Yeouido IFC Mall tteokbokki lunch: spicy Hyeonseoni Set, radish bar

Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch: hours and parking

Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch is open Monday through Sunday from 11:00 to 21:00, with last order at 20:40. Parking is available at the IFC Mall parking lot (paid).

I visited Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch, a Yeouido tteokbokki restaurant, wanting a hearty, delicious Korean snack lunch after a while. You reach it by crossing the moving walkway connected to Yeouido Station and walking further into IFC Mall. There are also several tables set up in the outside corridor, so people passing through the mall can conveniently grab a meal there too.

Inside the Yeouido restaurant and how kiosk ordering works

Walking inside, it was just as clean and compact as it looked from outside — not a huge space, but the 2-person and 4-person tables were arranged well, making it a comfortable spot even for people looking for a Yeouido lunch spot to enjoy solo.

A kiosk was set up on one side of the restaurant for contactless ordering, showing photos and prices for each menu item at Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch, so I could easily check my desired menu and options and pay right there.

What comes in the 23,000-won Hyeonseoni Set

Looking over the menu at Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch, I saw a range of fried snacks, sundae (blood sausage), gimbap, and set menus built around their signature tteokbokki. There were plenty of single items too, but since I wanted to try several kinds of Korean snacks at once, I went with the Hyeonseoni Set (₩23,000), a popular choice at this Yeouido tteokbokki restaurant that includes tteokbokki, fried snacks, sundae, and mini gimbap.

What's on the self-serve bar at Hyeonseonine Premium

After ordering, I looked around and found a self-serve bar set up on one side. It had thinly sliced yellow pickled radish with a nice crunchy texture, plus small plates, scissors, and tongs — everything needed for the meal, ready to use as much as I wanted.

After a short wait, the Hyeonseoni Set arrived on the table. From tteokbokki in a big bowl to golden fried snacks, glossy mini gimbap, and moist sliced sundae — it was a pretty generous spread all packed together.

How spicy is the spicy tteokbokki?

The tteokbokki — the main dish at this Yeouido tteokbokki restaurant — had a deep, thick sauce clinging heavily to the rice cakes and fish cakes. I usually enjoy spicy food, so I ordered it extra spicy this time, and instead of just heat, it had a subtle sweetness layered with soft yet chewy wheat rice cakes, making it very enjoyable to eat.

The four kinds of fried snacks

The fried snacks — vegetable, mandu (dumpling), gimmari (seaweed roll), and squid — were fried crisp on the outside without leaving much oil behind, so they ate cleanly. The long squid fritter had a nice chewy texture, and the gimmari's savory glass noodle filling paired well with the crispy batter. The fried mandu and vegetable fritter each had their own charm, and dipping them in the tteokbokki sauce let me enjoy the spicy seasoning alongside the fried snack's savoriness.

Mini gimbap (small seaweed rice rolls)

The mini gimbap included in the set was rolled into bite-sized pieces, with a subtle sesame oil aroma on the seaweed. The pickled radish and ham rolled in with the rice added a savory note, giving it a plain, clean flavor that paired well with the spicy tteokbokki.

Sundae with liver and lung

The sundae (blood sausage) came with a not-too-chewy glass-noodle-filled skin, along with liver and lung. The cleanly steamed sundae had no off-putting smell and tasted plain and clean, while the liver and lung weren't dried out, giving them a moist texture.

The glass-noodle sundae had a chewy, satisfying bite with a distinctive savory flavor, the thinly sliced liver was savory yet plain, and the lung had an appealing chewy-yet-soft texture — it was fun comparing the different flavors and textures of each part as I ate.

Fish cake broth and the verdict on Hyeonseonine Premium

The warm fish cake broth served to cool down the spice was salty yet clean-tasting — a sip of it smoothed out the tingling heat of the tteokbokki and paired well with the other Korean snacks too.

Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch, a Yeouido tteokbokki restaurant, brought together a clean setting, an easy ordering system, and a solid, no-frills Korean snack lineup. Located inside IFC Mall, it's easy to access, and with tteokbokki, fried snacks, sundae, and gimbap all available together, it's a great place for anything from a quick meal to a light snack.

Verdict — A Yeouido tteokbokki restaurant with a clean setting and a satisfying Korean snack lineup, great for a filling meal