Seodaemun Korean restaurant with a self-serve bar: Sunhui Dining

What are the seats and ordering system like for dining alone near Ewha Womans University?

Sunhui Dining (순희다이닝), in front of Ewha Womans University, had tables suited to two or four people as well as window bar seating. The window bar seats looked popular because you could eat while watching people pass by, and I ordered using the tablet placed on the table.

What can you get at the self-serve bar?

You could help yourself to white kimchi, cabbage salad, black sesame and yuzu dressings, and miso soup. If you ran short of rice while eating your rice bowl, you could have more freshly cooked rice too.

The cabbage salad was sweet and crisp, while the miso soup had a noticeable doenjang (fermented soybean paste) flavor that went nicely with the rice bowls.

How did the three butadon and galbi rice dishes differ?

I had the 36-hour-aged butadon (Japanese pork rice bowl) with egg yolk, scallions, and sliced onion. The pork felt chewy yet tender, and I could barely detect any of the characteristic pork smell.

Of the three dishes, the 36-hour-aged spicy butadon suited my taste best. Its chili-oil sauce went well with the egg, and it came with shishito peppers, garlic scapes, and garlic chips. Adding the wasabi served alongside it gave it a pleasantly sharp flavor that matched the butadon well.

Soboro Goboong Galbi Bap was a fluffy rice bowl with sweet stir-fried kimchi. The galbi flavor was subtle rather than overpowering, and the wasabi worked well with this dish too.

Could there be a wait at mealtimes?

There were lots of guests when I visited, and I was told there could be a wait during meal hours. The staff were kind and helpful.