Gangnam Korean restaurant anniversary lunch with egg pudding: MUSEO

I went to MUSEO on a weekend for a Gangnam course-meal date. It's an upscale Korean fine dining restaurant built around seasonal ingredients, and I loved the food, the atmosphere and how the course was put together. I'd happily recommend it as an anniversary date spot in Seoul, so let's get into my review of the MUSEO lunch course!

Where is MUSEO, and is there parking?

MUSEO is at 20 Gangnam-daero 47-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, basement level 1, an 8-minute walk from Yangjae Station, so it's easy to reach by public transport. If you drive, the paid parking lot right next to the restaurant gives you up to 1 hour free, which is convenient too.

• Location: MUSEO, basement level 1, 20 Gangnam-daero 47-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul
• Hours: daily 10:00-22:00 (break time 14:30-17:30), last order 20:00
• Parking: paid lot next to the restaurant (1 hour of parking covered)

Is MUSEO's atmosphere good for a date?

MUSEO is a Korean fine dining restaurant with a black interior and soft lighting, calm and upscale in mood. The atmosphere changes the moment you step inside, and with a bar table in the center, it felt like a lovely place for a cozy date.

I had reserved, and the table was neatly set when we arrived. It was almost fully booked at weekend lunchtime, so I'd recommend reserving ahead.

At the back there's a private room that seats up to 7 people, which makes it a good space for wedding invitation gatherings in Gangnam, company dinners or family meals.

MUSEO Premium Baekban Lunch Course: menu and price

What I ordered at MUSEO was the Premium Baekban Lunch Course (₩49,000 per person). Baekban means a traditional Korean set meal of rice with side dishes. This signature course reinterprets Korean food with a modern touch using seasonal ingredients, and here's how it went.

First course: egg dish, seafood mulhoe (chilled raw seafood soup) and hanwoo ox-foot

The lunch course starts with a first course of egg, seafood mulhoe (a chilled raw seafood soup) and Korean beef ox-foot. It was a varied plate of seasonal ingredients and a proper start to the course.

First was an egg dish that melted softly like pudding, topped with spinach and anchovy that brought out its nutty richness. Even with such simple ingredients, the delicate flavors were balanced beautifully.

Next was the seafood mulhoe, where the melt-in-your-mouth texture of sweet shrimp (dansaeu) blended well with the fragrant flavor of sea squirt (meongge). The mulhoe broth had a subtle savory depth rather than a sharp punch, which really whetted the appetite.

The next dish was a skewer made with Korean beef ox-foot and aroni-sagol (beef shank), served with a seasonal vegetable salad and a dipping sauce.

The ox-foot was chewy yet tender, and with the seasonal vegetables and sauce the sweet-and-sour flavor kept it from feeling heavy. It all went together nicely.

Palate cleanser: mint sorbet

Next came mint sorbet, a palate cleanser to reset your mouth before the main dish. It's a refreshing dessert for hot summer days, and it made me even more excited for the next course.

Main: hanwoo kkurit-sal yukhoe (beef tartare) namul bibimbap set

Finally, the main dish arrived: Korean beef kkurit-sal yukhoe (seasoned raw beef) namul bibimbap (rice mixed with seasoned vegetables). It came as a generous set with Hando pork jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), Haenam gobchang-gim (seaweed), Goheung fried Spanish mackerel, kimchi, jeotgal (salted seafood), jangajji (pickles), doenjang soup and glutinous rice gochujang, which was impressive.

The tender, fresh yukhoe and the assorted namul came together with deep flavor, and the fried buckwheat added a crispy texture. With all the side dishes and extras, the neat set really showed off how abundant Korean food can be.

How was the MUSEO boyang gukbap add-on?

I wanted to try both main dishes, so I also ordered the MUSEO boyang gukbap (restorative rice soup). With Korean beef, free-range chicken and abalone, the broth was deep and rich, and it's a great dish for this time of year when energy tends to drop.

It was packed with Jeju bracken, chicken and Korean beef, so it felt healthy and filling, a really satisfying meal, and the deep, rich broth was easy to enjoy.

Dessert: handmade makgeolli ice cream

The last course was handmade makgeolli (Korean rice wine) ice cream, topped with blueberries, chamoe (Korean melon) and chocolate granola. The subtle sweetness had a refined flavor, and the rich chocolate granola crunch rounded off the dessert on a happy note.

Is MUSEO worth it for a Gangnam anniversary date?

MUSEO was a satisfying meal: a delicate Korean course of seasonal ingredients, a neat presentation and an upscale atmosphere. It suits an anniversary date in Gangnam, but also wedding invitation gatherings and family meals, any special occasion. If you're looking for a Korean fine dining course to enjoy at a relaxed pace in a private setting, I recommend visiting at least once.