Hongdae poke shop for women dining solo: all-truffle meal, Slow Cali

This is my story about the truffle mushroom poke at Slow Cali in Hongdae, an easy place for a woman to eat alone or grab takeout.

Why a salad maniac picked Slow Cali over Subway

The writer usually lives on Subway salads, but this time headed to Slow Cali Hongdae Entrance Station Branch, a poke and salad specialist with lots of branches. I'm crazy about salad: salad when I'm bored, salad when I'm hungry, salad as a beer snack. I eat it all the time, and my go-to place is Subway. I've only been to other salad shops a couple of times, but this time: off to Slow Cali, the poke salad chain with branches everywhere!

Is Slow Cali Hongik Univ. Station comfortable for a woman eating alone?

There were more people eating alone than groups of two or three. From outside I could already see lots of people enjoying a solo Hongdae meal, and solo diners outnumbered everyone else. Phew, I came alone too, haha!

Truffle mushroom poke instead of the wasabi tuna salmon poke

On the menu I was first drawn to the wasabi tuna salmon poke, but I ended up choosing the truffle mushroom poke. I was scanning the menu, looked at the bottom, and there it was: truffle mushroom poke! It's been ages since I saw a truffle dish, and I absolutely love truffle aroma, so truffle it was. Straight ahead to truffle~~~!

Someone alone here, someone alone there. So you can relax without worrying about anyone's eyes: free time just for me. I'm someone who enjoys solo meals all over Hongdae, but there are plenty of restaurants where a woman walking in alone feels a bit awkward and uncomfortable, right? This place has no such vibe at all. And they're all women, aren't they? Hahaha. Love it.

When did there get to be so many foreign visitors in Hongdae? At Slow Cali there was a family on a trip ordering takeout.

What sauces are in the Slow Cali sauce corner?

Slow Cali Hongdae Entrance Station Branch has a separate sauce corner with mayonnaise, wasabi oil and Sriracha. You're supposed to mix in only two or three drops of the wasabi oil, so the wasabi must be seriously strong! I wanted to try it, but I figured the wasabi would swallow the truffle aroma in my truffle mushroom poke, so a firm pass~

I'd never seen wasabi oil before. Sriracha I've had plenty of times. Still, since I'd never tried the wasabi oil, I wish I'd tasted it just once.

Truffle mushroom poke, salad and soup: one all-truffle meal

I got the truffle mushroom poke and truffle mushroom salad in takeout containers and ate them at the Slow Cali window seat. I'd packed it to go but decided to eat first, so I sat at the window seat and opened up~~ Yay~~

The top one is the truffle mushroom poke and the bottom is the salad. I ordered both in truffle. What a gorgeous look.

How was the truffle mushroom soup?

Slow Cali's truffle mushroom soup was smooth and warm, and it wrapped around my heartburn-y stomach. Today everything is one theme!! Wow, it's been so long since I had soup, so so delicious. I fell for the truffle soup at Twosome Place years ago, and this is the first time in several years. I had a bit of heartburn, and the soft warm soup gently hugged my stomach.

Slow Cali poke rice portion and options

At Slow Cali you can choose your rice and your sauce separately for the poke. The rice is about one round ice cream scoop, so it's a place where you can eat your fill without feeling heavy.

What's in the truffle mushroom salad

The truffle mushroom salad doesn't come with sauce, apparently? So the moment I saw it I mixed it all up. I decided to mix first, taste, and then judge.

There's seaweed in it? Must be a fusion salad. It looks like pickled cabbage dyed with beet, and the pink is so pretty. The color is green pea but the shape is kidney bean, maybe a new variety. Anyway, fresh and green and very pretty. And cute.

A few cherry tomatoes too. You need something red to complete the gorgeous look, right?

There's a crispy fried, cracker-like topping that you bite into here and there, adding a nutty flavor.

Mercilessly eating salad and poke, then sipping soup in between: it doesn't get better than that.

Truffle mushroom salad too bland? Add Ranch sauce

Without sauce, Slow Cali's truffle mushroom salad was far too bland, so I ordered Classic sauce and Ranch sauce separately. I mixed it evenly and took a bite, and as expected it was way too bland. They said it normally comes without sauce, but I think sauce should go in.

The Classic sauce is tasty, and the Ranch sauce has a fresh lemon scent that adds a bright zing to the nutty flavor.

I'm a huge fan of Subway's ranch sauce, and even after trying versions online and elsewhere, nothing tastes like Subway's. Slow Cali's ranch tastes fruitier and fresher than Subway's.

Is the truffle aroma strong?

Mixed with vegetables, Slow Cali's truffle mushroom dishes had only a very faint truffle aroma, not a strong one. I sprinkled on sauce and tossed it around diligently, and with the veggies bubbling together the truffle scent was subtle. Still, it was nice to meet truffle again after so long.

For a solo meal in Hongdae, this is a place where a woman can go comfortably. Come without worry.