Singaporean restaurant in Hongdae: black vinegar guobaorou at Ttasijia

I was hunting for a new spot to eat in Yeonnam-dong, and this time I ended up at Ttasijia Yeonnam. I go to Hongdae a lot, so I've pretty much tried all the famous places once, and this time I wanted to eat somewhere a little different. That's how I found Ttasijia — the name had this Chinese-character kind of ring to it, so I looked it up out of curiosity, and it turned out to be a Singaporean restaurant. I've always liked Southeast Asian food and never actually had proper Singaporean food in Korea, so I figured this was my chance.

Where is Ttasijia Yeonnam and what are its hours?

Ttasijia Yeonnam is located at 13-1 Donggyo-ro 38-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 1st floor. It's open daily from 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM, with last order at 9:00 PM.

I loved that the Singaporean vibe started right from the walk up to the restaurant. There's a Merlion statue near the entrance — Singapore's iconic symbol — and it was decorated more cutely than I expected, so I took some photos. Since it's tucked away in a Yeonnam-dong alley, it felt like the kind of place you might just stumble across, and even the exterior had a different atmosphere from a typical restaurant.

What we ordered at Ttasijia Yeonnam

That day we ordered four things total, including a drink.

Shrimp broth fried noodles

The first thing we tried was the shrimp broth fried noodles. I expected a fried noodle dish with seafood umami added to a bone-broth base, but the broth flavor was richer than I thought and it soaked into the noodles really well. You can choose the shrimp option on top — I went with the default shrimp option.

Black vinegar guobaorou (sweet and sour fried pork)

The black vinegar guobaorou (sweet and sour pork) tasted like something anyone who likes guobaorou would enjoy without any complaints. There were no soggy, limp parts — it had a nice crispy texture — and the black vinegar sauce wasn't overpowering, so it paired well with the meat.

Chili clams with extra mantou (flower buns)

My personal favorite was the chili clams. It's clams tossed well in a chili sauce, and the sauce was so rich that it was better to dip the mantou (steamed flower buns) that came with it rather than eating just the clams alone. The mantou itself was so good that we ended up ordering a second round of it.

Oh, and the freshly squeezed apple juice is really good. Before ordering, I hesitated a bit because it felt pricey for a drink, but once I ordered it I was totally satisfied~ Ordering several dishes together meant we had a spicy dish, a sweeter dish, and a noodle dish, all with different flavors, which made sharing more fun.

Inside Ttasijia Yeonnam: Merlion decor and outdoor seats

The interior of Ttasijia Yeonnam was also well put together to feel Singaporean overall. The stainless steel tables in particular really captured that distinctive Southeast Asian restaurant feel, and there was a good balance of indoor and outdoor seating.

The weather was really nice when I visited, and I thought that if I'd come a bit later in the day, eating outside would have been great too.

There's also a draft beer machine, so it looked like a nice spot to have a beer on a nice day. I drove that day so I couldn't drink, but next time I visit without a car, I'd love to eat outside with a beer.

Is Ttasijia Yeonnam worth a visit?

Even as someone trying Singaporean food for the first time, none of the dishes felt too unfamiliar, and ordering a variety to share made the meal more fun. If you're looking for something a bit different from the usual food in Hongdae or Yeonnam-dong, this is a place worth checking out.