Gwanghwamun Korean restaurant for a wedding anniversary dinner: Modam

With our wedding anniversary coming up, I was looking for somewhere quiet for a dinner just for the two of us, so my husband and I went to Modam Dining Gwanghwamun, on the basement level of D Palace in Gwanghwamun.

Where is Modam Dining Gwanghwamun? Basement level 1 of D Palace, booked for Friday evening

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun is a hanjeongsik (Korean course-meal) restaurant on the basement level of D Palace, near Deoksugung Palace in Gwanghwamun. Since it was a busy Friday night, we booked ahead, and the place was calm enough to make us forget we were right in the middle of the crowded city center.

You walk through a well-kept hanjeongsik-style garden just to reach the entrance, which already puts you in a good mood. I usually get worn out at restaurants with cramped, noisy tables, but here every table has plenty of space and is neatly divided by partitions, so even though it's hall seating, we could talk comfortably as if we were in a private room.

The appetizers that opened the Modam Dining course

We ordered one abalone tteokgalbi set and one abalone shrimp butter rice set to share and sample a bit of everything.

The course kicked off with a warm porridge that gently settled our stomachs.

A refreshing yuzu-dressed salad arrived along with pine-nut sauce mustard vegetables — the sharp tang and crisp vegetable crunch woke up our palates nicely.

The flounder ceviche with a savory doenjang (fermented soybean paste)-based sauce was so full of umami that it was a shame there were only two pieces.

Corkage-free wine with fried shiitake mushrooms

Since Modam Dining is corkage-free, we brought along a wine we love to pair with the meal, and the crisply fried shiitake mushroom turned out to be even better than most fried meat dishes.

It made us want to shout 'butter-fried-mushroom-and-beer' instead of the usual chimaek (chicken and beer) — we badly wanted to order it as a standalone dish to take home.

The perilla oil capellini topped with sweet shrimp had thin noodles that slid down easily while really bringing out a nutty flavor. Every appetizer was as thoughtful as the mains, neat and delicious. The portions weren't small at all, yet we were sad to see each plate empty out.

Abalone tteokgalbi and abalone shrimp butter rice: how the two sets taste

The main dish, tteokgalbi, finally arrived, and thanks to its high beef content, a deep meaty aroma filled our mouths.

It wasn't filled out with fat or artificial sweetness — just the rich, clean flavor of the beef itself, so we didn't get tired of it and kept marveling until the last bite. The grilled abalone served alongside had a plump, springy texture without a hint of toughness.

The abalone shrimp dish looked outstanding from the start, with big tiger shrimp, abalone, braised beef shank, and wood ear mushroom all mixed together.

We cracked open the shells for easy eating and stirred everything into warm rice with rich Isigny butter — it was truly rice-stealing good. The texture of the wood ear mushroom was really appealing. Eating the springy shrimp and wood ear mushroom together with the rice was addictive. It wasn't salty and had varied textures to chew through, so we cleaned the bowl completely.

Is Modam Dining Gwanghwamun worth it for anniversaries and family gatherings?

We ate until we were practically bursting, but since nothing was overly spicy or greasy, our stomachs didn't feel heavy afterward. It felt like being treated to good ingredients prepared with real care and skill.

We finished with plum tea for a clean palate cleanser, which I loved — plum tea always pairs so well after Korean food.

It's perfect for a quiet Friday night date, but also great for gatherings with people who matter to you — next time, I'm planning to bring my parents here for a weekend family meal to celebrate a birthday and treat them to this neat course. If you're looking for a refined, calm place to enjoy proper Korean food in Gwanghwamun, I'd recommend Modam Dining Gwanghwamun.