Gangnam restaurant for table-grilled steak dinner: Kkuudeok

I had dinner plans in Seolleung and was looking for somewhere with a nice atmosphere, which is how I ended up at Kkuudeok Seolleung Main Branch.

It looked like a good spot for a dinner date because you can enjoy everything at once, from pasta and risotto to steak that you grill yourself at the table.

Table-grilled steak in Seolleung

The sign out front caught my eye: “I decide the doneness, I grill the steak.” And it really was a place where you grill your own steak right at the table.

• 11:00–21:00
• Break time: 14:30–15:30
• Last order: 14:00, 20:30

Parking is not available. If you are driving, search Naver Map for Teheran-ro 64-gil Street Public Parking Lot, then walk about 4 minutes. It costs ₩400 per 5 minutes, operating weekdays from 09:00 to 19:00 and 24 hours on Saturdays and Sundays; it is on the first floor of the building opposite Jangjeongjeong.

A calm atmosphere for dinner

Inside, the overall mood was calm, with gray tones and warm lighting. There were quite a few diners when I visited, but it was not overly noisy, so it felt nice for a date or a relaxed dinner.

What we ordered in the Kkuudeok set meal

Kkuudeok Set Meal ₩46,800

We ordered the Kkuudeok set meal, which lets you choose two pasta dishes, one steak, and two drinks or alcoholic beverages.

• Truffle Cream Funghi Risotto +₩2,000
• Hangover Tomato Pasta +₩1,000
• House Wine Sweet +₩5,900 × 2 glasses
• 2 pieces of rye bread + butter cream cheese ₩3,000

And finally, we added the two pieces of rye bread with butter cream cheese for ₩3,000! Our total came to ₩64,600. The overall portion was enough to leave the two of us full.

A jar of pickles was placed right on the table, so it was convenient to serve ourselves as much as we wanted without having to ask for more.

My top pick: truffle cream funghi risotto

This was my top pick among the mains that day! True to a place named Kkuudeok, it was an intensely thick and creamy risotto. The mushrooms gave it a pleasant bite, while the rich cream and truffle aroma made it nutty and deeply flavorful.

I would recommend it if you like thick, creamy risotto. Up to this point, I was sure the risotto was absolutely the number-one dish of the day. Haha.

The seafood aroma in the Hangover Tomato Pasta

The pasta we chose alongside it was the Hangover Tomato Pasta! It has a tomato base with seafood including mussels, blue crab, and squid, so it paired well with the cream risotto when eaten alternately. That said, some of the seafood had a slightly strong characteristic aroma when I tried it, which was a small personal disappointment. How it feels will probably vary depending on your preference for seafood aromas. Next time, I would like to choose another pasta and try a new pairing with the risotto.

Premium flat iron steak grilled over a brazier

For the steak, you melt butter on the brazier and grill it yourself to your preferred doneness. Grilling the meat in butter gave it a lovely savory richness, and being able to control the doneness exactly to my taste was the fun of Kkuudeok’s steak.

The mushrooms and corn that came with it were also delicious grilled over the brazier.

There was a wide range of accompaniments too, from steak sauce to salt, wasabi, and seasoned sauce, which made it fun to try each bite differently.

The portion of meat was not especially generous, so we savored it carefully, piece by piece. Haha.

Toward the end, though, there was hardly any butter left, so the steak stuck to the brazier a little. If they provided just a bit more butter, I think it would be easier to keep grilling it nicely and richly until the last bite.

I am not usually much of a drinker, but steak without wine would feel a little sad, right? We chose Sweet and had a glass each; it was nice to sip slowly with the food. With wine added, it felt a little more special than an ordinary dinner. Also, I am normally someone who absolutely needs pickles with pasta, but somehow I forgot to eat them until the middle to late part of the meal that day. Thinking about it, I had been snacking on the jalapeños served with the steak, so I guess I did not miss the pickles as much. Haha.

Rye bread and butter cream cheese at the end

We had mostly finished eating, but felt like we wanted just a little more, so we added the rye bread. Spreading the soft butter cream cheese generously over the warm rye bread was such a better pairing than I expected. It would probably be great to have first like pre-meal bread, but having it at the end made it feel more like dessert after a meal, which I liked.

I thought the risotto was my top pick of the day, but the rye bread shook that ranking a little. Haha. I think I would order the rye bread again next time too.

At the time of my visit, they were also running a photo-review event that gave you a chocolate crunch vanilla cup after payment when you left a photo review. The event details may change, so check when you visit if you would like to take part.

Personally, the truffle cream funghi risotto and the rye bread with butter cream cheese were what stayed with me most. It was fun to grill the steak ourselves, and the atmosphere was nice for a glass of wine, making this a good place to try when you want pasta and steak together for a date or dinner plan in Seolleung.