Cheongdam-dong restaurant in Seoul: amberjack ceviche at Pepite

I went to a stylish upscale restaurant in Cheongdam-dong.

It's called Pepite, and since it's tucked into a quiet residential area, it felt wonderfully calm. Listening to soft music and eating good food slowly and unhurriedly was genuinely healing.

The food here is refined and distinctive — apparently the chef comes from a Michelin fine dining background. They said the dishes bring a Japanese touch, and honestly, not a single one felt ordinary.

There were a lot of menu items I don't usually see at a typical restaurant, which made the whole thing feel really fresh.

What is Pepite in Cheongdam-dong like inside?

Overall, Pepite has a very upscale atmosphere. Being tucked inside a Cheongdam-dong residential neighborhood, it's quiet, calm, and sophisticated.

That said, it's not so heavy or formal that you feel weighed down. It looks like the kind of place where you'd need to dress up in a suit or a dress, but plenty of people came in casual clothes and enjoyed their meal at ease.

Some restaurants turn you away if you don't meet the dress code, but there's none of that here, so it was easy to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. The space itself feels calm yet sophisticated, so just being in it lifted my mood.

I went wanting good food and a good atmosphere and time to unwind, and it turned out to be quite healing.

Pepite seating: bar table, terrace and private room

Pepite has a bar table, counter seats, a terrace, and even a private room, so it also seemed like a solid choice for gatherings or special occasions.

I had the amberjack ceviche and a San Pellegrino Rossa Orange, and both were so good.

Pepite's amberjack ceviche and its tomato foam

The amberjack ceviche had a striking look from the start — actually, that visual is what drew me to Pepite in the first place. And in the end, total satisfaction!

It's aged amberjack paired with romesco sauce, tomato foam, herb oil, pickled fennel, and lemon zest.

Right from how it was plated, it looked nothing like a typical ceviche.

White foam sits on top of the amberjack like tomato-flavored bubbles, with sauce and herbs dotted throughout — the plating itself was really pretty.

The tomato foam especially amazed me. It was such a white, airy foam that I never would've guessed tomato was the base.

It's an extremely light, fluffy foam, and I couldn't detect any tomato flavor or aroma at all. Adding a playful element like this to the dish was a nice touch.

The amberjack itself is soft, clean-tasting, with its own distinct flavor, and combined with the various sauces and ingredients, it felt like something completely different. Coating it in that airy foam gave the dish a unique texture too. The orange segments mixed in added sweetness and brightness, so the finish was clean.

Since it's not a dish you see often, it felt like a genuinely special experience. Every single ingredient seemed composed to work together rather than just thrown in as garnish, so I found myself slowing down and savoring each bite.

What does San Pellegrino Rossa Orange taste like?

For a drink, I ordered the San Pellegrino Rossa Orange.

Since it's orange-flavored, I expected a yellow juice, but the grapefruit-toned color was unexpected. It was my first time trying this drink, and the sweetness wasn't overdone — a clean taste overall.

It wasn't the orange juice flavor I expected — it was something new — and it was delicious, so I was completely satisfied.

Is Pepite a good date spot in Gangnam?

The restaurant's atmosphere was even more upscale and beautiful than I expected, and the drinks and food weren't what I anticipated either, which made it all the more special. It's a great atmosphere for a date, so there were a lot of couples, plus quite a few people having a glass of wine.

It also seemed like a good spot for a celebration, a proposal, or hosting guests.

If you want to enjoy delicious food and spend some special time, give Pepite a try.