Garosu-gil Chinese restaurant dinner: shrimp hagau for two, Samsin

Seoul restaurant info: Samsin Garosu-gil, photos and text ⓒ Daon Haru

I had a dinner appointment in Sinsa's Garosu-gil, so I visited the fusion Chinese restaurant Samsin Garosu-gil (삼신 가로수길점). It's close to Sinsa Station and it's a fairly large Chinese restaurant spanning the 2nd and 3rd floors, with a pretty wide menu range from dim sum to jajangmyeon (black bean noodles), jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), and tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork). They also have private rooms and course meals, so it's a good spot to keep in mind if you're looking for a family meal, gathering, or company dinner venue in Garosu-gil.

Where is Samsin Garosu-gil, and what is the fusion Chinese restaurant near Sinsa Station like?

Samsin Garosu-gil is in a great spot to walk to from Sinsa Station Exit 8 toward Garosu-gil. The restaurant uses both the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building, so it's actually quite spacious. The overall interior is clean and calm, giving off a slightly more upscale vibe than a typical Chinese restaurant.

The tables have generous spacing, and there are also separate private rooms, so it looked like a great option whether it's a date in Garosu-gil, a family meal, or a company dinner and group gathering.

What is on the menu at Samsin Garosu-gil?

The menu had more variety than I expected. Handmade dim sum options include xiaolongbao, shrimp hagau, chive dumplings, and truffle sujeonggyo. For rice and noodle dishes, there's potato jajangmyeon, yuni gochu ganjajangmyeon, galbi-jjim jajangmyeon, East Coast seafood jjamppong, imperial samseon jjamppong, and tebanaka meat jjamppong. On top of that, there's a good range of cooked dishes too, like Tokyo tangsuyuk, Peking chicken, cream shrimp, and chili shrimp — great for a group visit where everyone orders something different.

There are also separate course menus, so there's a good range of choices depending on the purpose of your meal.

Four dishes two people ordered at Samsin Garosu-gil, and what they cost

• East Coast seafood jjamppong ₩13,000
• Handmade xiaolongbao ₩8,000
• Handmade shrimp hagau ₩9,000
• Tokyo tangsuyuk (small) ₩20,000

The East Coast seafood jjamppong is made with a broth simmered using a traditional method and loaded with seafood. Tasting it myself, it wasn't a very spicy or intensely fiery style, and there was a decent amount of seafood in it. If you're looking for a broth style that's easy to eat rather than an intensely spicy jjamppong, this one's worth considering.

Shrimp hagau, xiaolongbao and the Tokyo tangsuyuk poured at the table

The handmade xiaolongbao is a familiar style of dim sum, with meat filling and broth inside a thin wrapper. The shrimp hagau has shrimp inside a translucent wrapper, so we ordered one of each and tried them side by side.

The Tokyo tangsuyuk looked a bit different from your typical tangsuyuk right from the start — it comes in a hot stone bowl like a ttukbaegi, and a staff member pours the sauce over it right at the table. Since it's basically served pre-sauced, if you'd rather dip your own (찍먹 style), it's best to mention that before they pour the sauce. There's also butter on top of the sauce, which made for a somewhat different combination from the tangsuyuk I'm used to.

A roomy Garosu-gil Chinese restaurant for group dinners

Since Samsin Garosu-gil uses both the 2nd and 3rd floors, the space is spacious, and there's a good range of seating options from tables to private rooms. If you're looking for a Chinese restaurant with a private room, or a place for a group meal near Sinsa Station or Garosu-gil, this menu and space are worth keeping in mind.

Samsin Garosu-gil: hours, parking and reservations

• Location: 2F, 3F, 46 Gangnam-daero156-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Sun–Thu 11:00–23:00 / Fri–Sat 11:00–24:00
• Parking: Parking, valet (paid)
• Restrooms: Inside the restaurant (gender-separated)
• Naver reservations available / Corkage (paid)