00 to 22:00, Friday to Saturday 17:00 to 22:00, closed on Sunday
â–²Price: Assorted sashimi (2 people) 50,000 won, sea urchin and fish pasta 25,000 won
â–²Testimonial (The Nutcracker): It was a more difficult reservation war than getting tickets for a show. However, as soon as I saw the visual and taste of the group meeting, I immediately understood why it was so popular. Since the sashimi is thick, it still has a chewy flavor, but it's soft, so it feels like it melts and disappears!
5. An Kitchen in Apgujeong, a Korean tapas that you can casually enjoy
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“Anjuku†is a restaurant that sells noodles during the day, and is a great bar to enjoy a drink in the evening, showing two charms. We will present a tapas menu reinterpreted in Korean style, with yakitori as the main focus. The signature menu is “tuna ribs & salmon roe,†which consists of red tuna ribs and orange-colored salmon eggs piled on top of cucumber gimbap. Various ingredients, such as tuna with a rich flavor, popping salmon roe, and crunchy cucumber, come together to create a luxurious meal that fills your mouth. I also like to enjoy the set menu, which includes only popular items from the store, from oxtail pork to tuna ribs and salmon roe, half curry, fried egg, and skewers.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 13 Seolleung-ro 155-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
▲Opening hours: Noodle Kitchen 11:30 — 15:00 on weekdays, Anchi 17:30 — 00:00 every day
â–²Price: Tuna ribs & salmon roe 15,000 won, Ankitchen Best Set 51,000 won
â–²Review (Shikigami Bling Bling Yoni): It's a very popular place, so be sure to make a reservation to visit. Tuna ribs and salmon roe were eye-catching with their visuals the moment they appeared! It was unique because the tuna ribs were minced. If you put wasabi, tuna, or salmon roe on top of rice and dip it in soy sauce, it's a flavor you won't be able to stop eating. LOL, Tuesday cocktails are delicious, so I definitely recommend you try them.
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