Yangjae Korean wedding anniversary lunch, smoked tteokgalbi: MUSEO

Why I chose MUSEO for a Yangjae Station anniversary lunch

MUSEO is a Korean fine dining restaurant near Yangjae Station where you can eat for the ₩40,000s. It was our wedding anniversary, and my husband and I wanted something a little more special than usual. But I didn't want a fine dining place with a scary price tag, and it turns out there's a Korean fine dining spot in Yangjae for the ₩40,000s! That's MUSEO! Today I'll tell you about our anniversary visit :)

What are MUSEO's location and atmosphere like?

MUSEO is close to Yangjae Station, about a 5-minute walk. It's a small dining bar in a basement, and the mood changes completely the moment you step inside.

The interior is dark-toned, with seating centered on a bar table. It was calm and quiet, perfect for chatting with my husband over the meal.

There was a Christmas tree when I visited, so the year-end mood was in full swing haha

The place isn't big, which actually meant it wasn't crowded and felt great for taking your time over a meal.

There's also a separate room, so I think it would suit anyone looking for a quiet place to talk in Yangjae, whether for a gathering or an anniversary meal.

You can see the kitchen right in front, so you can watch the dishes being prepared, which I loved!

MUSEO lunch premium baekban course lineup

I booked the lunch premium baekban (Korean set meal) in advance through Naver. Since we had a reservation, our seats were already set up like this.

The lunch course came in the order below. I ordered the gomtang, and my husband ordered the yukhoe namul bibimbap :)

• Egg and prawn
• Dongchimi (water kimchi)
• Hoengseong Hanwoo (Korean beef)
• Naju pear and lemon
• Hanwoo flank-cap yukhoe namul bibimbap, or MUSEO octopus and matsutake gomtang (+15.0)
• Shindongjin rice ice cream

Starters: egg and prawn, dongchimi, Hoengseong Hanwoo

The lunch course opens with three dishes served all at once: egg and prawn, dongchimi, and Hoengseong Hanwoo.

Steamed egg with prawn sauce

The egg and prawn was a steamed egg (gyeran-jjim) topped with a prawn-based sauce and grated dried prawn, and the egg was seriously soft! Eaten together with the prawn and mushroom garnish, the textures went really well together.

Dongchimi with amberjack and pomegranate

From the name I imagined ordinary dongchimi, but it was completely different. Amberjack sat on a bed of gojjasi seaweed, with mustard jelly and pomegranate, and it felt a bit like eating mulhoe (cold raw fish soup). The pomegranate bursting in every bite and adding freshness was the highlight!!

Straw-smoked Hoengseong Hanwoo tteokgalbi

The tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patty) made with Hoengseong Hanwoo was good too. It was smoked over rice straw for a subtle aroma, and the inside was moist and juicy. Eaten with the sauce of pine nuts and doenjang (fermented soybean paste) beside it, it got a nutty richness too.

Naju pear and lemon sorbet

After you finish the starters, MUSEO brings out a sorbet of pear and lemon. The lemon's tang wiped away everything left in my mouth! It was just right for cleansing the palate before the main.

Hanwoo yukhoe namul bibimbap and side dishes

My husband picked the Hanwoo flank-cap yukhoe namul bibimbap as his main.

The yukhoe came already seasoned, with several kinds of namul (seasoned vegetables) arranged around it, so it looked quite generous from the start. You mix the yukhoe and namul together, so you get a variety of textures and flavors in one bowl rather than just meat.

Spanish mackerel, seaweed and japchae (glass noodles) came as side dishes, making the baekban spread even fuller.

How was the extra-charge MUSEO octopus and matsutake gomtang?

I paid the extra charge and chose the octopus and matsutake gomtang. It's a gomtang made with shank and brisket, with bean sprouts underneath, and first of all the broth was really clean!

It's not a rich, heavy gomtang. The clear broth carried a subtle matsutake aroma, and with tender octopus added, it felt like I was properly eating something healthy.

Personally, it was one of the most memorable dishes of the day.

The Spanish mackerel was also super plump, with a crispy coating and a moist inside. The fish wasn't dry and tasted clean, and with the sauce that came with it, it was really delicious!

Dessert: Shindongjin rice ice cream

MUSEO expressed clean Korean flavors all the way through to the final dessert.

It was Shindongjin rice ice cream, with a chewy, gelato-like texture made from rice. It was topped with puffed brown rice, figs, and a sauce made from freshly pressed sesame oil and perilla oil. Nutty and sweet, it was exactly my taste!

Why I recommend MUSEO for a Yangjae Station anniversary meal

It was our wedding anniversary and I wanted somewhere a bit special, and I'm glad I chose MUSEO :) It uses Korean ingredients but serves them in ways totally unlike the Korean food I usually eat, so tasting each course was fun. Above all, I was surprised you can enjoy a Korean fine dining course like this for the ₩40,000s among Yangjae Station's restaurants.

The atmosphere is calm and the dishes come out one by one, so I think it works for anniversaries and dates, and also when you're looking for a quiet spot to talk in Yangjae. On a day you want a slightly special meal in Yangjae, give MUSEO a try :)