Chestnut porridge course dinner at a Gwanghwamun Korean restaurant

It had been a while since I'd had a weekday evening family dinner with just my parents and me, so we headed to Gwanghwamun! The autumn weather was crisp and just strolling around Gwanghwamun put me in a great mood haha. My mom and dad tend to prefer clean, refined modern Korean food over traditional hanjeongsik piled high with jeon (pan-fried fritters) and japchae (glass noodle stir-fry)… ♥ and in that sense, Modam Dining turned out to be exactly their taste~?♥

Where is Modam Dining Gwanghwamun, and how do parking and reservations work?

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun is located at B102·B103, B1F, Deoksugung D Palace, 10 Saemunan-ro 2-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Gwanghwamun Station Exit 6. It's on the basement level, so my parents and I walked in together from outside the building haha. Visiting in the evening, the building's exterior already had a calm, upscale atmosphere that got me excited..★

• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00 (check break time and last order before visiting)
• Location: B102·B103, B1F, Deoksugung D Palace, 10 Saemunan-ro 2-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Transit: 5-minute walk from Gwanghwamun Station Exit 6
• Parking: 2 hours free with B3 parking
• Reservations: Available via Naver Reservation, hall and private room seating
• Ordered: Bori-gulbi set ₩37,000 / Deodeok pork set ₩32,000 / Jindo scallion crispy bulgogi set ₩34,000

From the entrance, the modern sculptures and clean interior caught my eye right away. 0_0 Rather than the heavy feel of a traditional hanjeongsik house, it felt more like a stylish dining space — my mom especially loved it lol

Is the hall seating private enough?

The hall seating at Modam Dining Gwanghwamun has good partitions between every table, naturally separating sightlines from the next seat. It's not a room, but it felt pretty private, and it was nice to chat quietly over the meal haha.

Once we sat down, individual plates and utensils were already neatly set out. There were three of us that day, so we each ordered a different set menu haha.

I had the bori-gulbi set for ₩37,000, my mom had the deodeok pork set for ₩32,000, and my dad had the Jindo scallion crispy bulgogi set for ₩34,000

What comes in the course, from fresh chestnut porridge to appetizers

Every set meal at Modam Dining comes as a full course — seasonal porridge, appetizers, a main dish, and rice with dessert — so I was excited even before the food arrived !! First up was the seasonal porridge !! When they lifted the lid, chestnut porridge made with fresh autumn chestnuts appeared, ta-da lol. It had that distinct nutty, subtle sweetness of chestnuts with a bit of texture left in it — a great way to start the course !! ♥

Next came cheongyang chili water kimchi, a yuja (citron) dressing salad, and pine nut sauce mustard greens!! It was as generous as a traditional hanjeongsik but still felt modern — oh, this hanjeongsik feels really refined?

Then abalone-marinated perilla oil capellini came out, and this was where I really felt like it was true fusion hanjeongsik lol. The capellini pasta was so nutty and delicious..🤍 It's an appetizer, but pasta showed up~

And then, like something out of a tasting course, halibut sashimi and pickle ceviche !! Served one by one in clear glass bowls.. it made the course feel even more upscale - ♥

Served beautifully one by one on small plates, it was fun both to look at and to eat..? ♥ The octopus and abalone cream croquette in particular was crispy outside and soft inside so

this was really unique and really woke up the appetite..!! All three of us agreed it was delicious haha

Can you get banchan refills at Modam Dining?

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun serves a variety of banchan (side dishes) to share before the main dish, and they're refillable if you run out.

Bori-gulbi (dried yellow croaker) set, 37,000 won

My mom's bori-gulbi (dried, marinated yellow croaker) set !! She'd been saying she wanted this for weeks haha. I stole a bite too and the flesh was thick with insane savory saltiness..!! Ah, this is why it's the pricier menu.. lol

Pouring the accompanying green tea over rice and topping it with bori-gulbi flesh cleansed the palate and made the rice go down easily, according to my mom…★ She said it wasn't just salty gulbi, but a flavor that paired really well with plain rice lol

Deodeok pork set, 32,000 won

My dad's pick, deodeok (mountain herb root) pork, was spicy-seasoned pork with the added aroma of deodeok !! Even at a hanjeongsik restaurant, a man's soul food stays true to itself lol. The pork was delicious in its own right, but the fragrant aroma and crunchy texture of the deodeok was another charm of Modam Dining!!

Jindo scallion crispy bulgogi set, 34,000 won

My bulgogi came out thin and crispy-grilled but still moist inside, not tough at all !! (with a whiff of charcoal fire too, the best..♥) The sweet-savory sauce paired with Jindo scallions brought out even more of the meat's flavor !!

My mom, who eats a lot of vegetables lol, said wrapping the bulgogi and sides in lettuce was really delicious !! The charcoal aroma made it worlds apart from bulgogi at home ~~ ♬

Plum tea dessert and the verdict on dinner with parents

Dessert with the set meal was a simple cup of plum tea for each of us lol. The dessert that pairs best with Korean food -haha. To mark a nice evening with my parents lol, cheers with plum tea~!

From the atmosphere to the flavor of every dish.. it was so good !! A dinner my mom especially loved lol. It felt like the neatness of traditional hanjeongsik was kept intact while the plating and space were given a modern touch ♥

The bori-gulbi was clean and savory-salty ~ the deodeok pork was fragrant and spicy ~ the bulgogi was sweet and nutty ! All three were so satisfying, a genuinely happy meal 🩷

Looking for a place near Gwanghwamun to have a meal with your parents — a clean Korean restaurant for a Gwanghwamun family gathering — I recommend Modam Dining..♥