Mapo Thai restaurant with tender crab curry: Saeng Augustine

On a family get-together day, my sibling and I, being Thai-food lovers, went to Saeng Augustine at Mecenatpolis by Hapjeong Station. I’d visited another Thai restaurant near Hapjeong Station with friends recently, so I was excited to see how this one would compare!! 🖤

Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch, directly connected to Hapjeong Station

Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch is at B1118 on Basement 1 of Mecenatpolis, 45 Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Hours are 11:30–22:00, with no break time on weekends or public holidays.

A Hapjeong Station restaurant directly connected to the subway, so easy to reach

It’s inside Mecenatpolis, which is directly connected to Hapjeong Station, so it was really easy to find. It’s close to a bus stop too, so it seems great to visit by public transport. Best of all, they provide a huge 3 hours 30 minutes of Mecenatpolis parking support—such a win. Mecenatpolis itself is a large shopping mall with lots of different stores, so it’s nice for shopping and browsing after your meal.

A spacious restaurant, group room, and family-meal atmosphere

Saeng Augustine is spacious and neat, with a group room too!

Once inside, I liked that the space was bigger than expected. The tables were generously spaced out, and there was a group-room area farther in, so it looked suitable not only for family meals but also for gatherings.

We went on a weekday evening, and quite a few people were there for dinner. There seemed to be all kinds of visitors—friends getting together, families having a meal, and so on. The staff were kind too, so we could eat comfortably with the family.

It really has plenty of Thai atmosphere, right..🖤 The lighting was cozy and the restaurant was pretty, so the overall mood was lovely.

Set menus made for sharing from two people upward

Well-composed set menus with a variety of dishes

• A Set (recommended for 2) ₩59,000: 2 tod man kung (Thai shrimp cakes), pu pat pong curry (Thai crab curry) with rice, king prawn pad Thai
• B Set (recommended for 2–3) ₩79,000: 3 tod man kung, tom yum goong, pu pat pong curry, nasi goreng
• C Set (recommended for 3–4) ₩99,000: tod man kung, tom yum goong, pu pat pong curry, shrimp and crab fried rice, king prawn pad Thai
• D Set (recommended for 5–6) ₩170,000: assorted plate, pu pat pong curry, neua pad nam man hoi, chili sea bass, stir-fried mixed vegetables, king prawn pad Thai, shrimp and crab fried rice

There were three of us, and we added a ₩13,000 Vietnamese rice noodle soup to the A Set. Thai food is so much better when you order several dishes to share instead of having just one thing, right? Haha. It was nice that we got to try such a variety of dishes.

Vietnamese rice noodle soup with a deeply rich broth

Vietnamese rice noodle soup with a rich, delicious broth

The Vietnamese rice noodle soup came out first. We added it because we thought it would be nice to have one soupy dish too, and there was honestly much more than expected.

The broth was so rich and tasty that I kept spooning it up, haha. It had a generous amount of meat too, making it great for three people to share.

We also wanted a little more onion, so we asked and they brought us some extra. The meat was tender and there were lots of bean sprouts, so you can really eat your fill for a reasonable price.

Pu pat pong curry that was easy to eat shell and all

My favorite dish: pu pat pong curry with tender crab that was easy to eat

The dish we enjoyed most that day was, without question, the pu pat pong curry! It’s one of those dishes that always catches my eye at a Thai restaurant.. so I couldn’t possibly skip it today either, haha.

Saeng Augustine’s pu pat pong curry is seriously delicious.. What I loved most was how tender the crab was! At other places, I’d had pu pat pong curry where I had to peel the shell and pick out the meat, getting sauce all over my hands—it was such a hassle ㅠㅠ But here, the crab was so tender that I could eat it whole without painstakingly picking off the shell. That was a bigger advantage than I expected..🖤

The tender texture of the crab paired so well with the smooth, nutty curry sauce that I kept reaching for it. Mix it into the rice and it’s delicious again.. I could probably order extra rice.. It’s a total rice thief, haha.

King prawn pad Thai with chewy noodles and plump shrimp

Pad Thai with delicious chewy noodles and plump shrimp

You can’t leave out pad Thai when it comes to Thai food! The pad Thai noodles had a lovely chewy texture, and most of all, I liked how plump the shrimp were.

The sauce was well absorbed into the noodles, and if it felt a little rich, sprinkling on the chili..? served alongside made it a little spicy, cut through that richness in an instant, and made it even tastier. Haha. While the pu pat pong curry was soft and nutty, the pad Thai had a different appeal with its noodle texture and shrimp.

And there was tod man kung on the side too!! It’s sort of like fried shrimp, and this was a treat as well.. I loved how tender the shrimp inside were 🖤

A satisfying Hapjeong Thai meal for the family

Overall, I was really satisfied with this visit to Saeng Augustine. Especially the pu pat pong curry, which was my favorite! The crab was tender and easy to eat, and the curry sauce was delicious, so I’d want to order it again next time too. ㅠㅠ

• Directly connected to Hapjeong Station, so access is excellent
• A group room makes it a good choice for gatherings too
• The pu pat pong curry is tender and easy to eat—so delicious
• The Vietnamese rice noodle soup has a rich broth and generous meat