Gangnam Station jazz bar anniversary date, Shirley Temple: Flat Nine

Fall means jazz! Jazz means fall~ Lately my playlist mornings and evenings has been full of autumn jazz, so I went looking for a jazz bar to hear it live.

Seoul has all kinds of jazz bars, but since I was at it, I wanted a great meal to go with the music, so I visited Flat Nine in Gangnam.

The course let us enjoy an aperitif, appetizers, lasagna, steak, and dessert, all done up quite elegantly.

And on top of that, sweet jazz✨ Highly, highly recommend it if you want a special fall date🎶 Dinner plus the show took about two and a half hours total. We arrived at 3, ate from then, and watched the show from 4 to 5:30.

How to get to Flat Nine and how to book a table

From Gangnam Station Exit 10, walk straight until you hit Olive Young, then head into the alley — that's where you'll find it. It's on the 5th floor of K-Tower.

At the entrance, today's schedule was posted like this.

5th floor, Flat Nine!

In front of the entrance, the September–October performance schedule was also posted. We booked ahead through Naver Reservations. Just so you know, Flat Nine takes a deposit when you book, but it's refunded right away when you arrive.

Check their Instagram for the lineup of performances!

Inside Flat Nine: atmosphere, seating and what time to arrive

The stage sits right up against the dining tables✨ Already felt the excitement building! Overall the lighting is low, with a black-and-red mood that feels classy and vintage.

We arrived at 3 for the 4pm show, but I think arriving by around 3:30 would still be plenty of time. Of course, coming early lets you snag a better seat! The very front row felt a bit much for us, so we took the second row.

As showtime approached, the seats started filling up fast!

Seating ranged from two-tops to group tables. The day we visited, there was even a group of about 8 people who'd booked a table.

There are bar seats too, and I saw some people enjoying the show solo at the two-tops near the stage.

Having the restroom inside was really convenient, and there was even mouthwash in there — such a nice touch!

Flat Nine course menu and drink prices

Flat Nine offers both courses and à la carte items. You can also add à la carte dishes onto a course menu!

We ordered the classic course for two at ₩78,000.

• A refreshing aperitif
• Crispy stacked potato bake
• Focaccia bread with appetizer oils
• Squid and Korean melon salad
• Ragu pasta (lasagna)
• Jeju black pork steak

There's also a signature course for two. This one runs ₩118,000, and the difference is the steak — Korean beef striploin instead.

If you just want something light to eat or nibble on with drinks, the à la carte menu is a good bet too. There's cheese, dessert, and side dishes — plenty of simple options to pair with a drink.

Cocktails, wine, whiskey, even beer — the drink menu was really extensive too.

We ordered one cocktail and one non-alcoholic cocktail. Prices ran roughly between ₩15,000 and ₩19,000. Wine by the glass was ₩13,000.

Classic course for two, cocktails and the happy hour discount

First up, the aperitif🥂 A refreshing blend of cranberry, raspberry, mint, and lemon topped with sparkling wine. You can choose it alcoholic or non-alcoholic. I went alcoholic, my partner went non-alcoholic. The alcoholic version had a noticeable kick, so if you want to really taste the refreshing flavors, I'd personally recommend going non-alcoholic!

Shirley Temple cocktail, 16,000 won

A non-alcoholic cocktail. Apparently it's named after Shirley Temple, the child actress who defined an era. The main ingredients are grenadine syrup, ginger ale, cherries, and ice. I tried a sip and the sweet-tart flavor was really charming. Perfect to pair with the meal.

Blue Sapphire cocktail, 16,000 won

This is the one I ordered. Bombay Sapphire mixed with blue ion drink, lemon juice, and lime juice — a fruity cocktail through and through. Since the meal leans savory overall, this fruity, refreshing flavor was exactly what I wanted as a pairing.

For reference, we visited during happy hour and got a discount on the cocktails too✨ So the two of us together came to just under ₩23,000! Happy hour runs weekends 3–6pm — which happens to line up with the first set, so keep that in mind.

Cheers~🥂

Crispy roasted potatoes

The first course dish. Thinly sliced potatoes stacked layer upon layer and baked — the texture is seriously crisp.

I expected it to be really salty, but it was surprisingly mild and subtly seasoned. That suited my taste perfectly, but if you usually like strong seasoning, it might be worth asking for a saltier version.

Squid and Korean melon salad

Next came the salad. Squid and Korean melon together — such a fresh combination! Korean melon is in season right now, so a lot of salads seem to be built around it these days.

It's a carpaccio of smoked squid and Korean melon, thinly sliced pickled radish, and a charred bell pepper sauce.

The soft, chewy squid and the crisp melon came together in a really unique way. There was a gentle tanginess that made the whole thing feel bright and refreshing.

Focaccia bread starter

The bread I wanted to take home with me! A light, nutty flavor I could eat every morning ㅠ💛

Fresh-from-the-oven focaccia served with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze.

Basil tomato lasagna

A mille-feuille style lasagna, apparently — ragu, béchamel, and cheese layered between fresh sheets of pasta, then baked twice in a pan and oven.

The lasagna's pile of snow-white cheese was really striking. The ragu sauce soaked well into the layers of pasta, giving it a moist yet chewy texture, and I could taste the tomato and basil throughout.

The edges were baked crispy, adding another layer of nutty flavor — pop pop!

The lasagna wasn't overly salty either.

Jeju black pork steak

Next up was the main event — the steak! Our classic course came with Jeju black pork steak.

A dry-aged Jeju black pork tenderloin steak grilled over binchotan charcoal, served with grilled mushrooms and potatoes.

It felt like eating a completely soft, tender sous vide-style steak!

It came with steak sauce and mango purée too, giving me a range of flavors to enjoy. There was still one course left, but right at this moment, the show really kicked off🎶

Live jazz: Choi Myeongji Trio set 1 and set 2 setlist

Today's 4pm show was the Choi Myeongji TRIO

• 🎤 Vocals — Choi Myeongji
• 🎹 Piano — Jo Eunbi
• 🥁 Drums — Kang Jaeseok

The show was split into two sets, each running about 35 minutes. They didn't just play songs — they gave detailed explanations of each piece too, which made it even more enjoyable to listen to!

Vocals, drums, piano — all of it had such a sweet autumn mood✨

🎶Set 1, 5 songs

• Autumn in NY
• Isn't It a Lovely Day
• Water to Drink (bossa nova)
• An original composition, Once in Intentional / Retention?
• Old Fashioned

They played 5 songs including an original composition.

🎼Set 2, 5 songs

• All of You
• Les Feuilles Mortes (Autumn Leaves)
• Body and Soul
• An original composition, Waves of Mind
• Sweet Pumpkin

Right as I was completely absorbed in the show, the final course — a sweet dessert — arrived 🍰 A gâteau chocolat-style seasonal cake with house-made cream cheese and nuts. The crunch of the nuts was so good, I kept eating it addictively, crunch after crunch.

They also offer a lettering service for special anniversaries, so if it's a birthday or anniversary, make sure to request your message in advance✨

It was so good that I'm already planning to check out the year-end lineup and come back🔥 I really felt like I spent a magical time with jazz unfolding right in front of me. As fall deepens and the breeze turns cool, I'd highly recommend enjoying it with some jazz at Flat Nine~!