Gangnam Korean restaurant dinner date, straw-smoked tteokgalbi: MUSEO

Looking for a different kind of date spot in Gangnam? Try MUSEO

MUSEO (무제오) is a Gangnam restaurant that gives Korean food a modern spin with seasonal ingredients. I went for the dinner Chef's Tasting course. When you're picking a date spot in Gangnam, sometimes you want something other than the usual pasta or barbecue place, right? haha That's when I'd recommend MUSEO 💚 Seasons, the MUSEO way 🍂✨

MUSEO location, hours and prices at a glance

MUSEO sits between Gangnam Station and Yangjae Station, within a 5-minute walk of either, and the dinner tasting course is ₩109,000. Here's the quick summary 🔎

• Concept: modern Korean dining built around seasonal ingredients
• Location: between Gangnam Station and Yangjae Station, within a 5-minute walk
• Hours: 10:00–22:00 (last order 20:00)
• Dinner tasting course: ₩109,000
• Drinks: dinner follows a one glass per person rule
• Parking: Daemyeong Building parking lot, 1 car per party for 1 hour

MUSEO private rooms and table seating tips

The MUSEO private room fits 7–14 people and has an extra charge of ₩100,000, but it's waived if each person spends ₩150,000 or more. There are two table seats for 4–7 people, and the signature course comes by default 🚪

• Room: 7–14 people, extra ₩100,000 (waived if each person spends ₩150,000 or more)
• Tables: two seats for 4–7 people, signature course included by default
• Birthdays: birthday seaweed soup if the birthday person writes a review

The signature course and regular baekban (set meal) are sold on weekdays only. Check before you visit on weekends and holidays haha

How does the MUSEO dinner course work?

The MUSEO dinner is a course of Korean dishes made with seasonal ingredients, served tapas-style. The plates come out slowly, one at a time, so it was nice for eating and chatting. I also love that the menu changes with the seasons 😊

Steamed egg and small bites 🥚

The first plate of the dinner course is steamed egg with shrimp sauce, golden enoki mushrooms, prawn and bopulagi (crispy seaweed floss). Everything came together on the soft steamed egg, and it felt comforting right from the start.

Next came small bites: monkfish liver in a "Homerun Ball" style snack, Gongju chestnut and Tongyeong mackerel. They're one-bite sizes, so you get to taste a variety of flavors lightly.

MUSEO dinner drinks 🍺

At MUSEO dinner, the rule is one glass of alcohol per person. We ordered two Heinekens. There are also plenty of traditional liquors, champagne and wine, so pick whatever goes well with the course 🥂

Dongchimi mulhoe and straw-smoked Hoengseong hanwoo tteokgalbi 🥣

The dongchimi mulhoe (chilled radish water kimchi broth with seafood) has seafood and pickled seaweed, plus dongchimi broth, mustard jelly and pomegranate. It's cool and tangy, and it really wakes up your appetite ✨

The Hoengseong hanwoo tteokgalbi was smoked over rice straw, so the aroma was subtle, and the pine nut sauce went with it nicely and nutty. It was the most filling highlight of the course 🔥

Goheung Spanish mackerel, Wando kelp and Gangneung potato ice cream 🐟

• Goheung Spanish mackerel: a combination of white kimchi, beurre blanc and kimchi powder
• Wando kelp: gamtae (seaweed), kelp and soy butter, with a strong scent of the sea

The Gangneung potato & truffle is a shredded potato jeon (pan-fried pancake) shaped like an ice cream.

The potato dish looks like ice cream but is actually a crispy shredded potato jeon, which was fun 😋

Gopchang gim buckwheat noodles and Naju pear sorbet 🌾

Bongpyeong buckwheat and gopchang gim (thick, crinkly seaweed) followed one after the other, mild and clean. Even the uni (sea urchin) was in there, the best combination haha

The Naju pear and lemon sorbet that followed refreshed my mouth and made a lovely little pause before the main 🍐

MUSEO dinner main: chicken drumstick or hanwoo striploin?

For the MUSEO dinner main, you choose between chicken drumstick and hanwoo striploin 1++ NO.9 (+₩38,000). I picked the chicken drumstick 🍗

The chicken drumstick is cooked for a long time in pork fat so it's tender, and it comes with pickled scallion, mung bean porridge and pepper sauce. The pickles cut the richness, so it stayed clean to the very end 👍

Finishing dessert: Sindongjin rice ice cream 🍚

The MUSEO dinner course ends with an ice cream made from Sindongjin rice with domestic sesame oil added. It's nutty with a gentle sweetness, a fitting finish to a Korean course 🍨

When I'd recommend the MUSEO dinner course

• 🤍 When you want a different kind of date on a special day
• 🤍 When you want to enjoy Korean food in a refined way
• 🤍 When you're looking for a place for a blind date or an anniversary meal
• 🤍 When you want to experience seasonal dishes as a course

Personally, what I liked most about MUSEO is that every plate has a clear taste of the season. Familiar ingredients felt new. If you're looking for a Gangnam date restaurant, I recommend MUSEO🤍