Mapo Asian restaurant crab curry with rice: Saeng Augustine

You know those days when you suddenly crave Southeast Asian food? This time, I visited Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch (생어거스틴 합정점), one of the go-to restaurants at Mecenatpolis. It’s famous as an oriental-style Asian restaurant overseen by a Thai chef! I actually already love Saeng Augustine, and this was a return visit to the Mecenatpolis Hapjeong branch. It’s delicious enough to revisit, so let’s get right into my real review! 😊

What about the location and parking?

Address: B1, Mecenatpolis, 45 Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul Parking: Building parking available Hours: Daily 11:30–22:00 (Break time: 15:00–17:00)

It’s close to Hapjeong Station, so it was easy to visit by public transit! 😊 You can use the Mecenatpolis parking lot, and diners receive 3 hours of free parking, so drivers can come without worrying too.

An exotic atmosphere on Mecenatpolis B1

It’s located on the basement level! Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch is on Mecenatpolis B1, and its English sign gave off such an exotic feel. Before I even went in, it felt like I had arrived at a restaurant somewhere in Southeast Asia 💛💛

Spacious, comfortable interior

As soon as I walked in, the exotic, oriental-style interior caught my eye.

The restaurant was spacious and comfortable, so I could enjoy my meal at ease. 😊 Even though I visited at lunchtime, lots of people were already dining. No wonder it’s considered one of Mecenatpolis’s top restaurants!

What I ordered on the tablet

It was convenient to take my time looking through the menu and ordering on the tablet installed at the table.

• Vietnamese pho ₩13,000
• Poo Pad Pong Curry ₩36,000

Clean, refreshing Vietnamese pho

First up, the Vietnamese pho!

The broth was clean and refreshing, with plenty of meat, so I finished the whole bowl in no time. 😋

As Vietnamese-style rice noodles, the noodles were nicely chewy, while the broth was rich yet clean. It was seriously delicious! 💛

Dipping the noodles into the spicy chili sauce brought out a whole different flavor! I highly, highly, highly recommend this combo too!

The reason I came back: Poo Pad Pong Curry

Next was Poo Pad Pong Curry (fried crab in sweet curry sauce)! This is a menu item I really recommend.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I came back because of this. Hahaha. It’s Saeng Augustine’s signature dish that you just can’t leave out! 💛

Tender crab is fried crispy in its shell and coated in sweet curry sauce. The curry sauce was sweet with an explosion of savory flavor—seriously the best, best, best!!!!

I knew I’d made the right call coming back! Haha. I added rice and mixed it into the sauce, and it was pure heaven! I scraped up every last spoonful. Hahaha.

Dishes I enjoyed on my previous visit

I didn’t order them today, but let me also tell you about dishes I enjoyed on my last visit!

The pad thai had chewy noodles paired with a sweet-and-salty sauce and was so delicious. The nasi goreng, Indonesian-style fried rice, was spicy and sweet enough that I finished a whole bowl in no time. I’ll have to order them again next time. Haha.

Saeng Augustine Hapjeong Branch is one of those delicious Mecenatpolis restaurants worth revisiting. If you’re craving Southeast Asian food, I really want to recommend Saeng Augustine! 💛🧡🤎 It’s so good that you’ll want to come back again. Haha.