Gwanghwamun Korean restaurant: sweet shrimp capellini dinner, Modam

What is Modam Dining Gwanghwamun?

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun (모담다이닝 광화문점) is a Korean dining restaurant on the B1 floor of Deoksugung The Palace in Gwanghwamun. I was hunting for a Korean restaurant in Gwanghwamun with a nice atmosphere and ended up here. It's a spot where you can enjoy Korean food in a slightly more special way, so I'd recommend it for a Gwanghwamun date or for taking your parents 🤍 The Modam flower-shaped logo caught my eye right at the entrance!

The space was really roomy and clean from the moment we walked in. There's a landscaped area of wood and stones in the middle, so it felt like stepping into a gallery. I loved the calm, upscale mood overall.

Containing everything of Korean food: Modam

Isn't the meaning behind the name lovely? 🌸 The flower-shaped logo glows with soft lighting and was so pretty that I took a photo of it. The interior, which gives Korean sensibility a modern twist, left a strong impression.

Interior and seating at Modam Dining Gwanghwamun

Inside, white walls, distinctive pendant lights and cute little props came together in a refined mood. It isn't over the top, yet it feels upscale, so it would be good for a special occasion too. ✨

There are also tables divided by partitions like this. The beige sofa seats looked clean and comfortable, and the tables are separated well enough that a group can eat in peace.

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun dinner menu and prices

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun has separate lunch and dinner sets, and a wide range of Korean dishes, from grilled Korean beef sets to tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties), bori-gulbi (barley-aged yellow croaker) and abalone shrimp jang (soy-marinated seafood). 🍽️ I especially liked that you can enjoy it like a course, from starters to the main meal and dessert.

We visited at dinner and ordered these two!

• Dinner abalone tteokgalbi set ₩40,000
• Dinner abalone shrimp jang and butter rice set ₩40,000
• Total for 2 people ₩80,000

Both include abalone but the mains differ, so ordering both and sharing worked well. 🤍

Starters from mung bean porridge to flatfish ceviche

Mung bean porridge

The first dish in the Modam dinner set was warm mung bean porridge! 💛 It gently soothed the stomach before the real meal, and the nutty, mild flavor was easy to eat. Even the first dish was served so neatly that I got excited for what was coming :)

Cheongyang chili water kimchi, yuzu dressing salad and mustard greens with pine nut sauce

Next came Cheongyang pepper water kimchi, a seasonal salad with yuzu dressing, and gyeojachae (mustard salad) with pine nut sauce. From the fresh salad to the cool water kimchi, the lineup really whetted the appetite. Korean ingredients plated this prettily felt extra special 🤍

Sweet shrimp capellini and shiitake croquettes, not on the menu

Next up were sweet shrimp capellini and a shiitake mushroom croquette! The menu listed abalone jang capellini and an octopus abalone cream croquette, but at the time of our visit those two had been changed. Both looked so appetizing that I was looking forward to them ✨

The sweet shrimp capellini had sweet shrimp on top of thin noodles, with seaweed flakes and assorted garnishes. The noodles were rolled up prettily too, and I really liked the plating. A dish that showed off the mix of Korean and Western :)

The shiitake croquette had a generous amount of orange sauce over crispy fried batter! The sauce looked especially tempting, and served on a black plate the colors were gorgeous. A good bite-sized dish 🧡

Flatfish sashimi ceviche with Korean pickles

Flatfish sashimi and jangajji (pickled vegetable) ceviche, served on a flower-shaped plate! Soft-looking flatfish came with finely chopped vegetables and sauce. It felt different from ordinary raw fish dishes, so it was a fresh change, and the plating was really pretty 🤍

What comes with the abalone shrimp jang and butter rice set?

The dinner abalone shrimp jang and butter rice set (₩40,000) at Modam Dining Gwanghwamun arrives with big shrimp, abalone and a soft-boiled egg generously piled in soy marinade. 🦐 With so many ingredients together it looked amazing. If you usually like shrimp jang, this one is worth a look.

The shrimp jang comes with warm rice and butter. You melt the butter into the rice and eat it with the salty shrimp and abalone jang. The shrimp and abalone were big, so it felt even more generous. I liked that even though it's Korean dining, you still get a filling meal :)

Four side dishes came with the main too. Kimchi, mushrooms and namul (seasoned vegetables) were neatly arranged. Even the small sides were prepared cleanly, so overall I felt well looked after. I think details like this are Modam's charm 🤍

What's in the abalone tteokgalbi set?

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun's other main, the dinner abalone tteokgalbi set (₩40,000), comes with two glossy tteokgalbi patties plus grilled abalone! 🥩 The patties are topped with sliced scallions, and side vegetables and wasabi came along. With the abalone added, it felt far more upscale than an ordinary tteokgalbi set. Both sets are ₩40,000 per person, so I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a Korean meal with atmosphere in Gwanghwamun :)

The abalone tteokgalbi looked so appetizing, glossy and dripping with sauce! 🤎 Thick patties with grilled abalone made it an extra special combination. Eating it with the wasabi and vegetables would keep it from feeling heavy. I think parents would be happy with this one too.

Finishing with multigrain rice, beef radish soup and plum tea

The Modam set came with multigrain rice and warm beef and radish soup alongside the main. 🍚 It felt like being properly treated to a full Korean table. Even though it's a course, you end like a hearty home-cooked meal, which I liked :)

After the meal, plum tea came out too. 🍵 Finishing a series of Korean dishes with a cup of tea felt relaxed and nice. Overall, the plating at Modam Gwanghwamun is neat and the atmosphere calm, so I think it's a good Korean dining spot for treating your parents or for a special day. 🤍