Seoul Korean restaurant lunch in Yongsan: Modam Itaewon

Today, I met up with a friend for the first time in ages and visited Modam Itaewon (모담 이태원점), a Korean course-dining restaurant in Itaewon!

Modam Itaewon location and atmosphere

Modam Dining is located on the first floor of the Mondrian Hotel.

As I entered the Mondrian Hotel, I found floral scents and artworks on display. Walk past the exhibition pieces and Modam Dining is right there.

Modam Dining is framed by floor-to-ceiling windows. Its modern yet distinctly Korean interior was impressive.

Since we had a reservation, we were seated straight away. There is both a main dining hall and private rooms.

With just the right lighting and a luxurious interior, this feels like a great restaurant for family introductions or hosting guests.

I took a quick look at the rooms, too. They seemed like lovely spaces for having a quiet conversation in private.

Lunch set menu and our order

Here is the Modam Dining menu. Lunch and dinner sets are priced differently. We each ordered one lunch set: the assorted marinated seafood and gamtae butter rice set (₩45,000), and the grilled deodeok and charcoal-grilled tteokgalbi set (₩45,000).

Even though it was a weekday lunch, there were quite a few guests in both the rooms and the main hall.

What did the appetizers look like?

Starting from the right, there were a green salad with barley shrimp chips, seasonal fruit and grilled vegetables with black sesame dressing, buckwheat noodles with bracken fern and perilla oil, and Modam gangjeong (crisp glazed bites).

Yellowtail sashimi

Each individual plate also came with two pieces of yellowtail sashimi. Mixed with the sauce containing fresh yellowtail and paprika, it was a tangy, refreshing appetizer that really woke up my appetite.

Green salad with barley shrimp chips

The green salad, with barley shrimp chips and tofu, paired nutty flavors beautifully with fresh vegetables.

Seasonal fruit and grilled vegetables with black sesame dressing

The black sesame dressing was mixed with Korean melon, green grapes, seaweed crisps, mushrooms, and more. The fruit was especially sweet, making the combination even better.

Buckwheat noodles with bracken fern and perilla oil

The nutty aroma of perilla oil spread with the first bite, followed by the clean, earthy flavor unique to buckwheat noodles.

Modam gangjeong

Modam gangjeong was personally the best match for my taste. With shiitake mushrooms inside, the chewy mushrooms and crisp gangjeong were so delicious that I kept reaching for more.

Once we had finished the appetizers, the main meal was served in earnest.

Assorted marinated seafood with gamtae butter rice and tteokgalbi sets

Assorted marinated seafood with gamtae butter rice

This was the assorted marinated seafood and gamtae butter rice set. The seafood included abalone, mussels, octopus, one large shrimp, two small shrimp, and a soft-cooked egg.

The gamtae butter is placed on top of the rice; I was told to mix it into the rice and enjoy it with the marinated seafood.

The assorted marinated seafood had great savory depth and just the right saltiness, so the gamtae butter rice went down very easily with it.

Grilled deodeok and charcoal-grilled tteokgalbi

We also tried the grilled deodeok and charcoal-grilled tteokgalbi set. The glossy tteokgalbi was savory and delicious—perfect with rice.

Having a bite of the nourishing grilled deodeok alongside it made this a Korean set meal that took care of both flavor and wellness.

Perilla leaf lemon sorbet

For dessert, we had perilla leaf lemon sorbet. The deep perilla-leaf aroma and bright lemon flavor cleaned up the palate beautifully.

How was it for a family introduction or group meal?

• This is an elegant Korean restaurant I can recommend for a family introduction or gathering in Itaewon. Being on the first floor of the Mondrian Hotel in Itaewon also makes it easy to reach, and parking support is a plus.
• Lunch starts at ₩27,000 and dinner at ₩35,000, so the pricing is reasonable and not overly burdensome.
• There are private rooms, and artworks are displayed from the entrance onward, making it a place that delights both the eyes and the palate.
• Both the appetizers and main dishes in the assorted marinated seafood with gamtae butter rice set and the grilled deodeok with charcoal-grilled tteokgalbi set were at a high level, making the Korean course meal thoroughly enjoyable.