Gwanghwamun Korean restaurant, after-work beef tripe hot pot: Modam

I was craving Korean food after work last week, so I looked up hanjeongsik (Korean set-course) restaurants nearby and ended up at Modam Dining Gwanghwamun 💖 It has a neat hanjeongsik menu with a course-like feel, and it's apparently well known for meet-the-parents dinners and family gatherings too ❗️ Looks like they have several branches, but we went to the Gwanghwamun one since it's close to our office, and we ate really well 🥰🥰 Let's get into the review!

Where Modam Dining Gwanghwamun is, and where to park

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun is 549m from Exit 6 of Gwanghwamun Station, on basement level 1 of the Deoksugung D Palace building. Parking is available on basement level 3 of the same D Palace building, free for 2 hours ❗️

• Hours ⏰ Tue–Sun 11:00–22:00 / break time 15:00–17:00 / last order 20:10
• Parking 🚗 Available ⭕️ Free for 2 hours on basement level 3 within the building
• Group seating available, wifi, separate men's/women's restrooms, reservations

Come down to basement level 1 of the Deoksugung D Palace building and head into the dining area — you'll spot it 🥰

Partitioned seats and private rooms: why Modam suits sangyeonrye and work dinners

Most seats at Modam Dining Gwanghwamun are partitioned, and there's a large group section further inside. On the opposite side there are also several private rooms, which is probably why it's so well known as a spot for meet-the-parents dinners and family gatherings 🤎

Overall the tables are spaced well apart and the seats feel private, so it looked great for a work dinner too 👏👏 Plus corkage is free, which makes it even better..👍 The interior has a clean, gallery-like vibe, perfect for bringing your parents 🥰🥰

The menu and what we ordered: hanwoo 1++ beef tripe hot pot set, ₩39,000

True to being a Korean dining specialist, Modam Dining Gwanghwamun's menu has neat hanjeongsik sets, hot pot dishes, and tabletop spreads good for hosting gatherings or meet-the-parents dinners 🥰 Since it's mostly set-style, even a single dish comes with several accompanying items arranged like a course, which I liked 🧡 Note that available menu items differ between lunch and dinner ❗️

We thought about each getting our own set, but that day we were craving something spicy, so we ordered as follows 💖

• Hanwoo 1++ gopchang jeongol set - ₩39,000 x 2
• Seasonal porridge
• Cheongyang water kimchi
• Seasonal salad with yuzu dressing
• Mustard vegetables with pine nut sauce
• Seasonal raw fish and pickle ceviche
• Modam fritters
• Perilla oil capellini
• Hanwoo 1++ gopchang jeongol
• White rice / four side dishes / dessert

First course: golden mung bean porridge

✔️ First up was the seasonal porridge, mung bean porridge 💛 Served in a pretty little bowl, this golden, nutty porridge made a great appetizer to settle the stomach ✨

Water kimchi, yuzu-dressed seasonal salad and pine nut mustard greens

✔️ The cheongyang water kimchi was cool and packed with umami, and the refreshing yuzu-dressed seasonal salad along with the pine-nut-sauce mustard vegetables with chicken breast really woke up the palate ..💚💛 A nice thoughtful touch: separate chopsticks are provided for each dish so you can share easily ✨

Ceviche, shiitake modam fritters and perilla oil capellini

✔️ Seasonal raw fish and pickle ceviche / modam fritters / perilla oil capellini. The tangy pickles and chewy raw fish were fresh and delicious, and the modam fritters that day were made with shiitake mushrooms 🤎 They were plump and juicy, more like eating meat than mushroom ✨ This was my number one appetizer of the day haha. The perilla oil capellini topped with sweet shrimp and perilla seeds was also nutty and lovely..🧡🖤

The main pot: hanwoo 1++ beef tripe, chewy with no gamy smell

✔️ Then the main dish, the hanwoo 1++ gopchang jeongol (beef tripe hot pot), arrived! Loaded with various vegetables and hanwoo tripe..❤️

Side dishes and rice to go with the main dish also came out, and the sides were shiitake mushroom, zucchini, sautéed eggplant, and napa cabbage kimchi..✨

A Korean food lover's happiness 🥰🥰

They simmer it until the vegetables wilt down and the broth reduces.. 🧡

No gamy smell at all, chewy tripe, and a spicy broth — exactly the taste I was after..✨ Simmered together with fresh vegetables, it was so good we finished it in no time 👏👏

This menu can only be ordered for 2 or more, so if you're going with a group, be sure to order it alongside the set menu ❗️

Is Modam Dining Gwanghwamun worth it? Final verdict

"Modam Dining Gwanghwamun" — a Korean restaurant I'd recommend near Gwanghwamun for gatherings. Next time I should bring my mom and dad and try the set menu..💖