Colkage-free hanjeongsik with whole abalone tteokgalbi: Modam Dining

Why I went looking for hanjeongsik in Gwanghwamun

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun — a Korean restaurant in Gwanghwamun good for family gatherings.

We're Korean, so we eat Korean food all the time, but hanjeongsik (full-course Korean set meal) — as opposed to plain baekban — tends to be something you only have on those slightly loaded occasions, right? Company dinners, wedding invitation gatherings, family meetups. But if you can find a hanjeongsik place with a private, upscale mood, comfortable seating, and a proper course of delicious food, even one of those tricky obligatory meals can end up being genuinely pleasant.

So I went looking for exactly that kind of place, and ended up at Modam Dining Gwanghwamun, a Gwanghwamun hanjeongsik spot known for its upscale interior and neat, well-composed Korean menu that everyone tends to like — while still being good value. The menu comes out course by course, and the portions were generous for a properly done Korean dining experience at a fair price. Let me walk you through it.

Location, hours, parking

• 📍 10 Saemunan-ro 2-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, B1 D-Palace, units B102 & B103
• ⏰ Mon–Fri 11:00–22:00 / break 15:00–17:00 / last order 20:10
• ⏰ Sat–Sun 11:00–22:00 / last order 20:10
• 🅿️ Parking available

Not far from Gwanghwamun station, today's hanjeongsik spot sits inside D-Palace.

The restrained font and the meaning of the name 'Modam' were both on display — it carries a bold ambition to hold ('dam') all of Korean cuisine ('mo').

Colkage-free — good for bringing your own drink

Since it's colkage-free, you could bring a nice bottle to pair with the hanjeongsik as a side drink.

Room or hall — where we sat

From the entrance, warm little props and a somewhat gallery-like, layered interior caught my eye.

There's plenty of open, spacious seating for families eating comfortably, as well as private rooms for more discreet meals — the place seemed fully equipped for company dinners, family gatherings, or meeting the in-laws.

We weren't there for a formal meeting or anything requiring privacy, so we sat in the open, airy hall section.

The two sets we ordered

The menu is packed with a variety of set meals and à la carte dishes, plus royal-worthy sura tables and Korean beef grill sets — a proper Korean dining lineup.

• Abalone shrimp soy sauce & butter rice set ₩40,000
• Abalone tteokgalbi set ₩40,000

We ordered these two sets.

First course: mung bean porridge, mustard vegetables, seasonal salad, cheongyang water kimchi

First came seasonal mung bean porridge, mustard vegetables with pine nut sauce, a seasonal salad with yuzu dressing, and cheongyang water kimchi.

The pine-nut mustard vegetables had a sharp, tangy kick that woke up my appetite before the meal proper, and the salad, generously topped with tangy-sweet yuzu dressing, was crisp and refreshing.

The mung bean porridge was seasoned just salty enough to bring out its nutty flavor even more — a really enjoyable bite.

The cheongyang water kimchi lived up to its name, with a good hit of cheongyang chili heat that kept what could be a one-note water kimchi feeling refreshing instead. We were told we could finish the salad and have it cleared, but we left a little to eat alongside the rest of the meal — and it went really well with every dish after.

Second course: pickled-vegetable ceviche, Modam fritters, perilla oil capellini

Next came seasonal raw fish sashimi, pickled-vegetable ceviche, Modam-style fritters, and perilla oil capellini.

Looking at the sauce, I expected a typical ceviche, but there was a distinct pungent aroma — turns out it came from the pickled vegetables (jangajji). It paired surprisingly well with the flounder, and gave the dish a real sense of Korean-dining identity, which I found fun.

The Modam fritters were the signature dish — a whole shiitake mushroom fried and coated in a spicy gochujang-mayo-style sauce, finished with sesame seeds and nuts. Served piping hot, and using fresh (not rehydrated) shiitake by the look of the juice bursting out, the outside was crisp while the inside stayed juicy, and the spicy-nutty sauce made for a satisfying whole piece.

The perilla oil capellini had thin noodles rolled up neatly with two sweet shrimp perched prettily on top — a genuinely happy-looking dish.

After mixing it all together, the thin capellini texture paired nicely with perilla leaf, laver flakes, perilla seeds, and perilla oil — light rather than heavy, with great balance. Really enjoyed this one!

Mains: abalone shrimp soy sauce & butter rice, abalone tteokgalbi

Then, finally, the last dishes of today's course — the abalone shrimp soy sauce with butter rice, and the abalone tteokgalbi, were set down.

Even the side dishes had a clean flavor that anyone would enjoy — the kind of look and taste that would get good reviews at any company dinner or family gathering.

The main dishes themselves were generous and satisfying, with nothing skimped on.

Abalone shrimp soy sauce and butter rice set

Starting with the butter rice set — the salty, nutty butter rice, eaten with a variety of toppings like octopus and sliced boiled shrimp, was an absolute rice-thief.

The soy-marinated shrimp wasn't too salty, and the seasoning was just enough to preserve the shrimp's natural sweetness — a lovely combination with the butter and rice!

The bigger shrimp toward the bottom had a rich, deep flavor from the roe/tomalley, giving an extra layer of savoriness — really delicious.

Abalone tteokgalbi set with a whole abalone

Last up, the abalone tteokgalbi (grilled meat patty).

Instead of minced abalone worked into the patty, it came with a whole abalone on top — and honestly, I preferred that. With the teeth and innards conveniently removed, all that was left was to enjoy the abalone's flavor together with the seasoning — easy and genuinely satisfying.

Eating the moist, juicy tteokgalbi with the onion salad on the side made for a sweet, meaty finish that anyone would enjoy. Great meal, thoroughly enjoyed!

How was it as a gathering spot?

I visited Modam Dining Gwanghwamun, a Gwanghwamun hanjeongsik restaurant good for meeting the in-laws. Enjoying hanjeongsik course by course in a private, atmospheric space felt special — a Korean-dining restaurant that nails both mood and flavor.

If you have an important event, gathering, or meeting-the-in-laws dinner coming up, I'm confident that a meal at Modam Dining Gwanghwamun — with its good food and great atmosphere — will help things go well!