Apgujeong Rodeo patio pub, shrimp and water celery pancake: THE GIWA

I've been out on shoots a lot lately, so I've been meeting up near my husband's office more often. Everyone says fieldwork is exhausting, but I actually like it. I get to have Apgujeong dates with my husband — teehee.

We went together to THE GIWA Apgujeong Main Branch, a Korean restaurant and bar in Apgujeong Rodeo with outdoor patio seating. It's a place my husband apparently goes to often with his coworkers too. It's the perfect season for patio dining, so let's get right into the review of THE GIWA Apgujeong Main Branch :)

THE GIWA Apgujeong Main Branch: a Korean pub with patio seating in Apgujeong Rodeo

THE GIWA Apgujeong Main Branch is a Korean restaurant and bar where you can enjoy that outdoor-patio mood right in Apgujeong Rodeo. The weather's perfect for it these days, and they've got great seats set up for it.

The indoor seating is pretty too. I was tempted to sit outside, but today we ended up sitting inside.

Being a Korean restaurant and bar, there's a big Korean menu — probably why so many foreign visitors come here too. We ordered bossam kalbibimmyeon (boiled pork with spicy cold noodles), saeu-mineri jeon (shrimp roe and water celery pancake), and soju. Something spicy, something crispy 😆

The delicious anju (drinking snacks) arrived :) The presentation is no joke. Now I get why my husband's coworkers keep coming back here.

THE GIWA bossam kalbibimmyeon: spicy noodles with tender boiled pork

The dish my husband picked: THE GIWA bossam kalbibimmyeon. Exactly as the name says — you get bossam (boiled pork) plus kalbibimmyeon (spicy cold noodles).

Usually I go for the meat first, but today my chopsticks went straight for the noodles. Spicy and tangy, delicious kalbibimmyeon — and it pairs so well with the perilla leaves. A little on the spicy side! Both my husband and I love spicy food, so we were thrilled.

The bossam portion was bigger than I expected too. Nice thick slices, tender and soft. Clean, no gamey smell at all.

The bossam is delicious on its own, but it's a perfect match with the noodles — probably why they come together. The bossam-noodle combo is honestly the best.

Haha, once the anju is this good, the drinks just keep flowing. Cheers with my husband — feels like all I do lately is drink, doesn't it? Lol. I'm sticking to water though... hahaha.

How big is THE GIWA's shrimp and water celery pancake?

The dish I picked: THE GIWA saeu-mineri jeon (shrimp roe and water celery pancake). The mineri (water celery) pancake alone is already delicious, but this one has shrimp roe mixed in too.

There was even more shrimp roe packed in than I expected. A really generous, hearty pancake.

You're supposed to tear it apart with your hands, but today I elegantly cut it with scissors instead lol. What do you think, elegant enough? Since we're in Apgujeong, might as well use the utensils.

First of all, the mineri fragrance is amazing. I already love mineri, so turning it into a pancake basically guarantees deliciousness. The pancake comes out fried crispy and tasty. The shrimp roe pieces are bigger than you'd expect too — not the tiny roe size at all :) They're fried up nutty and delicious.

Next time at THE GIWA: ube makgeolli

The mineri fragrance is really something. Highly recommend the shrimp roe mineri pancake if you like mineri. THE GIWA also has ube makgeolli, which they say they were the first to develop in Korea. I bet it'd taste even better paired with that. The foreign visitors at the next table were drinking it like a cocktail. I'll have to order the ube makgeolli next time! Lol

THE GIWA Apgujeong Main Branch, a Korean restaurant and bar in Apgujeong Rodeo with that outdoor-patio mood. It's a spot where you can really feel that patio-dining vibe right in Apgujeong Rodeo. As a Korean restaurant and bar, the menu is genuinely varied, and every single dish had incredible depth of flavor. Everything was so good that I want to come back and try other menu items too. Highly recommend THE GIWA Apgujeong Main Branch :)