After-work date dinner near Seolleung with steak and risotto: Kkuudeok

This is a spot I stopped by with my boyfriend after work. That day I suddenly craved Western-style food, and I was looking for somewhere I could eat both pasta and steak without the price tag being scary — and that's how I found this place. It's near Daechi-dong, so a lot of students seem to come here too. Above all, the menu composition and portions were really solid for the price, so I thought this would suit anyone looking for a great value spot. Here's my review of Kkuudeok, a restaurant near Seolleung Station — let's go!

Food: Kkuudeok / Open daily 11:00–23:30 (weekday brunch until 3:30 / dinner menu limited items until 10:40pm)

How far is it from Seolleung Station?

Kkuudeok, this Seolleung restaurant, is a 3-minute walk from Seolleung Station. It was funny how everything around it seemed to be art academies!

The vibe and seating on a weekday at 5pm

We visited around 5pm on a weekday. When we first walked in there wasn't a single other table, so we took photos at a leisurely pace — but not long after we sat down and ordered, the place filled up completely, super fast! Before we knew it there was even a waiting line — oh-ho, I thought, a real hotspot must be a real hotspot after all.

What surprised me was that even though every table sat 4, the turnover was pretty quick. The food came out faster than expected too, so quite a few people came to eat solo, along with nearby office workers and customers of all ages dropping in comfortably.

Pickles were also set out on the table by default, so we could just grab them whenever we needed. Now let me show you exactly what we ate at Kkuudeok, this restaurant near Seolleung Station :)

What's in the Kkuudeok table set

We were told the most popular order is the set menu, so we went with that too! The Kkuudeok table set we ordered is designed for 2–3 people, including steak, two main dishes, and two drinks. The portions on each item were pretty generous too — at first we thought 'this should be plenty,' but by the time my partner and I finished, we were both about to burst. If you're visiting with a group, ordering the set menu seems like a great way to enjoy it fully!

All the dishes we ordered came out at once, so I got a nice photo of the whole table spread. Doesn't it look like a really full lineup? *..* We ordered spicy crab cream pasta and cream risotto. Even ordered à la carte, most pasta and risotto dishes are around ₩12,000–13,000, so it's no wonder middle and high school students from nearby often come to eat alone here.

Fan-shaped steak grilled on a mini brazier at the table

Fan-shaped steak grilled on a mini brazier at the table

Steak first! The color is amazing, right? 👀✨ This restaurant near Seolleung Station has crazy good visuals. The fan-shaped steak (bucheotsal) comes pre-sliced, and you grill it yourself on a mini brazier to your liking. The heat was stronger than I expected though, so it's best to keep watching and flip the meat quickly so it doesn't burn.

Eating it with the sauce and wasabi that came alongside was so good. My happiness meter was filling up — thinking about it, the two of us ate until we were stuffed and still didn't hit ₩50,000, and the steak quality was so much better than expected, which was both surprising and just made me happy.

How thick is the spicy crab cream pasta, really?

The spicy crab cream pasta is exactly what it sounds like — crab meat with a spicy cream sauce. True to the name 'Kkuudeok' (meaning thick and dense), the sauce is on the thicker side! It sits somewhere between creamy and dense, but if I had to pick, I'd say it leans dense. Even paired with the cream risotto, the spicy kick in between cut through the richness nicely. The spiciness wasn't overpowering, so I kept going back for more.

The mushroom cream risotto was my favorite

And then the mushroom (?) cream risotto that was my absolute favorite... this was so, so my style! After eating all three dishes, I was genuinely about to burst. My boyfriend eats a lot, and I hold my own too, but the Kkuudeok table set portion is seriously massive. The two of us ate until we were stuffed and still had a really satisfying meal.

Final thoughts

The prices aren't intimidating, the portions are generous, and the dishes were tasty across the board, so it's a great place to visit when you want a filling meal.

• Anyone looking for a great-value restaurant near Seolleung Station
• Anyone who wants to share a variety of dishes generously
• Anyone looking for a low-pressure place to eat while dating near Seolleung