Centre Cheongdam • 센트레 청담

Centre Cheongdam (센트레 청담) is the Canadian celebrity chef Antonio Park’s first overseas restaurant that’s focusing on Eastern and Western fusion dishes with locally sourced Korean ingredients. Drawing from his mother’s Korean heritage and going back to his root, chef Park opened Centre Cheongdam (센트레 청담) in July 2022, offering American and European-style brunch and dinner menu with an extensive wine list to pair them with.

Surrounded by floor to ceiling glass windows, the interior of the restaurant is reminiscent of dining in a garden with a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere. Keeping true to their garden dining concept, the dishes seem to also draw inspiration from nature and the four seasons, reflected in the way each dish is using various colorful fresh ingredients that are beautifully served on a plate.

My first visit to Centre was nothing but a pleasant experience. Came here for a late lunch with my friend and the place wasn’t all that busy. Maybe it’s because we came way past lunch hour rush on a weekday so there were only a couple of other tables with patrons at the end of their meals. 

After immediately being seated on one of the sofas, we’re handed the menu while our server set up the table for us. We decided on two appetizers and one main course to share and the food came 10 minutes after we placed our order. Pretty swift service. 

Fruit Ricotta (₩23,000) | 9/10

Orange, Grape, Tomato, Blueberry, Strawberry, Pear, Raspberry Compote, Mint Pesto, Dill, Ricotta, Pecan, Radish
오렌지,청포도, 토마토, 블루베리, 딸기, 배, 라즈베리 콤포트, 민트, 딜, 리코타, 레디쉬

The Fruit Ricotta was sweet, sour, fresh and nutty all at the same time. Every single fruit was cut beautifully and the highlight of this dish for me was the raspberry compote. Expecting it to be a little bit on the sour side for my personal preference, I’m pleasantly surprised when I found that it was nothing but. It hit the right amount of sourness and the flavor is very balanced and does not overpower the taste of the fresh fruits but rather a great accompaniment to them. Thoroughly enjoyed this dish as the opening of our meal and I think this dish can also be a great dessert if you want something fresh to end your meal.

Pork Rillette (₩19,000) | 8/10

Pork Rillette, Seasonal Fruit Marmalade, Caper, Cornichon, Pink Peppercorn, Sour Cream, Sour Dough
돼지고기 리예뜨, 계절 과일 마말레이드, 케이퍼, 핑크 페퍼콘, 코니송, 사워 크림, 사워 도우

The Pork Rillette was definitely richer and heavier than our first course. The rillette was smooth and creamy with that typical fatty flavor one usually find in a rillette. The whole dish was brightened up by the marmalade and the peeled oranges that are placed prettily on top of the pork rillette, giving it a nice acidic note to the bite. For this dish, you definitely have to eat everything in one bite to get that balanced flavor.

Lobster Linguine (₩37,000) | 9.5/10

Lobster, Avruga Caviar, Garlic, Onion, Parmesan Regiano, Pepperoncino, Italian Parsley, Clam stock, Chicken Stock
랍스터, 아브루가 캐비어, 마늘, 양파, 파마산 레지아노, 페페론치노, 이탈리안 파슬리, 조개육수, 닭 육수

The Lobster Linguine was my favorite out of all the three dishes we ordered. The pasta was cooked al dente with a moderate amount of well-seasoned broth poured around it. The lobster that’s sitting on top of the pasta was fresh, thick and cooked just right where the meat hit that right firm, springy texture. The caviar and parmesan gave a fun additional hit of flavors in every bite. Overall the dish was light, flavorful and fulfilling at the same time. 

After all the food was served, there are two memorable things that I can say about my dining experience. First, the food was great. Everything was well seasoned, a lot of flavors in each bite and the ingredients were very fresh. Second, I really love the plating, the play on colors and the attention to details they put in every dish. Every plate looks like a well-drawn painting and it definitely excites my taste buds just by looking at the plate before taking a bite into the food. Overall, it was a really nice dining experience for me.

 

Centre Cheongdam • 센트레 청담

Address: 서울 강남구 도산대로49길 9 스타크빌딩 1층 센트레청담
Telephone: +82 507 1372 0559
Hours: Tue-Sun 11:00-22:00 (Break Time 16:00-17:00 | Last Order 15:00 & 21:15)

Instagram: @centre.cheongdam
Centre Website

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Noransang Sogalbi Anguk • 노란상소갈비 안국역점

Noransang Sogalbi Anguk (란상소갈비 안국역점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant that is well-known for their beef ribs. The restaurant is located on the second floor of a building 1-minute walk away from Anguk Station Exit 2 as well as the famous Cafe Onion nearby.

Noransang Sogalbi has multiple locations and I believe the Anguk location is the newest addition to their other three locations in Seoul. The first time I visited this place was for lunch last year after taking my relatives sightseeing around the nearby Bukchon Hanok Village. The restaurant is newly opened then so the interior was still in pristine condition. There are 13 tables that can sit 4 people comfortably in each table and every table has its own meat grill.

(To note, this is their menu from 2023 so the prices are slightly different from what they are now. You can check their current menu and prices on their Naver page.)

saenggalbi/Fresh Galbi 생갈비 (200gr) ₩25,000 | 8/10

We ordered two kinds of meat. The first one is the Saeng Galbi which is just fresh beef ribs without seasoning. The meat was fresh but overall it was okay (okay as in it’s good, but I’ve tasted similar meat at other places before. Still worth ordering if you like non-marinated meat more).

Also, a plus point of this restaurant is that they cook the meat on the table for you so it won’t get burnt and the only thing you have to do is watch and eat. Very convenient.

idong Galbi 이동갈비 (280gr) ₩22,000 | 9/10

For the second meat, we ordered two portions of the Idong Galbi, which is beef ribs with soy sauce seasoning. This one is their best-selling menu and I can understand why after I bit into my first bite. The meat is juicy, tender and the seasoning is on point.

I’ve brought two families with kids to this place and all the kids and adults liked the Idong Galbi better than the Saeng Galbi.

Doenjang-jjigae (Soybean paste stew) 된장찌개 ₩22,000 | 8/10

We also ordered the Doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew) and it was pretty good. Flavorful broth with plenty of vegetables and meat inside the pot.

If you visit on a weekday during lunch, they do have lunch set specials available. The place is pretty family friendly and just like any other meat restaurant in Korea, they do have the 1 order per person rule.

During lunch or dinner rush hours, the place can get pretty busy and you might have to wait for tables if you don’t have a reservation. But they do have the waiting list machine available at the restaurant where you can put your name and Korean number in, and they’ll text you when your table is ready so you can walk around the area while waiting if you choose to do so. If you don’t have a Korean number, you’ll probably have to wait at the restaurant so they can call you immediately when your table is ready.

If you’re looking for a place to have a proper meal at near Bukchon Hanok Village, Anguk Station or Cafe Onion, this is a good place to go.

 

Noransang Sogalbi Anguk • 노란상소갈비 안국역점

Address: 서울 종로구 율곡로 67 2층
Telephone: 0507 1489 9314
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00-21:30 (Break Time: 15:00-17:00, Last Order: 14:00, 20:30) | Sat-Sun 12:00-21:30 (Last Order: 20:30)

Instagram: @noransangsogalbi

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Hanmiok Cheongdam • 한미옥 청담동

One of the Korean dish that went viral on social media last year was Hanmiok’s Chadol Gujeolpan (차돌구절판) because of its unique presentation that undoubtedly makes a good content for travelers who were visiting Seoul. And so last spring, I went to Hanmiok Cheongdam (한미옥 청담동) with @munchandsnap.jkt to try it out.

We arrived at the restaurant at 4:30 pm to avoid the dinner rush, but apparently there were 7 other groups who have the same idea as us so we still had to wait in line for our table. We put our name and phone number on the machine for the waiting list and waited around for an hour before we finally got seated at our table.

When the server came, we ordered the medium Chadol Gujeolpan (차돌구절판 中) for us to share. Now what exactly is a Chadol Gujeolpan? Gujeolpan (구절판) itself is the traditional Korean Platter of Nine Delicacies that is plated in nine divided sections in an octagon shape or the plate itself. Hanmiok’s version of this is served with Korean beef brisket (the chadolbaegi) on a black pan.

10 minutes after we placed our order, the server came back with our food and started setting up to cook the Chadol Gujeolpan. The first two ingredients were the Korean beef brisket or the chadolbaegi (차돌백이) and water parsley (미나리) that were already placed on the pan. They cooked these first before adding more ingredients to the pan.

The next six ingredients were (see photo below in clockwise direction) kimchi (김치), bean sprouts (콩나물), bracken (고사리), scallops (관자), octopus (문어), and buckwheat pancakes (메밀전병) in the middle.

After the beef brisket and water parsley were cooked, they used the oil from the beef to cook the scallops, octopus and buckwheat pancakes before adding the kimchi, bracken, and bean sprouts in.

And lastly, after all of that were cooked and neatly placed in a circle, the server pour egg (계란) from a golden aluminum teapot into the middle part of the pan to complete the ninth ingredient of the dish. The egg is then cooked with a blowtorch until it’s done with a silky smooth finish.

Chadol Gujeolpan (차돌구절판 中) ₩59,000 | 9/10

Chadolbaegi (차돌백이), Water Parsley (미나리), Kimchi (김치), Bean Sprouts (콩나물), Bracken (고사리), Scallops (관자), Octopus (문어), Buckwheat Pancakes (메밀전병), Egg (계란).

I have to say I love this kind of food. The ingredients themselves are not fancy, but each components are well-seasoned and the flavor of everything works together. For me, the best way to eat this dish is to mix up the ingredients in every bite because each combinations gave me a different flavor profile. So mix two, three, or four things in a bite. Or if your mouth could fit everything, the whole 9 things in a spoon (although that might be a bit too much honestly). But one thing that I would recommend is to at least mix one meat with one veggies and the egg. You’ll get that nice juicy bite where the meat is balanced out by the acid from the veggies and everything kind of just bursts in your mouth. So satisfying.

The portion of the medium Chadol Gujeolpan (차돌구절판 中) is more than enough for two people. Although I did order a bowl of rice just because I wanted to have the dish with rice and me and my friend were fully stuffed at the end of the meal.

Service was okay at this place. The servers weren’t the friendliest, but they weren’t rude either. The food came out pretty quickly though. But overall, the meal was really satisfying and I really like it.

If you want to come to this place, be prepared for the possibility of waiting for your table. It helps if you have a Korean phone number since you can input them into the machine and you can walk around the area while waiting (they’ll call/message you when you’re table is ready). But if you don’t have a Korean phone number, you’ll have to wait around the store at least when your turn is near.

Will I come back again to this place? I already did actually. Went back in the fall with a different group of friends, although my second visit was to their Yeouido location and the food was as good as this location.

 

Hanmiok Cheongdam • 한미옥 청담동

Address: 서울 강남구 선릉로 822 지하 1층
Telephone: 02-545-4622
Hours: Monday-Friday 11:00-22:00 (Break Time: 14:30-17:00) | Saturday & Sunday 12:00-22:00 (Break Time: 15:00-17:00)

Instagram: @hanmiok0616

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Mibbedong Yeonnam • 미쁘동 연남

Early last year when kaisendon went viral among travelers who visited Japan, I tried something similar in Seoul at a place called Mibbedong (미쁘동) in Yeonnam-dong (연남동) that sells Japanese food that’s mainly focusing on donburi, soba and sashimi. Their signature menus include their famous Uni & Salmon Roe Mibbedong, Cold Tomato Salmon Soba, Kani Miso, Cold Salmon Soba, and Red-Banded Lobster Sashimi. This small restaurant has limited seating and usually has a (quite long) line during lunch and dinner rush since it’s pretty popular among locals as well as tourists due to the fact that a number of Korean celebrities went to this place.

Because of that reason, the day I went to visit them I purposefully arrived past lunch hour at the restaurant at 2:30 pm to avoid the queue. But despite of the odd hours, I still had to wait for a table in front of their store. While waiting, the staff gave me the menu to choose from before telling me to order and pay at the counter. I did and after I paid, they told me to wait in the small waiting area inside the restaurant.

Since I ordered their signature Uni & Salmon Roe Mibbedong and Kani Miso, they gave me these two cards on how to eat the dishes. The Mibbedong card is in English, so it’s very foreigner-friendly.

The Kani Miso card was in Korean so if you don’t read Korean, you have to google translate it to know what it says. But it roughly translates to:

대게 딱지장 맛있게 즐기는 방법
How to Enjoy Kani Miso Snow Crab Innards

가나미소 대게 딱지장은 다 익힌 채로 화로 휘에 올라가기에 바로 드셔도 됩니다. 너무 익히면 딱딱해지거나, 딱지가 타버리니 조심하세요!
You can eat the Kani Miso Snow Crab Innards right away because it’s already cooked on the grill. Be careful not to overcook it because it could harden or get burnt.

토핑은 섞어드시기 보다는 각각의 토핑과 함께 내장을 떠 드시는 것을 추천드립니다.
We recommend to eat the innards with each toppings rather than mixing it all together.

추가 주문하신 대게 딱지장 공기밥은 부족하시면 언제든 더 제공해드립니다.
If you don’t have enough rice for the Kani Miso Snow Crab Innards, we will provide more rice at any time.

그럼 즐거운 식사되세요.
Enjoy your meal.

KanI miso snow crab innards (가니미소대게딱지장) ₩25,000 | 8.5/10

대게내장과 대게살을 전통방식으로 숙성시킨 장입니다.
Crab Innards Topped with Crab Meat, Sea Urchin, Salmon Roe and Egg Yolk.

The snow crab innards has deep rich flavors. The toppings are all fresh and goes well with the Kani Miso. I ate each of the toppings separately with the Kani Miso per the card’s recommendation and each spoonful gave a different flavor combination which made eating this dish pretty fun for me. Overall, I really enjoyed the Kani Miso and would definitely order this again if I come back.

Uni & Salmon Roe Mibbedong (제이타쿠동) ₩23,000 | 7/10

참치,우니,연어알,연어,딱새우등 9가지 재료들을 아끼지않고 사용해 만든 해산물 덮밥입니다.
Mibbedong Signature Mixed Rice Bowl with Tuna, Salmon, Shrimp, Squid, Red-Banded Lobster, Tuna, Capesante, Salmon Roe, Flatfish, Crab Meat, and Uni.  

Their signature Mibbedong is actually a bowl of rice topped with different kind of sashimi stacked in a mountain-like shaped, which is similar (if not the same) concept as kaisen don. It’s served with soy sauce, seaweed, pickled onions and circular pate-like shaped side dish that I wasn’t exactly sure what. I poured the soy sauce into the bowl and mixed them before taking my first spoonful. Tastewise, it was alright for me. It’s not bad but I think I still prefer the texture of sliced sashimi to chopped ones. I think personally, I’m just not too into mushy food in general.

When I’m almost done with my bowl, I left some of the mixed rice and sashimi to try eating it with the miso-based ochazuke. The soup is well seasoned and there’s a bit of a kick in the flavor. Having the rice with the soup definitely created a deeper flavor and it’s very comforting. 

Overall, I think the food was good. For me personally, out of the two dishes I ordered, I enjoyed the Kani Miso more. Is it worth waiting in line more than an hour for? Probably no. Under an hour? If you’re not too hungry to wait, I think yes. I also think the price still make senses with the quality of food that I got. Will I come back to this place again? Yes, but I would probably try their other menus such as their Cold Tomato Salmon Soba since that is also one of their popular menu and the presentation looks interesting. If not, their Kani Miso is good enough for me to put this place on my let’s-go-there-again-next-time list.

 

Mibbedong Yeonnam • 미쁘동 연남

Address: 서울 마포구 동교로38길 33-21 2층
Telephone: 0507-1350-1881
Hours: Everyday 11:00-22:00 | Last Order: 21:30

Instagram: @mibbedong_official

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Eun & Jeong Myeongdong Dak Galbi • 은앤정명동닭갈비

I went to Eun & Jeong Myeongdong Dak Galbi (은앤정명동닭갈비) because a friend of mine who’s staying around Myeong-dong are was craving Dak Galbi (닭갈비). Did some quick research on Naver before finally decided to come here and try the place since I never been before.

The restaurant is located on the second floor and I almost missed the entrance when looking for it honestly. But the easiest way is to look for their red and blue chicken logo on the signage above the entrance and walk up the stairs leading up to the restaurant. The place is pretty spacious with a good number of tables available and they provide tourist-friendly menu books with simple translations so you can easily order even if you can’t speak Korean. Just like any other Dak Galbi restaurant in Korea, the Dak Galbi menu requires a minimum order of 2 servings and this rule also applies to other dishes that they serve in the big pan (see the menu pictures below for details).

Cheese Dak Galbi (치즈 닭갈비) ₩26,000 (2 portion) | 7.5/10

We ordered the Cheese Dak Galbi and it was okay. The chicken was juicy and tender. The sauce was good. The portion was definitely sufficient for two people (we were stuffed by the end of the meal) but we did add ramyeon to our Dak Galbi. They also have the fried rice option which we ordered at the end of the meal and it was alright.

If you are looking for a Dak Galbi restaurant around Myeong-dong and want to try something other than Yoogane, I think this place is worth trying. They serve a solid Dak Galbi and foreigner friendly if you’re visiting Seoul.

 

Eun & Jeong Myeongdong Dak Galbi • 은앤정명동닭갈비

Address: 서울 중구 명동7길 19 2층
Telephone: 0507-1444-1988
Hours: Everyday 11:00-22:00

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