Gireum-dong brunch restaurant, 5pm orange ade: 37.5 Signature Mia

Ahead of Chuseok (Korean thanksgiving), I stopped by Seongbuk to greet my husband's aunt, and while I was there I finally made it to 37.5 Signature Mia Branch, a place I'd had my eye on for a while!

I already love 37.5's regular brunch and have visited a few times, but it turns out there's a separate 'Signature' branch, different from the regular ones. I went in curious and excited to see what made it different.

Where is 37.5 Signature Mia Branch, and what are its hours?

37.5 Signature Mia Branch is located at 35 Dongsomun-ro 43ga-gil, Seongjin Church B103, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It's open daily 09:30–21:00, with a break time from 16:00 to 17:00 and last order at 19:50.

We timed our entry right for 5pm, exactly when break time ends! Since it was right after the break, we were the very first customers, but not long after we sat down, more guests kept streaming in. The area is surrounded by apartment complexes, so it had that feel of a verified neighborhood favorite — families, students, and groups of friends kept coming in nonstop.

Orange ade: fresh oranges squeezed into the glass

An ade with the freshness and natural sweetness of real fruit, alive in every sip

First to arrive was the orange ade! Not the artificial orange-syrup flavor you get at most places, but a real fresh-fruit ade made by squeezing actual oranges. The sharp fizz of the soda combined with orange's natural sweetness and gentle tartness, and one sip instantly refreshed the whole palate. It was packed with real fruit juice, making it a wonderful pairing for the cream pasta and pizza that followed.

Mont Blanc myeongnan cream pasta: panne bread shaped like a Mont Blanc

My favorite combo: crisp-outside-soft-inside Mont Blanc bread with thick, salty myeongnan (pollock roe) cream

I really love panne pasta normally, but it usually comes in a regular bread bowl — here, they used actual Mont Blanc bread! I already love Mont Blanc bread enough to buy it on its own, so pairing it with myeongnan cream pasta had me excited before I even took a bite.

A thoughtful touch with the sauce: the cream sauce came served separately, so you could pour it over the bread yourself to your taste.

Rich, deep sauce flavor: the soft, thick cream sauce was deeply infused with the savory saltiness of myeongnan. The distinctive salty edge of the roe cut right through the cream's richness, so it stayed delicious to the very last bite without ever feeling heavy.

Details that make the Mont Blanc shine: when you tear the bread by hand, it pulls apart softly along its visible layers. The outside is slightly crisp, the inside moist and fluffy, with a subtle buttery aroma drifting up — dipping this bread into the salty myeongnan cream sauce was heavenly.

Ricotta salad pizza on a pastry-dough crust

Crumbly, flaky pastry dough meets bright, light ricotta

Next came the ricotta salad pizza, and I gasped the moment I saw the crust. It wasn't a regular pizza dough at all — it was made with actual pastry dough!

Crisp pastry crust: with the first bite, the surface shattered crisply, revealing a flaky, layered texture that was truly distinctive. The more you chewed, the more the nutty, buttery flavor spread across the palate.

Fresh, bright toppings: on top of the nutty pastry crust sat generous amounts of soft, mild ricotta cheese and crisp, fresh salad.

A light, refreshing balance: the rich cheese, the bright vegetables, and the crisp crust worked together to make it feel much lighter and more novel than a regular-dough pizza.

Verdict: how a 'Signature' branch differs from a regular 37.5

Being a 'Signature' branch clearly shows in the details — from the choice of dough and bread for each dish to how the sauces are served. The upscale, clean interior also made the whole meal feel that much more pleasant.

If you're near Gireum-dong in Seongbuk and looking for a brunch spot with real care and attention to detail, definitely pay a visit to 37.5 Signature Mia Branch!