Late-night poke pickup near Gyodae Station: beef brisket pasta bowl

In our house, my husband always makes dinner after he gets off work! But today he had to take our first kid to the hospital after work, so I figured he'd have zero energy left to cook, and we decided to solve dinner outside.

But then there's also our second kid... and the first one needs a bath... it's just so busy, you know?!

So I solved dinner with a pickup order from my go-to spot, Salering Gyodae Direct Store!

Does Salering near Gyodae Station take pickup orders in the evening?

Poke salad has such a strong lunch-food image that I wondered if it'd even be open in the evening, but luckily this location runs evening hours too, so I could time my pickup right around getting off work.

Address: 15 Seochodae-ro 56-gil, 1st floor, Seocho-gu, Seoul / Hours: weekdays open 8:15am, last order 9:30pm, closes 10pm. Weekends open 10:30am, otherwise the same.

What does the beef brisket whole wheat pasta poke taste like?

I ordered two menu items. As a self-proclaimed Salering veteran, I really recommend both of these — if you're on the fence, give them a try.

The combo of whole wheat pasta on top of poke felt fresh — chewy with a subtle nuttiness when I bit into it, more than good enough as a rice substitute.

The beef brisket had just the right amount of fat, so it wasn't dry, and the more I chewed, the more the savory flavor came through.

On top of that, the classic balsamic dressing gave the whole thing a sweet-and-tangy pull that tied it together, and mixed with the fresh vegetables it went down light rather than heavy.

There were a lot of other sauces too — I want to try a different one next time!

Above all, the balsamic wasn't harsh at all, so it sat easy on the stomach even as a dinner.

How filling is the gochujang mayo beef brisket rice bowl?

My husband asked for something more filling than poke, so I picked the gochujang mayo beef brisket rice bowl — the gochujang mayo sauce was spicy but also carried the softness of mayo, and it was the kind of flavor that kept pulling you back for more.

The beef brisket was well coated in sauce down to every grain of rice, so every spoonful brought a deep savory flavor, even if not quite smoky.

The spice level wasn't harsh, just right, so even someone who can't handle spice much could eat it without stress. The rice grains were thick with a nice bite, so despite not being high in calories, it was fun to eat and quite filling.

Beer and wine at a poke restaurant: how does the pairing work?

Oh, and one thing that personally stood out to me: this location also sells beer and wine.

We couldn't eat in-store today, so we brought it home and had it with beer — and wow, that combo was just so good.

Poke salad has a strong image of being light and veggie-forward, but pairing it with a cold beer or a glass of wine actually worked surprisingly well with the fresh dressing flavors.

It turned out to be a pretty great discovery for a simple solo-drink-and-dinner combo at home after work, so my husband and I made a pact to keep eating like this often while we're dieting!!

On days like mine, when you don't feel like cooking but don't want the heaviness of delivery food either, I recommend picking up from the Gyodae Direct Store. Add a beer or a glass of wine and it's the perfect way to end the day, haha!