Yeouido IFC Mall Korean restaurant for a couple's dinner: Modam Urban

Korean restaurant in Yeouido, meeting-the-in-laws spot in Yeouido

An after-work Korean dinner for two at Modam Urban

Recently my husband and I went to 'Modam Urban' in IFC Mall, Yeouido, for dinner after work.

Modam Urban

The overall atmosphere was clean and calm, and the main hall was well divided into separate spaces, which made it nice for the two of us to talk while eating. Ordering a main dish also brought a variety of appetizers, so we got to try more dishes than I expected, and with a private room available too, I thought it could work well as a spot for family gatherings or meeting-the-in-laws dinners in Yeouido :)

Where Modam Urban is in IFC Mall, and where to park

• 📍 Address: 10 Gukjegeumyung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, L3 of IFC Mall
• 🚇 Transit: Use the passage connecting to IFC Mall from Yeouido Station
• 🚗 Parking: Use the IFC Mall parking lot

Taking the underground passage near Exit 3 of Yeouido Station leads straight into L2 of IFC Mall, and L3 is just one floor down. Since you can move entirely indoors, it's a convenient location to reach regardless of the weather.

IFC Mall parking discounts by spend

Support is given for up to 5 hours depending on how much you spend. The free parking time by purchase amount is as follows.

• 1 hour for purchases over ₩20,000
• 2 hours for purchases over ₩40,000
• 3 hours for purchases over ₩60,000
• 4 hours for purchases over ₩100,000
• 5 hours for purchases over ₩150,000

Once the discounted time is exceeded, a base fee of ₩3,000 applies plus ₩1,000 per additional 10 minutes. The daily maximum fee is ₩45,000.

Modam Urban's exterior: a round entrance and soft lighting

Arriving in front of the restaurant, the large round entrance caught my eye first. The bright wall with the Modam logo and soft lighting gave it a clean yet calm mood.

Inside the entrance there was a small tree and white pebbles decorating the space, which suited the Korean restaurant atmosphere well. Photos of the menu and information on the six appetizers were also displayed out front, so we could check the offerings before going in.

Inside Modam Urban: partitioned hall seats and private rooms

The interior had a warm, comfortable feel with light beige tones and wooden tables and chairs blending together. I especially liked that the main hall seating was divided by high-backed sofas and partitions. It felt less like the next table was right next to us, which made it comfortable to talk with my husband while eating.

There was also a private room with its own door. Inside the room, a long table, lighting, and artwork created a neat atmosphere. It seemed worth considering for a cozy family meal, or when looking for a meeting-the-in-laws spot or gathering place in Yeouido.

Modam Urban menu: Korean classics plus pasta and risotto

The menu had a wide range, from rice-pot dishes, sundubu (soft tofu stew), and loach soup, to crispy bulgogi, yukhoe bibimbap, tteokgalbi (short rib patties), and grilled abalone. There was also pasta and risotto made with Korean ingredients, so it was easy for each of us to pick what we wanted. The menu also listed separate course sets like a meeting-the-in-laws table and a royal court table.

We ordered two dishes

• ✔️ Crab-broth octopus pasta — ₩29,900
• ✔️ Assorted seafood jang with gim butter rice — ₩29,900

We picked one noodle dish and one rice dish to share with my husband :)

The six appetizers that come with every main

Ordering a main dish at Modam Urban brings six appetizers along with it. There was mung bean porridge topped with black sesame, salad with wholegrain yuzu, mushroom pyeonyuk (sliced boiled meat) with truffle chamnamul (aster) muchim, spicy mushroom gangjeong (crispy glazed bites), smoked duck naengchae (cold salad), and perilla oil cappellini. I had expected light side dishes at most, but with porridge, salad, and noodles all coming out, the appetizers alone felt like a full spread. The food came out quickly after ordering, so we got to taste several things while waiting for the mains.

Tasting the appetizers: crispy mushroom gangjeong and more

We started with the mung bean porridge that came in a small bowl, then added bits of the salad and naengchae along the way.

The mushroom pyeonyuk showed a cross-section of finely chopped mushrooms, unlike the pyeonyuk I usually eat, and it came plated with the chamnamul muchim, so even on one plate the textures felt quite different.

The spicy mushroom gangjeong was surprisingly good. Freshly fried with a crisp exterior and a spicy glaze, it was the appetizer I kept reaching for.

The perilla oil cappellini came with thin noodles topped with various garnishes, and mixing them together made for a fun noodle dish to enjoy before the main course.

Crab-broth octopus pasta, 29,900 won: big but tender octopus

The crab-broth octopus pasta had noodles in an orange sauce, with a large piece of octopus placed on top. I wondered if such a big piece might be chewy, but it turned out surprisingly tender.

Personally, this was one of the best octopus dishes I've had :) The crab-broth sauce was pleasantly salty with good umami, pairing well with the noodles, and cutting the octopus into small pieces to eat with the pasta let me enjoy the sauce and octopus flavors together. Anyone who's hesitated because of chewy octopus texture in the past could probably enjoy this level of tenderness.

Seafood jang with gamtae seaweed butter rice, 29,900 won

The assorted seafood jang with gim butter rice came with various jang (seasoned raw seafood), rice, and soup. The plate had shrimp, abalone, and octopus, along with an egg showing its yolk and beef shank, making for quite a varied spread.

After mixing gim (seaweed) butter evenly into the rice, we topped it with the seafood jang piece by piece, and the savory rice paired with the salty jang kept us reaching for more ingredients to add.

We'd take a bite with abalone, then switch it up with octopus or shrimp next, which made for a fun way to eat, and the warm soup that came with it paired well too. Alternating between the seafood jang rice and spoonfuls of soup made for a satisfying meal.

Is Modam Urban worth it for a couple's dinner in Yeouido?

Even though we only ordered two main dishes at Modam Urban, the variety of appetizers made it feel like we tasted a wide spread of food. Everything was neatly plated, and the tender octopus pasta and crispy spicy mushroom gangjeong especially stuck with me.

The main hall's well-divided seating made it comfortable to eat with my husband after work, and the private room seemed like a good option for gatherings too. If you're looking for a good Korean restaurant at IFC Mall in Yeouido, or considering a place for a date or family gathering, Modam Urban might be worth checking out :)