# Private room Korean grill restaurant in Mapo, Seoul: Usu - By Dohyeon (https://superchart.com/en/@appetite-for-seoul/) - Written Aug 31, 2026 - Updated Sep 11, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Mapo, Seoul - Sponsored: This was a campaign-related visit; the scope of the meal provided needs confirmation. [type=sponsored] - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@appetite-for-seoul/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@appetite-for-seoul/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/index.md) ## In short Usu is a private-room Korean grill restaurant connected to Exit 2 of Gongdeok Station in Mapo, Seoul. I had the 90g Dinner B Course with my boyfriend for our 500-day anniversary, and the abalone five-color gardenia noodles and beef grilled over a personal brazier stood out; I only wished the bite-sized dishes came in more than one piece. ## Good to know - **Address**: 서울 마포구 마포대로 109 롯데캐슬프레지던트 상가 지하2층 201호 / Unit 201, B2, Lotte Castle President Shopping Arcade, 109 Mapo-daero, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea - **Public transit**: Connected to Exit 2 of Gongdeok Station - **Seating**: All seats are private rooms - **Parking**: According to the original post, free for 3 hours with no limit on the number of vehicles - **Corkage**: According to the original post, corkage is free - **Ordered menu**: Dinner B Course, 90g - **Main course**: 1++ Korean beef grill and a Korean beef seaweed soup set, with a personal brazier *as written by the visitor on Aug 31, 2026* My boyfriend and I visited Usu (우수) while looking for somewhere to have dinner and talk quietly for our 500-day anniversary. I liked that every seat was in a separate room, and we ordered the 90g Dinner B Course. ## How do you get there from Gongdeok Station, and is parking available? Usu is on B2 of the Lotte Castle President Shopping Arcade at 109 Mapo-daero. It is connected to Exit 2 of Gongdeok Station, which made it convenient to reach by public transit. At the time of my visit, I was told parking was free for three hours with no limit on the number of vehicles. Corkage was also free. ![Route to Usu connected to Gongdeok Station](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-01-15c4m-900.webp) ## Is it a quiet space for an anniversary dinner? Every seat is in a private room, so I liked being separated from the other tables. I thought it would suit anniversary visits like ours, as well as family gatherings or formal meetings between families where there is a lot to talk about. ![Usu interior, with all seats in private rooms](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-02-rjzc4-900.webp) ![A private Usu room separated from other tables](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-03-lkif0-900.webp) Before entering our room, I could see the open kitchen. Seeing the cooking space out in the open gave me a sense of trust. ![Usu's open kitchen before entering the private rooms](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-04-llxk3-900.webp) Inside, there was a display case with ingredients used in the course, along with a fairly large wine cellar. I also liked the wine selection. ![Display case and wine cellar in the restaurant](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-05-1yvoa-900.webp) ![Usu interior with a display case and wine cellar](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-06-j7oda-900.webp) ## What does the Dinner B Course begin with? We ordered the 90g Dinner B Course. Before the food arrived, they showed us the ingredients that would be used for our meal in a display case. ![Ingredients used for Usu's dinner course](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-07-h9mty-1200.webp) The first dish was u-gye jinjuk, a thick porridge made with Korean beef bone and chicken broth. It included scorched rice, a green-onion crust, shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, and white wood-ear mushrooms. The rich broth and soft texture made for an easy start. ![U-gye jinjuk with Korean beef bone and chicken broth](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-08-123s9-900.webp) When I noted in the reservation details that we were visiting for our 500-day anniversary, we each received a glass of sparkling wine that day. It was not sweet, so it went well with the food. Next came three bite-sized dishes. Each had different ingredients and combinations, which made trying them one by one enjoyable. ![Three bite-sized dishes in Usu's dinner course](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-09-10rqn-900.webp) The first, a bulgogi sandwich, paired brioche with Korean beef bulgogi, mushroom duxelles, and truffle cream cheese sauce. It combined the familiar flavor of bulgogi with something different and melted softly in my mouth. ![Bulgogi sandwich with Korean beef on brioche](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-10-1cmpo-900.webp) The second was brick pastry filled with grilled scallop, aburaga, apple, onion, and lily bulb cream sauce, topped with gamtae powder. This was also soft, and I wished I could have had a larger portion. ![Brick pastry with grilled scallop and cream sauce](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-11-9ym7y-900.webp) The third was a gimbugak (crispy fried seaweed rice cracker) topped with fried abalone-innard rice and sweet shrimp, finished with yuzu sauce. I liked all three enough to wish they did not come only one piece at a time. ![Gimbugak bite with abalone-innard rice and sweet shrimp](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-12-1n0rj-900.webp) ## Which pre-main-course dishes stood out? A shiitake mushroom and zucchini dish followed. I do not usually like shiitake mushrooms, but this one had a strong shrimp flavor and reminded me of menbosha (fried shrimp toast), so I enjoyed it. I especially liked the peanut tofu sauce with chamnamul oil. ![Shiitake mushroom and zucchini dish from Usu's course](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-13-1w34s-900.webp) ![Shiitake and zucchini dish with peanut tofu sauce](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-14-rpecm-900.webp) ![Shiitake dish with chamnamul oil and sauce](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-15-12jtq-900.webp) The yukhoe gamtae included fried scorched rice, chorogi pickle, house-made aioli, and a cured egg. It was fun to roll it in gamtae, and I found it flavorful without any fishiness. ![Yukhoe gamtae with fried scorched rice and cured egg](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-16-i2p28-900.webp) At the time of my visit, the tilefish dish was served at dinner but not in the lunch course. Grilled tilefish and mullet roe were placed over barley and chamnamul rice, then covered with neungi mushroom broth. The plate was warmed too, so I could eat it hot. ![Grilled tilefish over barley and chamnamul rice](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-17-15sjl-900.webp) Tteokgalbi (Korean grilled beef patty) was also served only at dinner at the time. The tender patty came with celeriac purée, shiitake duxelles, white balsamic sauce, basil oil, and crushed pistachios. I liked how the different textures and flavors came together. ![Tteokgalbi with celeriac purée and pistachios](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-18-atagg-900.webp) Just before the main course came jeonbok osaek chijamyeon, abalone five-color gardenia noodles. I mixed black-sesame julienned radish, bracken fern, shiitake mushrooms, seasoned chamnamul, perilla leaf, and abalone with gamtae dressing and mustard-garlic sauce. I especially liked the bright flavor and the combination of vegetables and sauces. The seasoning throughout the course suited my taste, and these noodles stayed with me enough that I wished for a full bowl. ![Abalone gardenia noodles mixed with vegetables and sauces](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-19-gzus9-900.webp) ## How is the main Korean beef served? The main course was 1++ Korean beef grill with a Korean beef seaweed soup set. ![Dinner-course Korean beef grill and seaweed soup set](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-20-1ky2h-900.webp) A personal brazier was set up, so we could grill the beef ourselves to the doneness we preferred. ![Personal brazier for grilling Korean beef to preference](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-21-1ja6d-900.webp) ## How did dessert finish the anniversary meal? Dessert consisted of corn ice cream with corn cream cheese, apricot, corn crumble, and sponge cake. Its sweet and tangy flavors were a good way to finish the course. ![Ice cream dessert with apricot and corn crumble](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-22-ieqmx-900.webp) Jasmine tea was served as a palate cleanser. There was not much of it, but one cup was enough to refresh my mouth. ![Jasmine tea served at the end of dinner](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-23-1gzaf-900.webp) For our 500-day anniversary, we also received a cream cheese dried-persimmon roll and a sweet dessert. I think one was chestnut terrine, though I do not remember its exact name. ![Anniversary dried-persimmon roll and sweet dessert](https://img.superchart.com/images/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner-24-1q1ry-900.webp) I was satisfied with this as an anniversary dinner because we could talk in a separate room while eating a succession of dishes. The bright flavor of the abalone five-color gardenia noodles and the Korean beef we could grill to our liking were especially memorable. ## Where it is - Usu (우수) (우수) - 109 Mapo-daero, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 마포구 마포대로 109 롯데캐슬프레지던트 상가 지하2층 201호 - 37.5446186, 126.9503453 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%9A%B0%EC%88%98/@37.5446186,126.9503453,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@appetite-for-seoul/woosu-gongdeok-anniversary-dinner/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt