Bluefish is expensive, but they’ve thought out every detail about the Korean Hwe (Raw Fish) dining experience. They vertically control their supply chain from boat to restaurant, taking care not to harm the fish the entire way. The fish are prepared tableside by talented chefs while you are waited on by debonair “butlers.” This is not a meal. It’s an experience.

Diner Rating

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Other Amenities: English menu

Phone: 02.565.8654

Website: http://ibluefish.co.kr

Location

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“Big Kev” Cyr started Chili King as a street food cart in Itaewon.  He then opened a small restaurant. Now’s he’s opened an even bigger one.  The namesake chili is indeed the king of chilis in Seoul (though a Texan purist may disagree).  The burgers are hearty, and he even includes chili dogs.  The jovial conversation with Kev while he cooks, along with the best playlist in Seoul, is well worth the trip.

Diner Rating

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Other Amenities: English menu

Phone: 02.795.1303 (English spoken)

Location

Jalapeno Ranch Burger

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This is just a basic mom-and-pop cafe tucked in the street running past the Starbucks outside Anguk Station, exit 1. The surprising thing about it is they make a pretty decent pizza. The Capricciosa Pizza comes with capricciosa, fresh mushrooms, and green olives. And it’s really loaded with cheese.  The other food there, though, you could pass on.

Diner Rating

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Other Amenities: English Menu

Phone: 02-723-8855

Website:

Location

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This is a really good mandu (stuffed dumpling) shop. They’re constantly making their dumplings fresh all day. Steam billows from the windows. It’s not fancy, but they do what they do well. The ManduGuk is steam-up-your-glasses good. The shrimp mandu are quite amusing and filling. For first-timers, I suggest the Modeum Mandu sampler.

Diner Rating

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Website: http://www.mandoo.so/

Location: Check the website

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Get ready for some seriously spicy galbi jjim. These stewed ribs come out in a beat up tin pot. They’re so hot that I’m surprised they don’t corrode right through. The meal is finished by turning it all into a fried rice. As an alternative to the torture you’re about to go through, order some Gul Jeon. These rich pan-fried oysters will make your night.

Diner Rating

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Other Amenities:

Phone: 02-516-5765

Website:

Location

Gul Jeon (Pan-fried Oysters)

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Location: Gyeongridan/Itaewon
Cuisine: Tapas, Creative American, Bar Food
Price: $
Reservations: No
Suggested Items: Magpie Porter

Dandy Pink is a relatively new addition to the blooming culinary scene based around Itaewon’s Gyeongridan area, which is a dense hive of forward-thinking restaurants, bars, and bakeries.

On the night in question, I also visited the vibrant Caribbean-themed Tucan, Craftworks Brewery (now an institution), and Magpie Brewery’s open-air bar., all of which are within the same one or two block radius. Sadly, Dandy Pink was the extreme lowlight of an otherwise highly enjoyable drinking-and-eating spree. In fact, I didn’t go with the intention of reviewing a restaurant (thus the lack of photos), but was my date and I were so disappointed I thought it could be constructive to write something in hindsight.

My date and I visited on a night of one of their “Seasonal Soirees”. I thought, “What better time to finally check this place out than at a special event showcasing the restaurant’s philosophy?”

The weekend’s menu focused solely on monkfish. Having never tried it before, I thought the intense focus on an ingredient would yield a deep and intense revelation about the ugly-mugged fish I’d always wanted to try. I had a revelation or two but left with more questions than I arrived with.

Tucked away up a narrow, steep side street, the restaurant feels hidden away like a true gem should be. We were met with the presumed owner/chef outside tending to a charcoal grill, but there was no acknowledgement from him as we entered his (virtually empty) restaurant. Call me old-fashioned but a restaurant owner, especially the proprietor of a new place, should recognize new customers and do his best to make them feel welcomed. Service all night was cold and impersonal (and not even in the lovably sassy Korean way). We weren’t asked if we enjoyed anything or what we thought about the food. Judging by the quality, portion, and value of the dishes on offer, the owner should have been more concerned about his diner’s opinions.

Of the three dishes on offer, we ordered the monkfish skewers and “The Poor Man’s Lobster”, which was a smoked dish. The skewers, at ₩10,000 were passable, simple nuggets of firm, fleshy monkfish and cherry tomatoes served with a subtle garlic butter sauce and grilled on the restaurant’s outside charcoal station, which seems to be the real centerpiece of Dandy Pink’s concept. There was an accompanying salad of bean sprouts (more of the alfalfa variety but not exactly) that my date said was not to her taste but I found piquantly seasoned, if not a bit too oily.

My “Poor Man’s Lobster” should have been labeled “Rich Man’s Monkfish” as a received a thumb-sized sliver for princely sum of ₩12,000. The apple salad on the side was fairly pleasant and refreshing. The lonely Saltine crackers a broke man’s crostini. The flavor of the smoked monkfish was reminiscent of liquid smoke to my uneducated palette; a mistake that could have easily been remedied with a much larger portion.

The glaring oversight of our meal was perhaps not ordering the “foie gras of the ocean,” the monkfish liver plate. However, just like the other dishes, this one at ₩15,000 won, I’m not convinced the quality and quantity would have matched the price. In fact, the highlight of our meal turned out to be the complimentary dish of fragrant dried fruit (낑깡 and strawberries).

I understand that Dandy Pink’s concept is tapas, done in a creative way and meant to be enjoyed with a drink in hand, but, at least on this occasion, there was a major incongruity between the cost and the actual value of what was on offer. After the aforementioned two tiny plates, a beer for me, and a glass of wine for her, we escaped paying ₩38,000 won for a disappointing beginning to our evening. The best things I can say about Dandy Pink is that it’s striving for something and the place has a decent ambiance about it. Perhaps another visit is in order when they are serving their regular menu, but after feeling so skinned by this showcase event, I hope they can work out their kinks in service, quality, portion, and price before I choose to go back.

Diner Rating

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Other Amenities: English menu

Phone: 010-5581-9441

Website: facebook.com/GRUB.DANDYPINK

Location

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The Beer Renaissance continues. This taphouse has a large variety of the best beers you can buy in Korea. To help you with your selection, Korea’s first full-time cicerone (beer sommelier) is on hand to help. The menu revolves around the beer, using it as an ingredient and pairing dishes with brews. The Scotch Egg has made its Korean debut at this place, and it’s memorable. A hard-boiled egg is covered in sage sausage, breaded, and deep fried. It then rests on a rosemary-tinged tomato sauce. Their burger is also really good. The chef likes to incorporate Korean ingredients, so there’s a Jeyuk Bokkeum Sandwich as well as mussels steamed in soju and gochujang (very good).

Diner Rating

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Other Amenities: English menu, English spoken

Phone: 02-792-6590, 010-5189-2327

Website: facebook.com/pages/Reillys-Taphouse-Restaurant

Location

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This is the Korean restaurant to go to if you are new to Korean cuisine. This is the Korean restaurant to go to if you are a jaded veteran. Most young talented Korean chefs go into foreign cuisines, like Italian and French. The guys at Bean Table (Dudukhansang) are passionate for Korean cuisine. We know that farm-to-table has become a cliche, but these folks really live it. The food comes from a small plot of land outside. They make their own tofu . The beans they use for their tofu are grown only on a small patch of land for consistency. And it’s rich and flavorful! This is the taste of the country. This is the taste of refined Korean food. People have joked that I don’t like Korean fine dining because I don’t like fancy restaurants. It’s because most Korean fine dining is fake pretension. These guys get it! Bean Table is not fine dining. It is sophisticated. It is refined dining.

Diner Rating

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Other Amenities: English menu, some English spoken

Phone: 031-8017-2213 ‎

Website:

Location

Cheonggyesan Station (Gangnam-Bundang express line) exit 2. Take 4432 bus to Shinwon-dong 신원동. NOTE: 4432 bus can also be taken from Yangjae Station (line 3) south of exit 10.

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This is one of the good guys. It’s funny that Rodeo Street in Apgujeong was the IT place to be. Now it’s a ghost town. But this one restaurant, Salt & Butter, is stickin’ it out. They make some of the best burgers in town. The menu is always changing with seasonal specials. The Cajun Pasta really tastes like it comes out of New Orleans. Another reason why S&B is one of the good guys–they smoke their own bacon. If there’s anything on the menu that has bacon, order it! The only downside of S&B is that they tend to close early if they don’t have customers. Keep these guys in business!

Diner Rating

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Other Amenities: English menu, English spoken

Phone: 02-512-2667

Website: saltandbutterkorea.com

Location

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This fancy little hideaway atop Namsan Mountain serves upscale Italian cuisine. The antipasti platter is a perfect starter. The gnocchi with smoked mozzarella blew us away. Soft pillowy dumplings with enticing smokey cheese and tomato sauce was good enough to lick the plate. This place is very pricey, so it’s a good restaurant for a date or to impress those business clients.

Diner Rating

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Other Amenities: English menu, English spoken

Phone: 02-792-5571

Website:

Location

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