Daeheung-dong group dinner course in Daejeon: fusion Korean at Usul

Went on a trip to Daejeon and found this fusion Korean restaurant with such a great vibe !! 🍽️

Where is Usul, and what are its hours? Right by the Sungsimdang main store

Let me introduce Usul, located in downtown Daejeon 💗

⏰ Hours Tue - Sun 11:00 - 21:00 (last order 20:00) Closed Mondays

📍 Near the Sungsimdang main store You know how the Sungsimdang main store, Sungsimdang Cake Boutique, and Sungsimdang Siru Cake specialty shop are all clustered right next to each other? 🥐🥪🥨 It's a perfect spot to visit before or after eating there.

Usul's exterior is clean too! They said the building has an underground parking lot with 3 hours free.

They said if ingredients run out, they reopen at 5pm! Luckily we arrived right at 5 and got in right away. Lucky🍀

Usul's interior and seating: why it suits a group dinner

There was even a separate coat rack and waiting area(?). With a hanok feel, there was deodorizer, disposable mouthwash, and toothpicks on top of the jangdokdae (traditional pottery jars), and even a restroom sign — the details were on point!!!

It has a slightly hanok feel but with a modern, cute, and clean interior that was really pretty! 🥢

There were both table seats and bar seats! Great to come alone, great to come with friends, and especially good for engagement dinner gatherings. 💌 In fact, the group seated behind us looked exactly like an engagement dinner group!! (My eyes weren't wrong.)

Ordering at Usul: the kiosk and the top 3 dishes

Ordering is done via kiosk! Every menu item has a proper photo, so you can tell at a glance what the dish is 😚 These days there are so many menu names you can't quite figure out, so having photos makes ordering way easier.

The menu is built around Korea's representative ingredients! The BEST 3 among them are gochujang yukhoe with fried tofu skin rolls, basil doenjang cream sujebi, and soft tofu gomtang.

How could you not order after seeing this photo in the menu?!

We ordered 4 dishes: gochujang yukhoe with fried tofu skin rolls, sweet corn shrimp potato pancake, soft tofu gomtang, and peanut chogye bibimmyeon 🍚🍝 The perfect combo for us since we needed both rice and noodles!

How did the Usul dishes taste, shared between four?

Drooling already... isn't the visual insane?! The portions were generous and warm, and the four of us ate until we were full.

Gochujang yukhoe with fried tofu skin rolls

The portion of raw beef was bigger than expected, and the fried tofu skin rolls were seasoned just right. There's a reason this is the number one best menu item!

Sweet corn shrimp potato pancake

A sweet corn and potato pancake with shrimp, topped with ricotta cheese and arugula! 🌽🥔🍤 You dip it in the sauce, and the sauce is seriously so good... it's tartar sauce-ish but more savory and sweet than tangy!

Spicy peanut chogye bibimmyeon (cold noodles)

Spicy peanut chogye bibimmyeon (cold spicy peanut noodles)! Is that really chicken breast...? It was so tender that if this is chicken breast, I've already succeeded at dieting..;; The noodles, peanuts, and chicken went so well together 🍗🥜🤎

Soft tofu gomtang (beef bone soup)

The soft tofu gomtang was kind of like a mild yukgaejang (spicy beef soup). The guy in our group liked this one the most!! Of course, you need a soup dish~! A flavor guys will love 👍

The staff were so kind too, and they took care of little things every time a dish came out — it made for such a great meal 😋 Strongly recommend it if you're going with a group of women! Highly recommend for an engagement dinner or date course in Daejeon~

Usul plus Sungsimdang: a Daejeon walking course

Since it's near Sungsimdang, you can complete the Daejeon tour route: 'eat at Usul, then buy bread at Sungsimdang'!! Perfect for a fusion Korean lunch in Daeheung-dong.