Wine bar for solo dinner near Garosu-gil, Seoul: Luna Vine

I'd just finished a meeting about a large building in Cheongdam-dong, roughly 11,000 pyeong. Commercial real estate is still new territory for me and there's a lot to learn, but every time I encounter a project of this scale, I feel it's a good chance to grow. After the meeting, wanting to curb my hunger and wrap up some leftover work, I headed to Luna Vine, a wine bar in Nonhyeon-dong right next to Garosu-gil.

What kind of wine bar is Luna Vine? 23 years in Nonhyeon-dong

Luna Vine sits on the first floor of the Yejin Building on Nonhyeon-ro 149-gil, right beside Garosu-gil. Walking in, I could see guests enjoying the atmosphere on the terrace seats (not sure if they were actually foreign visitors... but it seemed that way). This place has been running in the same spot in Nonhyeon-dong for a whopping 23 years, which says a lot about its staying power in such a fiercely competitive Gangnam commercial district.

I ordered the oven-roasted napa cabbage, fish papillote, and roast chicken, and had a glass of red wine to match the mood. I found myself wondering what secret had kept Luna Vine going for 23 long years, and once I visited in person, I saw that the owner's warm, friendly charm played a huge role.

The owner of Luna Vine pours the wine himself

The owner of Luna Vine greeted me kindly, checking whether I had a reservation, and once I sat down, she explained the dishes and chatted warmly with me throughout. She shared behind-the-scenes stories about starting and running the business, the ingredients, and the cooking methods — her people skills were really something.

I like hearing about commercial districts and restaurant operations, so I asked her a bunch of questions, and that's how I found out her mother also runs a famous Samxx Makguksu (buckwheat noodle) restaurant. Apparently there's a branch in a neighborhood I often visit, so I plan to check it out soon.

Luna Vine had the largest wine selection of any place I've visited recently. I don't know much about wine, but the owner kindly explained things to me and even helped me taste a few. Her warm, welcoming way of treating every single guest as special left an impression on me — by far the most memorable hospitality I've encountered among restaurant owners lately.

Oven-roasted napa cabbage: half a head served whole

The first dish to arrive at Luna Vine, the oven-roasted napa cabbage, was bigger than I expected. Golden-browned napa cabbage topped lightly with a sweet, savory, cheesy garnish — it was a real treat. It was a generous half a head, but it tasted so good I finished it in no time.

What is fish papillote, and which wine goes with it?

Next up was the fish papillote, a French-style dish baked in parchment paper that I was trying for the first time. When I opened the paper, colorful roasted vegetables were piled generously on top, with tender, carefully deboned fish underneath. The fish was clean-tasting and had a decent amount of flesh, pairing beautifully with the wine.

Roast chicken from Luna Vine's Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef

By the time I was getting full, the roast chicken arrived. Luna Vine's kitchen is run by a chef trained at Le Cordon Bleu, who apparently favors letting the natural flavor of ingredients shine rather than piling on artificial or heavy sauces. That suits my own taste when I write food reviews — I prefer clean flavors that aren't buried under sauce — so I was even happier about it. Not overly bold, but refined and healthy, the flavor left a lasting impression.

Partway through the meal, the good-looking chef himself came out to check whether the food suited my taste, smiling brightly. Both the owner and the chef greeted guests with such warm, friendly energy that I felt good the entire time I was there. I cleanly finished the roasted vegetables alongside the chicken, crisp outside and juicy inside.

Working solo over wine at Luna Vine, down to the last meoktae

After the meal, I did a bit of leftover work and writing, then got a little hungry again, so I ordered meoktae (dried, shredded pollock) as a snack and cleared everything completely. The premium wine, worth around ₩600,000, that I sampled during the tasting had such wonderful aroma and flavor that I ended up drinking all of it. That one, the red wine, and the other white wine were all luxurious and full of character.

By my usual standards — I don't drink much — this counted as overdoing it a bit, but thanks to the delicious food and lovely atmosphere, it was a thoroughly satisfying and memorable evening in Nonhyeon-dong.