Seoul Trip Report December 2024

[Mr_Happy]

Hongojib 혼고집

Sunday was my last full day in Seoul. For lunch on Sunday I walked to Hongojib in Myeongdong. They also have a location in Hongdae. Hongojib is a solo diner focused restaurant that serves KBBQ and sukiyaki. Diners sit in individual cubicle-like tables with dividers. It’s a bit like Ichiran in Japan but for KBBQ and sukiyaki rather than ramen.

Hongojib is another restaurant with a nifty tablet ordering system.

Each cubicle has a small gas powered grill.

I started out with a set that had pork belly (100g), beef belly (100g), and shoulder butt (100g). The cooking is done by the diner. The lunch set came with rice, miso soup, shredded cabbage, kimchi, and two dipping sauces - one which was thin and salty and another that was a bit like a thick teriyaki sauce. There’s also some scissors with which to cut your meat.

After the first round I added a few more meats via the tablet - some kalbi / short rib and some ribeye steak.

It was pretty good KBBQ. Not at the same level as Maple Tree House from a few days before of course, but I enjoyed the novel solo KBBQ experience.

[Mr_Happy]

Coffee Hanyakbang 커피한약방 & Hyemindang 혜민당

For an afternoon snack and coffee, I went to Coffee Hanyakbang and sister bakery Hyemindang.

Hanyakbang is hidden in a very narrow alley in Myeongdong, just a short walk from where I was staying.

There’s a table with a go board outside if you fancy a game.

Hanyakbang has a cool retro vibe. It’s looks like how I imagine someone’s living room from the 60’s would look like in Seoul (I have no idea how South Korean living rooms looked like in the 60’s). They have pour-overs, teas, and espresso drinks. Even though it is a bit hidden it was quite busy on a Sunday afternoon.

There’s more seating upstairs.

There was vinyl playing on a vintage sound system. They were playing a Carpenters LP and switched to some Anne Murray afterwards.

They also roast their coffee in the cafe. An employee was cranking a manual roaster in one corner.

I had a pour over coffee - a light roast from Ethiopia. After you order you get a pager.

Hyemindang is a sister bakery to Hanyakbang and is directly across the alley. I got a cruffin-like pastry from there after ordering my coffee.

Coffee and cruffin. The coffee was very good, as was the cruffin, which had a croissant-like outside with a shatteringly crispy layer. There was a cool vanilla custard within that wasn’t too sweet.

I wish I had known about Hanyakbang earlier in my trip, I probably would have went there every morning for coffee!

[Mr_Happy]

Mugunghwa 무궁화

For dinner on Sunday I went to Mugunghwa in Myeongdong for my sole fine dining dinner of this trip. Thanks to @klyeoh for the recommendation. Mugunghwa is named after the national flower of Korea, which is also known as rose of Sharon in English.

Mugunghwa is located on the 38th floor of the Lotte Hotel Seoul and was a short walk from where I was staying. The hotel is next to the Lotte Department Store. The dining room has some nice views of the city. They offered three tasting menus to choose from when making your reservation - Tae Baek 태 백 (￦195,000), Baek Rock 백 록 (￦240,000), and Mugungwha 무궁화(￦330,000). YOLO so I went for the Mugungwha menu.

주전부리
Welcome Dish
Dinner started with some welcome bites. There was walnut, gingko nuts, some thin crispy wafers, and some crunchy dried jujubes.

새우강정, 조개무침, 방어회
Deep-Fried Sliced Lotus Root Stuffed with Shrimp, Seasoned Clams with Tangerine Sauce Yellowtail Sashimi with Aged Kimchi Sauce
Next, some more little bites.

There was a lotus root stuffed with seafood and perfectly deep fried.

And a yellowtail sashimi that had a chili sauce, very nice.

And some delicious clams on top of a carrot and tangerine sauce.

진구절
Platter of Nine Delicacies
Vegetables, Beef and Mushrooms with Wheat Crêpes
Next came some DIY crepes. This was really good. I believe this was a Gujeolpan (구절판), which is a classic dish of Korean Royal Court Cuisine (thanks Google). You use the crepes to make little wraps filled with the eight different delicacies around them. The crêpes had a slightly chewy texture and colors. One was already made for me an example. There was a little dipping sauce provided that was like a sweet mustard sauce.

문어만두
Octopus Dumpling with Dried Shrimp Broth
Next came a delicious mandu filled with octopus and I believe pork. It was sitting on a foamy dried shrimp broth that had loads of umami.

생선구이
Grilled Fish with Gochujang and Sweet Pumpkin Sauce
And then, grilled monkfish, the lobster of the fish world. This was very good. It had that bouncy lobster-like texture that monkfish has. The sauce was sweet and a little spicy. There was also some zucchini and shrimp.

해삼증
Braised Sea Cucumber and Ginseng with Chicken and Mushroom Sauce
The sea cucumber had a texture a bit akin to mushroom. There was a fish or seafood cake underneath the sea cucumber and slices of chicken underneath that. The sauce was very nice - slightly thickened and gelatinous with lots of chicken and mushroom flavor.

궁중 신선로
Royal Casserole Served in a Special Hot Stove
Pan-Fried Seasonal Fish, Beef Slices and Vegetables in Hanwoo Broth
This was kind of like a hot pot. The broth, which was beef based, was nice and mellow, and was warmed with a coal powered heater. There were beef cake slices, fish cakes, vegetable omelette cakes, carrot slices, and gingko nuts.

한우 안심구이
Grilled Hanwoo Tenderloin
Next was some Hanwoo beef. The beef was cooked to about medium rare and was presented on a hot plate. So good! It was super tender and had a lot of flavor, especially for a tenderloin. Along with the steak on the hot plate, there was a mound of fish roe, a mushroom, and some salt to apply to the steak. There was also a small salad of chives on the side.

연잎밥, 홍합 청어알 비빔밥 또는 우리밀 국시 (택일)
Choice of Steamed Rice Wrapped in a Lotus Leaf, Bibimbap with Mussel and Herring Roe, or Korean Wheats Noodles in Beef Broth
There were three choices for the last savory dish of the dinner, all of which were rice or noodle dishes. I chose the Korean Wheat Noodles in Beef Broth because I am a sucker for noodle soup.
This had a milky white beef broth which was very flavorful. The noodles were a bit like somen, thin and not chewy. They caught a lot of the soup. There was a bit of tender shredded beef on top. It came with a sweet pickle and a radish kimchi. It was a very good bowl of noodles.

팥율무타락편, 바람떡, 군고구마아이스크림
Red Bean with Adlay Millet Pudding, Sweet Rice Cake, Roasted Sweet Potato Ice Cream
Next came the desserts with a cup of burdock tea. Clockwise from left - the chewy mochi rice cake, a red bean and millet pudding, and sweet potato ice cream. My favorite bite was the millet and red bean pudding. It had a nutty flavor and was not too sweet.

차와 다과
Korean Traditional Tea and Sweets
And some more desserts with a helpful description card in English. A date palm walnut rice puff, opuntia (a prickly pear, from Jeju) sticky rice puffs and fried twist cookie, and a gaeseong juak - a fried sticky rice cake coated with syrup

This was a very enjoyable dinner. I loved the refined takes on traditional Korean dishes.

[Mr_Happy]

Ace Four Club 에이스포클럽

For a nightcap I had a couple drinks at Ace Four Club in Euljiro, a short walk from my hotel. It’s a cozy bar on a second floor. I noticed it a few days prior when getting a haircut at the barber across from the bar.

The menu.

Net’s Coffee House 더위사냥
Mezcal, Cinnamon infused banana liqueur, Cold brew, Agave syrup, Fresh cream, Cocoa powder
I started with a Net’s Coffee House, which was kind of like a cold Irish coffee, only with mezcal. It was a very nice creamy dessert drink.

They closed this room of the bar a little bit after I arrived, but they have another bar room that has a different menu that closes later.

Hwasim Penicillin
Hwasim, Islay Whisky, Lemon, Homemade Ginger Syrup
In the other room I had a Hwasim Penicillin, which is a variation of the modern classic Penicillin cocktail. Normally a Penicillin has blended Scotch, lemon juice, and honey ginger syrup, shaken with a peaty smoky single malt Scotch float. This was a Penicillin but with Hwasim soju, a soju made with roasted rice, replacing the blended Scotch. It was quite nice, tasted a lot like a Penicillin but with a slightly different taste due to the soju replacing the Scotch, I thought it was a little lighter tasting and more refreshing than a standard Penicillin. I chatted with the bartender who was interested in what I thought about it, it turned out it was his creation.

Very good drinks and very friendly service.

[damiano]

Wow this looks amazing!

[digga]

It does indeed look amazing, but where is the fruit plate (anju)?!

[klyeoh (Peter)]

That looked so much better than the splendid meal I had there!

[Mr_Happy]

Inamjang 이남장

My flight back home was on Monday afternoon, and I had lunch at Inamjang in Euljiro before heading to the airport. Inamjang, which opened in 1977, specializes in seolleongtang, a beef bone soup that has a white milky color due to the long simmering process. Inamjang has several locations around Seoul but this one in Euljiro is the original.

Inamjang has two floors and I was directed to the second floor. After walking into the restaurant one can smell the distinctive slightly barnyard-like aroma of long cooked beef soup. I think it kind of sticks to the walls.

Menu - I ordered the Ox Bone Soup(Special) (₩20,000).

Some kimchi arrived - radish and Napa cabbage, along with some tongs and scissors to cut it up yourself. It may have been because I was hungry, but the cabbage kimchi was particularly good. The restaurant filled up quickly at around noon.

The seolleongtang had a plethora of assorted beef cuts. There was a fat piece of I think brisket, some flank slices, and even some super tender beef tongue. A small bowl of soy sauce and green onion was provided on the side to dip the beef into.

Also in the bowl was some rice and somen like noodles for some starch. The soup was milky white and collagen rich. It came unseasoned for the diner to adjust to their liking. I added a little salt and pepper and a lot of green onions from a large jar on the table. There was also some chili pepper available. It was a delicious bowl of seolleongtang and very filling.

For dessert and coffee I walked over to Coffee Hanyakbang, which is in the same block as Inamjang. This time I had a pour over of a light roast from Costa Rica, and a pain Suisse from Hyemindang, both of which were very good.

[Google_Gourmet]

Thanks for the great photos and delicious descriptions. I’m drooling!!

Need to plan a Korea trip in the near future!!!

[Mr_Happy]

Thanks!

[Mr_Happy]

At ICN I had an acceptable bibimbap from Sonsoo Bansang in the airport food court. It sure beats Taco Bell.

And that’s a wrap for this trip report! I really enjoyed the food during my stay.

[PedroPero (PETER)]

Thanks for taking us along on your journey! Lots of great food and drink was consumed

[TokushimaCook]

Thank you for your interesting and informative post & photos. Other than connecting flights at Seoul/Gimpo (Incheon wasn’t even open yet and “Gimpo” was still spelled “Kimpo”!) I’ve only been to Seoul once in 1985 to get my Japanese longterm visa (at the time you had to leave the country to change visa status…thankfully that’s no longer the case.)

It was an interesting experience (I was caught in the then monthly air raid drill!) especially after having grown up with many Korean friends in Glendale, CA. Finding fluent English speakers in 1985 Seoul wasn’t so easy, but every single person I came across was extremely kind and helpful.

I hope I can go again one day and if I’m able to, I will remember to try to look at this report before I go.

[digga]

Oh my—what a beautiful airport meal. That looks like something you would get at home if there was a good cook in the house. The miyuk guk (seaweed soup) in the center is one my very favorite things to eat so I’m glad to see it make an appearance in your report. Comfort food, fer sure.

Thanks for the report—I loved the way you dribbled in the individual dispatches because it gave me something to look forward to.

[GretchenS]

Thanks so much for the detailed reporting and great pics, such a pleasure to read!!

[Mr_Happy]

As an addendum, here’s some notes from a first-time traveller to Seoul:

Apps - I downloaded some apps onto my phone before arriving in Korea. The most helpful were:

• Naver Maps for navigation. Google Maps has limited use as it only has transit directions (no walking nor driving), although it did understand searches for Romanized names of places better than Naver Maps, which would sometimes return no result if you put in an English search term. Another nice thing about Naver Maps for solo diners is that they have a filter for solo friendly restaurants, which are labeled with an onigiri emoji.
• Papago for translation. It can translate from pictures as well. Google Translate also worked well.
• For Rideshare / Taxi - Kakao T and/or K. Ride. K. Ride is an English version of Kakao T that adds a surcharge. The Kakao T app is in Korean. I only had to find a taxi a couple of times and used each app once. You can link a foreign card to both apps. There’s also Uber, but I didn’t use it in Seoul.

Airport (ICN)

• Mobile Data - there are several telecom company kiosks near the exit of the airport right next to each other. I got a 10 day eSim from KT for my 9 day trip that was cheaper than buying a high speed data pass from T-Mobile (US) and also provided a Korean number for SMS etc. It was very easy to add an eSim - you simply scan a QR code on your phone. My phone allows for dual sim so I was able to use my US T-Mobile eSim at the same time.
• Airport Transport - getting from ICN airport into Seoul was pretty painless using a limo bus. I took the 6015 to Myeongdong, and it was about an hour-long ride early in the morning. There are self-service kiosks near the exit of the airport to buy tickets, and also a full service desk where you can also buy tickets and/or a T-money card for transit (cash only). You can also pay the driver with a T-money card or in cash. The bus has storage for luggage. You can also take the limo bus back to the airport.

Stay

• I stayed in the Myeongdong neighborhood. It was a good place to stay and very central. Myeongdong is known for shopping and fashion if you’re into that. If you are into nightlife, Hongdae to the west, Itaewon to the south, and Gangnam to the southeast are all within 30 minutes or so by subway.
• I stayed in the Lotte City Hotel Myeongdong and enjoyed my stay. It had toilets with bidets(!), a 7-11 convenience store attached to it that’s open 24/7 for snacks and necessities, and a small self-service laundry room that I made use of once. It’s also right next to a subway station entrance (Euljiro 3(sam)-ga station).

Dining

• In almost all of the restaurants I visited, you go to the front and pay after eating rather than getting a bill at your table. There are of course no tips nor service fees.
• A lot of restaurants had a little buzzer on the table if you need something. Also, utensils, bottle openers, extra napkins, etc. can sometimes be found in a drawer in the dining table.
• The Catchtable kiosk / app system was used in several restaurants I visited as a waiting list. Almost all of them took an email to put yourself on the line, but there was one I encountered that required a Korean phone number for SMS.

Transit / Transportation

• I bought a T-Money card at the airport and used it for subway fares and bus fares. You can reload it in a subway station and also in convenience stores. You can only reload it with cash. I found the subway to be fairly frequent and an easy way to get around the city, though it is not 24/7 and closes around midnight.
• I also took the bus, which was also a good experience. Remember to tap your T-money card both when entering and exiting the bus.
• I took a cab/ride-share twice, once with the K. Ride app and once with the Kakao T app. Both worked well. I was reminded by the apps that payment is handled by the app and you don’t need to pay the driver.
• For a day trip to Suwon, I took the KTX high speed train at Seoul Station which is the major transit hub in Seoul. There is also the ITX train which is a bit slower - I took this from Suwon Station back to Seoul Station, and the Mugunghwa train which is slower than the ITX. You can buy tickets through a self-service kiosk at the station. There were self-service kiosks marked for foreigners, I don’t think foreign cards work on the other ones. In Suwon Station I didn’t see any foreigner kiosks and bought a ticket from the counter.