Jongno pub opening at 5pm: mother-of-pearl beef tartare, Hyehwahwa

After watching a play in Daehangno with my husband, we got a bit hungry, so we visited Hyehwahwa, a Korean pub in Hyehwa where you can eat and drink in one place~ It was such a cozy spot with delicious food that both my husband and I were satisfied, so let me introduce it~

Where is Hyehwahwa, and what are its hours and parking?

Location: 29-3 Daemyeong-gil, 2nd floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea / Hours: Daily 17:00–01:00 / Closed every Monday / Parking: none (use nearby public parking lot)

They had a large menu board set up in front of the store, so it was nice to be able to look at it before going in~ Every single item on the menu looked appealing, so let's go in right away!!!

The pile of straw and the grill plate on the stairs hinted that this was a straw-fire grilling spot~ My husband and I talked about how amazing samgyeopsal (pork belly) grilled over this would taste as we climbed the stairs~ haha

The door was oddly shaped like a home's inner door, which was unique~ When we opened it and went in, the elegantly laid stones felt upscale~ It felt like walking into a fancy restaurant~

The tiled-roof window seat you get at Hyehwahwa's 5pm opening

Hyehwahwa's interior felt dim yet cozy with bright light streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows~ We visited as the very first customers at the 5pm opening time and successfully grabbed a window seat!!!

Tucked our bags neatly into the chair~

We sat at a window seat with a unique roof view~ I never knew a tiled roof could look this atmospheric, and I really loved the distinctive roof view~ My husband especially loved the vibe!!!

You order by scanning the QR code and ordering directly from your phone~ We ordered the signature straw-fire spicy tteok-gopdori-tang, the signature beef tartare & aged kimchi egg sushi with extra glass noodles, and one bottle of Jinro soju~

Hyehwahwa's free starter: tofu with white kimchi

The base side dish was tofu with white kimchi~ The combination of not-too-fermented, mildly sour white kimchi and savory tofu was light and clean, so as someone who's only ever had red spicy tofu-kimchi, it felt refreshing~

Straw-fire spicy tteok-gopdori-tang: how big is the portion?

Soju and the signature straw-fire spicy tteok-gopdori-tang (rice cake and tripe stew) came out first~ Over a pot of dakdoritang (spicy chicken stew) broth sat a grill rack with beef tripe and chicken lightly seared over straw fire~ The portion was so generous for the price that we were really satisfied!!!

Ttuppul hanwoo beef tartare and aged-kimchi egg sushi in a mother-of-pearl box

Next up, the second dish~ the signature beef tartare & aged kimchi egg sushi~ Wait, isn't this a wealthy lady's jewelry box? I never imagined beef tartare would come in a mother-of-pearl jewelry box, and it was such a heart-fluttering combination~ It's a visual that no woman could dislike~

With the signature straw-fire spicy tteok-gopdori-tang, the signature beef tartare & aged kimchi egg sushi, and a bottle of soju, it was truly a perfect spread~ Looking at the beef tartare in the mother-of-pearl jewelry box with the tiled roof view in the background, I almost felt like a noble of high status~

It felt empty that there was no jewel in the jewelry box, so I took off the flower ring I was wearing and snapped a photo~ It was so pretty that I took a ton of pictures, too pretty to touch~

Wait, isn't this a scarf? The curled, cute beef tripe was long and whole, so my husband cut it into easy-to-eat pieces~ The contents were really generous!!!

Being pretty doesn't mean we can't eat it, so I took a bite of the tartare first~ The lightly seasoned tartare was chewy and had a nice texture~ The pepper aroma in the sesame oil dip was appealing, and the subtle scent of green onion was also nice~

The aged kimchi egg sushi had chewy rice grains and a nice savory sesame oil aroma~ The sour aged kimchi went so well with the soft egg and the savory seaweed~

My husband said it was so good with tartare on top that he wanted to order more, but he was disappointed that the aged kimchi roll wasn't sold separately~

The gopdori-tang tasted like a mix of dakbokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken) and gopchang jeongol (tripe hot pot)~ It was spicy with a hint of sweetness, and delicious~ I highly recommend it as a soju pairing!!!

Seaweed-flake rice for 3,000 won, topped with the beef tartare

As a substitute for the aged kimchi roll, we ordered seaweed-flake rice (₩3,000)~ They put in a generous amount of seaweed flakes, so it was salty with the seaweed flavor spreading through your mouth and a lot of savory umami — delicious even on its own~

But topped with tartare, it became a chewy, savory, insanely good combo that made me want to keep eating!!! If you want to feel maximum savoriness, you must try this!!!

They said the white kimchi tofu was refillable, so we got a refill once~

The broth gets richer the more it boils, and it kept calling for soju~ Be careful, because the soju just keeps going in!!!

Dipping the seaweed-flake rice deep into the gopdori-tang broth, the spicy-sweet seasoning soaked into the chewy rice grains and made it moist and savory — top-notch~ I think it would be delicious to make fried rice in the broth too~

Rice cake, tripe, chicken and extra glass noodles: how the stew tasted

The rice cake was chewy and delicious too~ The plump beef tripe had a tender yet chewy, bouncy texture — great mouthfeel~ There wasn't a hint of gaminess, it was the height of savoriness~!!!

The chicken also had no off-flavors and tasted hearty and clean~ The meat was chewy and fresh~

The extra glass noodles we added were thicker than regular glass noodles, so the chewiness was doubled~ Eating them together with the tripe, both being chewy, was almost touching~

The potatoes were fluffy and well-seasoned, delicious~ I ate them happily since my husband gave me all of his share haha

The well-cooked peppers had just the right pleasant spiciness, and eating them with the tripe added a sharp kick that was delicious~ The green onion was also sweet and soft, so try it too!!! If you're looking for a date spot or gathering place where you can have dinner and drinks together, I recommend Hyehwahwa!!!