Gongdeok private-room restaurant with sea bass pot rice: Usu Lunch C

Hi, this is Saebyeok :)

Today, to celebrate Sara's birthday, I visited Usu, a well-known restaurant in Gongdeok — and with every seat in a private room, it felt like a really good spot to bring family or a partner for a special occasion.

So let's get into my review of "Usu" Gongdeok branch.

Where is Usu Gongdeok, and what are the hours and parking?

Usu Gongdeok is at B2, 201, 109 Mapo-daero, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It opens daily at 11am and closes at 10pm, with a break time from 3pm to 5pm.

• Hours: Daily 11am open – 10pm close
• Break time: 3pm – 5pm
• Free corkage ⭕️
• 3 hours free parking ⭕️
• Group, reservation, and anniversary service ⭕️

Usu is easy to find from Exit 2 of Gongdeok Station — just head into the Lotte Castle Plaza right by Exit 2 and take the escalator down to B2 :)

Once you come down the escalator, Usu is right there in front of you :)

You can see Usu's signature logo at the entrance, and a staff member checked our reservation name and showed us to our room.

All-private-room seating at Usu: high chairs and restrooms

Every seat at Usu Gongdeok is in a clean private room, and I noticed each room had its own separate air conditioning unit too. While we waited after being shown to our room, I took some photos of the interior.

I got to see the wine cellar, a kids' chair, and a spotless kitchen.

The restrooms are outside Usu and separated by gender.

What is in the Lunch C course at Usu, and how much is it?

Usu Gongdeok's signature menus run Lunch ₩39,000–99,000 and Dinner ₩99,000–149,000. We came for lunch today and picked Lunch C from among Lunch A, B, and C :) (₩79,000 per person)

After being seated, we sipped on barley tea and looked over the menu.

They had a wide range of drinks — wine, highballs, beer, soju — but honestly we'd overdone it on drinks the night before, so we just ordered one bottle of beer today :)

Course opener: beef-and-egg porridge

Beef and chicken porridge (broth base of hanwoo beef bone and chicken stock) - garnish (nurungji/scorched rice, scallion crust, shiitake mushroom, asparagus, white wood ear mushroom)

First came the beef and chicken porridge, a light opener for the palate — I liked how the staff explained each dish in detail as it arrived.

I was surprised by how full the mushroom aroma was, and since the flavors weren't too intense, it was easy to eat as a starter. The floral notes were nice too.

After finishing the porridge, a staff member appeared with what looked like a jewelry box of ingredients, showing us how fresh today's ingredients were and explaining what was coming next haha

The calm explanations built up our anticipation for the dishes to come :)

Three bite-sized dishes: sweet shrimp gim bugak stole the show

Three bite-sized dishes 1. Bulgogi sandwich (brioche, hanwoo bulgogi, button mushroom duxelles, truffle cream cheese) 2. Scallop and clam (brick pastry, seared scallop, urbuga, clam cream sauce, apple, onion, gamtae/laver powder) 3. Sweet shrimp, gim bugak (fried seaweed brushed with pollock roe, fried abalone-innard rice, sweet shrimp, yuzu sauce)

Usu's signature three bite-sized dishes arrived, and they were gorgeous to look at.

Following the staff's suggested order, we started with the bulgogi sandwich haha. The truffle aroma filled my mouth, and the pairing with the bulgogi really came through.

Second was the scallop and clam, crispy outside and moist inside — it felt like eating a cracker.

It was great to photograph too :)

The third, sweet shrimp with gim bugak (seasoned crispy seaweed), was honestly shocking. The texture of the pollock-roe-coated gim bugak worked so well with the sweet shrimp, and the yuzu sauce at the end added a clean finish. I wanted to ask for one more, honestly...

Shiitake mushroom and zucchini courses

Shiitake mushroom and zucchini dish (shrimp, shiitake mushroom, zucchini, tofu, aged kimchi, golden enoki mushroom, peanut tofu sauce, water dropwort oil)

Next came the shiitake mushroom and zucchini dish — the shiitake caps were stuffed with shrimp meat, while the zucchini came topped with enoki mushroom, aged kimchi, and tofu, all brought together with water dropwort oil and peanut tofu sauce.

The two dishes had different charms: the shiitake had great texture, and the zucchini worked well with the ingredients inside it.

After eating, I tried mixing the water dropwort oil with the peanut tofu sauce, and it was delicious :)

Abalone five-color gardenia noodles

Abalone gardenia noodles - Garnish (black sesame julienned radish, bracken fern, shiitake mushroom, seasoned water dropwort, perilla leaf, abalone) - Sauce (gamtae/laver dressing, mustard garlic sauce), gardenia noodles

The abalone gardenia noodles had lots of ingredients, but every one of them was there for good flavor — the texture of the abalone paired with the gardenia noodles, and the sweet-and-tangy sauces with the herbs were great. We slurped it down faster than I expected.

A look at the abalone.

It nailed both looks and taste.

The main event: grilled hanwoo and the sea bass pot rice set

Main hanwoo grill & set meal (striploin and sea bass)

They first showed us the sea bass rice before mixing it and bringing it to us.

We each got a beef seaweed soup set meal along with 80g of striploin.

The sea bass rice was incredibly tasty, and it was even nicer being able to give the seaweed soup to Sara-tti on her birthday. The side dishes included mustard leaf kimchi, a mix of wild garlic and gongchae, and salted fish roe.

1++ striploin.

Each of us got our own tabletop grill, so we could cook it to our own liking and eat at our own pace, which was nice.

Dessert at Usu: corn ice cream

Dessert (corn ice cream, corn cream cheese, apricot, corn crumble, sponge cake, green citron cream sauce)

To close out the meal, dessert arrived: corn ice cream topped with green citron cream sauce.

It looked fantastic, and unlike the savory rice set, it gave a clean, refreshing finish to the meal.

The pairing of sponge cake and green citron cream sauce felt fresh too.

The sweetness of the corn ice cream was a cool, clean way to wrap up the course.

Is Usu Gongdeok worth booking for a family gathering or meet-the-parents meal?

After today's visit to Usu Gongdeok, I could really see why it's such a good fit for family gatherings and meet-the-parents dinners. If you want a relaxed, delicious meal in a clean, private room for a special day, a birthday, or just a day you want to treat yourself, I'd recommend Usu Gongdeok, a favorite near Gongdeok Station in Mapo :)