Thin-crust pizza in Haebangchon: fermented tomato pie at TPM hbc

Why we chose TPM hbc in Haebangchon

TPM hbc (더피제리아마켓 해방촌) is a pizza place we went to for dinner after stopping at a café in Haebangchon with a friend. My friend, who was craving really good pizza for the first time in a while, browsed Naver Map and found a pizzeria in an easy-to-reach spot, and that's how we landed here.

Going to Haebangchon takes some resolve. Lots of people and cars squeeze through the narrow streets, and the neighborhood is full of uphill and downhill stretches. Going in summer, no less, means your affection for whoever you're with is above a certain level. We popped into a cozy, homey café for a bit, then headed to TPM hbc for dinner.

How to get to TPM hbc from Noksapyeong Station

TPM hbc is a 9-minute walk from Exit 4 of Noksapyeong Station, or 4 minutes from the Hanshin Apartment bus stop at the start of Haebangchon. It's easy to reach, so once you've been, you won't forget where it is.

If you enjoy Haebangchon from top to bottom, it's in a small alley on your left; if you go from the bottom up, it's on your right. Step into the alley and you'll spot the sign and a fairly large restaurant right away.

Inside TPM hbc: atmosphere and seating

The interior is mostly wood-toned, and the air conditioning was great for summer. It was a pretty hot, humid day, and the restaurant was blasting cold air, which made me very happy right away. The stylish interior suits Haebangchon, and the exotic, not-quite-Korean tone made it a nice space to enjoy pizza.

Wine bottles show up often as decor, and it makes you want to run off on a summer holiday to Italy right now. There's a bar table and a candle on every table, and I liked how the mood was set for enjoying food and drinks together.

There's group seating and the place is spacious overall, so I'd guess it holds 30 or more people. The tables for two aren't very big, so coming alone looked comfortable too. When we visited on a Sunday evening there was a decent number of people. Note that a drink order is required for evening visits.

TPM hbc menu: pizza with Korean ingredients and seasonal specials

The menu lines up pizzas based on Korea's own ingredients and recipes. A menu board hangs nicely on the wall, but you can order more conveniently via the QR code at each table. Browsing it, I could easily grasp the restaurant's identity, and the ingredients and menu built on a Korean sensibility really stand out.

At any restaurant, I'm happy to see seasonal dishes. Recipes built around ingredients you can only get at that time of year somehow excite me more than the steady menu items. In that spirit, the staff also recommended the seasonal menu.

• Chodang corn (a sweet variety of corn) and taleggio
• Seasonal peach and hot honey
• Plum and Korean beef tartare
• Raspberry and ricotta

The seasonal names alone make you curious about the taste. I ordered the plum and Korean beef tartare pizza, plus the classic fermented tomato pie (the tomato pizza). Besides pizza there are other dishes like peas and burrata, Thai salsa and ceviche, and a seasonal dessert menu. Of course, there's a good variety of drinks too, including many kinds of wine and draft beer.

How do the plum and Korean beef tartare pizza and fermented tomato pie taste?

Plum and Korean beef tartare pizza

This pizza pairs finely chopped Korean beef (hanwoo) tartare with the tartness of plum. The tartare bits in your mouth are small, and chewing them feels really good. The beefy aroma spreads without being overpowering, and it's plum, not pickles, that cuts the richness of the olive oil, cheese and dough.

If you asked whether it tastes hugely different from pickles, I'd probably say no, but the acidity and sweetness are just right, making for a satisfying bite.

Fermented tomato pie

The fermented tomato pie is simply delicious. The flavor and savory depth of the house-fermented tomatoes and garlic confit are just really, really good. For anyone who loves the umami of tomatoes, I think there's no way this could taste bad.

Olive oil and two hot sauces

TPM hbc puts extra olive oil on the table, and adding a couple of drops to the fermented tomato pie was enormously satisfying. They also provide two hot sauces, red and green; the rich-textured sauces aren't overwhelming and blend cleanly with the pizza.

What is the namul served instead of pickles like?

Instead of pickles, TPM hbc serves namul (seasoned vegetable side dish), and refills had to be ordered separately. I don't remember the name, but I think it was a seasonal namul dressed in perilla or sesame oil. My friend ate nearly all of it, so we asked for more, but that needed a separate order.

My friend said it was tasty, yet to me it was the kind of flavor that made me wish for pickles or olives. I felt it captured a Korean sensibility well, but personally it didn't refresh the palate the way pickles or olives would.

Would we go back to TPM hbc?

The pizza here is closer to thin-crust, with dough that isn't thick, so it was easy to eat without feeling heavy. We finished it all along with draft beer, and overall I sensed an intention to highlight the savory depth of the ingredients.

When my wallet is feeling healthy again and I go back, I'll definitely reorder the tomato pizza, and I'd come for wine with the peas and burrata and the ceviche. It feels like a great spot for a couple or friends, and a group of about six could chat over wine here comfortably too.

TPM hbc opening hours and location

• Mon: closed
• Tue–Fri: 12:30–22:00 (last order 21:00)
• Sat–Sun: 12:30–22:00 (last order 21:00 / break time 15:00–16:30)
• Location: 1st floor, 30 Sinheung-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea