Gangnam Chinese restaurant with gochujang pork: Samsin Garosu-gil

A Chinese restaurant with a Korean atmosphere near Sinsa Station

While looking for a Chinese restaurant with a nice atmosphere near Sinsa Station, I visited the newly opened Samsin Garosu-gil (삼신 가로수길)! When I think of a Chinese restaurant on Garosu-gil, I usually picture something modern, but Samsin was memorable because it combined the feel of an upscale Chinese restaurant with Korean elements—it felt different from the usual kind of place haha.

There was a haetae, a mythical Korean guardian creature, right at the entrance, so the Korean atmosphere came through immediately. The building itself also felt neat and upscale, and I thought it would be great for a meal appointment haha. If you are looking for a good restaurant near Sinsa Station and care about the atmosphere as much as the food, I think you will like the first impression!

Second-floor seating and the main third-floor space

Once inside, I found that the space was divided by floor: the second floor had a relatively cozy seating area, while the main space was on the third floor. Going up to the third floor, it definitely felt more spacious and had that proper upscale Chinese restaurant atmosphere -

Overall, the Korean-style interior and the refined Chinese restaurant feel blended together naturally, so the atmosphere was a little different from the Chinese restaurants you commonly see. The tables were spaced apart enough that it did not feel like you were right next to another table, and there were private rooms too, so it looked like a nice option for a quiet gathering or date haha.

I made a reservation before visiting, and I loved how elegant the table setting was. It felt like care had gone into every piece of tableware, and even the teacups and water pitcher were different from what I usually see at Chinese restaurants, so I was already in a good mood before the meal :)

A varied menu, from courses to dim sum

Looking at the menu, there was so much to choose from, including course meals, dim sum, main dishes, and rice and noodle dishes. The course meals also covered a wide price range, from ₩25,000 to ₩125,000, so there were plenty of options—from something easy for a casual meal to courses for a special occasion haha.

There were quite a few kinds of dim sum, and beyond the usual Chinese dishes, there were lots of fusion dishes using Korean ingredients, so it was fun just looking through the menu!

Hollow bread appetizer and our order

Before the meal, hollow bread came out first as an appetizer - it was crisp on the outside and light inside, perfect for picking up one at a time before the meal. Haha, eating it warm made the crispy texture stand out even more, and it was secretly so good...

This time, I ordered the truffle crystal dumplings for ₩10,000 and the gochujang minari dongpo pork for ₩38,000! The food came out faster than I expected, so there was hardly any waiting, and both dishes were so beautifully plated that I started taking photos the moment they hit the table..♥

Chewy truffle crystal dumplings

First up were the truffle crystal dumplings, filled with three kinds of mushrooms including truffle! Their translucent wrappers were so pretty, and when I took a bite, they were much chewier than I expected ♥ The truffle aroma came through gently too, giving the whole dish an elegant flavor. The mushroom flavor and truffle aroma did not stand out too strongly, but blended together naturally, making these dim sum I personally enjoyed haha.

Dongpo pork with gochujang and minari

The gochujang minari dongpo pork was especially memorable among everything I ate that day. It is said to be a steamed dish of sous-vide pork with fragrant minari (Korean water parsley), coated in a special gochujang-and-oyster-sauce glaze. I was curious because it adds Korean flavor to familiar dongpo pork haha.

Up close, the pork looked incredibly tender, and when I actually tried it, I loved the way it melted softly. The gochujang and oyster sauce had a deep savory flavor without being overly intense, and the fragrant minari made the combination much, much better than I expected haha.

I recommend it as fusion Chinese food using Korean ingredients! If you are looking for a good restaurant near Sinsa Station and want to try something a little different from the usual Chinese menu, I would recommend Samsin Garosu-gil haha. I think it would especially suit anyone looking for an atmospheric Chinese restaurant on Garosu-gil or a place for an important meal appointment! I was very satisfied to enjoy unusual Chinese dishes in such a neat, upscale space - next time, I want to come back to try a course meal or other dim sum dishes too; it was a Sinsa Station restaurant I would like to revisit :)