Itaewon hanjeongsik with amberjack ceviche and rice wine: Modam

Modam is a Korean dining restaurant where you can enjoy neatly plated Korean food as a set spread or a course. They serve seasonal ingredients in a refined style, and with an upscale atmosphere and decent prices, it's worth checking out if you're looking for a somewhat formal dining spot 👀

Modam, an Itaewon Korean restaurant that didn't fall short on price, taste, or atmosphere — let me introduce it below :)

Where is Modam Itaewon, and what about parking and valet?

Modam Itaewon is on the 1st floor of the Mondrian Hotel at 23 Jangmun-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Hours are 11:00–21:30 with a break time of 15:00–17:00, and it's 921m from Noksapyeong Station Exit 3.

• 📍Address: 23 Jangmun-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1st floor Mondrian Hotel, Modam Itaewon
• ⏰Hours: 11:00–21:30 / break time 15:00–17:00
• 🚘Getting there: 2 hours free parking (extra ₩8,000/hour), valet available (₩28,000), 921m from Noksapyeong Station Exit 3

Modam Itaewon sits on the 1st floor of the Mondrian Hotel in Itaewon. It's a 10-minute walk from the station, and 2 hours of free parking is available if you drive, so it's fairly accessible.

We used a free valet perk through Hyunhap benefits. If you plan to valet, check whether you have a partner card that gives free service :)

Walking into the hotel, the first thing that catches your eye is the gorgeous, stylish lobby. It was too pretty to just walk past ♥

A bit further past the lobby is Modam Itaewon — clearly a hotel dining spot, the entrance already has that upscale, polished feel. I felt like anyone you brought here would love it :)

Inside Modam Itaewon: are there private rooms for meeting the in-laws?

Inside, Modam Itaewon is split into a main hall with sofa and regular table seating, and private rooms of various sizes further in. The tables were large and well-spaced, making for a comfortable meal.

The modern, upscale interior naturally weaves in Korean touches, giving it a refined feel with our own traditional beauty showing through. The space itself was also quite large.

Further inside were several private rooms, big and small — one in particular caught my eye 💕 The traditional feel was kept understated, which made it look really stylish, and I thought it'd be perfect for bringing foreign friends or guests.

Overall, the upscale, calm atmosphere paired with well-appointed private spaces made it feel great for a quiet meal like meeting the in-laws, a parent's birthday, or a family gathering, as well as a more formal get-together — and it was also lovely for a dressed-up date like ours :)

Modam Itaewon menu, price range and corkage

Modam Itaewon has sets starting from the ₩20,000s at lunch, and a range of set menus starting from the ₩30,000s for weekday dinner and weekends/holidays. Corkage is ₩30,000 per bottle of wine and ₩50,000 per bottle of whisky.

Given the atmosphere of a hotel dining room, I was surprised the prices were this reasonable. You can enjoy a neat set spread casually, or go for something more special with course menus like Sanggyeollye-sang, Modam-sang, or Seoksura-sang.

There's also a range of à la carte dishes and a drinks list with wine and whisky, so worth checking out :)

What we ordered at Modam Itaewon

• Charcoal grilled handmade tteokgalbi set ₩49,000
• Assorted seafood jang set ₩49,000
• Ugok saengju ₩19,000
• Cider ₩5,000
• Total ₩122,000

The six appetizers: what comes on the tray?

With Modam Itaewon's set menus, six appetizers are laid out first, before the main dish. Seasonal porridge, black sesame fruit salad, perilla oil buckwheat noodles, shiitake mushroom gangjeong (sweet-savory glazed mushrooms), mustard seed salad, and seasonal sashimi — each served as one shared plate for two.

So many kinds, and each one so neatly done — totally my type from the very start.

First up, the seasonal porridge — a chilled soybean porridge.

The soft, mild soybean porridge had a nice sweet-tart kick from the dried tomato.

The salad with mustard seed dressing had dried shrimp tucked between the fresh vegetables, giving it a nutty flavor with every chew.

Next was the day's seasonal sashimi — grey mullet ceviche. It came with a sauce made from nuruk (fermentation starter) and kelp, and honestly, this was good enough to sell as a standalone dish haha.

The chewy grey mullet with fresh vegetables and a savory sauce hit all at once — the kind of flavor that instantly wakes up your appetite 🤤

The perilla oil buckwheat noodles came with perilla seeds, bracken, and melon.

The nutty flavor came through strong, but every so often the sweet-tart melon snuck in as a surprise kick, haha.

And the crispy shiitake gangjeong in a sweet-spicy sauce — need I say more? Gone in no time haha.

Last up, the black sesame fruit salad with grilled eggplant, mushroom, green grapes, and gim-bugak (fried seaweed chips), topped generously with nutty black sesame sauce and a plum-based sauce for a nutty-sweet finish.

Ugok saengju, the rice wine paired with the meal

The drink we paired with the appetizers was ugok saengju (₩19,000), an unfiltered rice wine. We've both been really into good makgeolli lately, and figured Korean food calls for traditional liquor, so we ordered a bottle 💕 They even thoughtfully brought out a generous serving of ice.

Poured into a glass and clink — soft with a mild sweetness, it paired really nicely with the appetizers before it haha.

How do the seafood jang set and the charcoal-grilled tteokgalbi set taste?

Modam Itaewon's assorted seafood jang set and charcoal grilled handmade tteokgalbi set are each ₩49,000, and both come with rice, soup, and neat side dishes alongside the main dish, filling up the whole table. Wow — just looking at it feels filling haha.

First, the assorted seafood jang set my partner ordered. It came generously loaded with abalone, shrimp, octopus, and various seaweed.

Above all, the jang wasn't overly salty — just mildly sweet with great savory depth. I thought I could finish a whole bowl of rice with this sauce alone haha.

We spooned the seafood jang generously over the gamtae (seaweed) butter rice that came with it — my partner mixed it all together and raved about how good it was, haha.

The seafood was plentiful, but the rice, soup, and side dishes were all so good too that the rice actually felt like it wasn't enough, haha.

Next, the charcoal grilled handmade tteokgalbi set I ordered.

This one also comes as a full spread with rice, soup, and side dishes, and the golden-grilled tteokgalbi arrived with grilled vegetables and sauce.

Personally, I highly recommend the tteokgalbi!!! The moment you take a bite, the subtle charcoal aroma spreads through, and the texture is juicy, moist, and soft — absolutely insane.

Though it's so tender it can fall apart if you grip it too hard with chopsticks, so pick it up gently haha.

The seasoning wasn't too sweet or intense either, so it's a tteokgalbi that both adults and kids could enjoy without complaint.

Dessert to finish: perilla leaf sorbet

The set menu at Modam Itaewon finishes with a refreshing perilla leaf sorbet. It cleanly reset any lingering flavors in the mouth, making for a crisp end to the meal :)

Modam Itaewon visit: the verdict

From the appetizers to the main set, every dish at Modam was neatly prepared and satisfying. With that distinctive upscale hotel dining atmosphere but prices that were less burdensome than expected, I personally left very satisfied.

It's a place anyone would love being brought to — for a date, a meal with parents, meeting the in-laws, or a family gathering :)