Chinese restaurant group dinner in Garosu-gil: dongpaurou at Samsin

Samsin Garosu-gil, a new Chinese restaurant off Garosu-gil near Sinsa Station

A new Chinese restaurant called Samsin Garosu-gil has opened in Sinsa-dong! It's located as you head from Sinsa Station toward Garosu-gil, and it uses the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building.

This was one of those occasions where someone was introducing someone to someone else haha — it had been a while since I'd gathered with a group for dinner.

The moment we walked in, I thought, oh? the interior is way prettier than I expected!

We went up the stairs to the 2nd floor.

How far apart are the 2nd-floor tables, and what are the private rooms like?

Maybe because it just opened, everything — the tables, the dishware — was all gleaming and spotless haha. The space is quite large and the table spacing wasn't cramped at all, so it seemed great for group gatherings. I really liked that they split the tables in a figure-8 so you're not sitting right up against the next table.

When I asked, they said it's a new brand from the team behind Maeranbang in Seocho. Maybe that's why the menu felt familiar overall but still had its own little points of difference.

There are separate private rooms too, and beyond the one I saw, there were several larger ones. Seems like it'd work well for family gatherings, company dinners, or business meetings — anytime a group needs to eat quietly.

À la carte and course menus at Samsin Garosu-gil, plus the baked bread before the meal

I glanced through the menu and there's a wide variety of à la carte dishes plus course options too. The course prices weren't as intimidating as I expected :) So it'd be good for a simple lunch meeting or when you want a slightly upscale Chinese restaurant near Garosu-gil.

Before the meal, they brought out something like baked bread with a sweet filling inside, and I kept reaching for more haha. I don't remember the name, but it was so good I just kept eating it.

Our table

Not sure why there was liquor displayed right in front of the restroom ;;;

I also made a restroom stop before we really got going with the food. Restroom was spotless.

There were plenty of staff around, but you can also order directly like this.

Starting with dim sum, yusanseul and cold appetizers

And now, the food officially begins! First, dim sum (steamed dumplings). They're so cute...♥

But why was each one so generously filled ;;; The yusanseul (stir-fried meat and vegetables in sauce) came out too, and it wasn't the ordinary yusanseul I expected. The ingredients were large and there was a lot of them — really hearty.

The cold appetizers showed up too! I basically love Chinese cold appetizers haha. It's the perfect thing to wake up your palate before diving into everything else.

I got the pink one, my friend D.H. got the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings).

Why was it so generously filled ;;; the crab meat was practically going in whole. We were like, is it really okay to put this much in there haha.

Minari dongpaurou and Samsin Tokyo tangsuyuk

Dongpaurou (braised pork belly). Wow, this combination with minari (water dropwort) was really something. So soft and delicious ㅠㅠㅠ The meat was incredibly tender and the minari cut through the richness, so I just kept eating it ㅠㅠㅠ

And finally, the Samsin Tokyo tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork)! This seems to be one of their signature dishes — there's butter on top, and when they pour the sauce over it, it sizzles!!! The butter smell hits hard, and it went surprisingly well with the tangsuyuk.

Yum ♥ It's a bit different from your usual sweet and tangy tangsuyuk, so it's worth ordering at least once if you come here.

Complimentary fried dumplings, yuni chili ganjjajang and tebanaka meat jjamppong

Partway through, they also brought out fried dumplings on the house :) The dumplings were fried so well, and the pairing with the seaweed was great. My friend who came along happens to be working on a seaweed-related project, so we ended up talking about seaweed yet again (even though we'd already covered it earlier) haha haha haha.

We wrapped up the meal with yuni chili jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and tebanaka meat jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup)!

The jajangmyeon has finely chopped chili in it, so it's spicier than I expected, while the jjamppong, in contrast, has a really mild, gentle broth. Instead of a sharp, punchy jjamppong, it's smooth and rich — perfect for curing a hangover if you drank the night before haha.

Is Samsin Garosu-gil a good Chinese restaurant for a group dinner near Sinsa Station?

Overall, the menu variety was great and every dish felt like they didn't skimp on ingredients — very satisfying. Above all, the restaurant was clean and the rooms were well set up, so next time I gather with a group, I'm going to book a room in advance and come back :)

If you're looking for a newly opened, clean Chinese restaurant near Garosu-gil or Sinsa Station that's good for group gatherings, give Samsin Garosu-gil a try!!! I especially recommend the dongpaurou + Tokyo tangsuyuk ♥