Seongsu Thai restaurant: leng saep with radish pickles, Thanon55

Where is Thanon55 in Seongsu?

Thanon55 is a rang saeb (Thai-style spicy pork ribs) spot in Seongsu-dong, on Ttukseom-ro 9-gil, right above the building where the Kakao Friends Hu Friends Stationery pop-up is running. The pop-up is on the 1st floor, marked by the white arrow below.

If you're visiting after a pop-up tour, check the June Seongsu pop-up routes and locations and plan the pop-ups plus a meal at Thanon55 haha.

How to find the Thanon55 entrance

To reach Thanon55, go in through the photo studio entrance on the left side of the building and head up to the 2nd floor. The building has such a quiet, tucked-away vibe and an unusual layout that I wondered, is this a commercial building? A house? It was fun. Once you're on the 2nd floor, just walk a little way along the railing and you'll see the entrance!

Thanon55 interior and seating

The inside of Thanon55 is as eye-catching as the outside, with a distinctive interior that made me want to take photos! Isn't this a bit unusual? haha

The space is quite large, and it's neither fully open nor fully closed off, which gives it an open feel and a private feel at the same time.

The inner area in particular was even cozier like this. There were quite a few people inside, so I sat in the outer area, and the sunlight coming through the windows was lovely everywhere haha.

What side dishes are at the Thanon55 self-serve bar?

Thanon55 has a self-serve bar, and I went to browse while picking up side dishes, and every single bowl was so pretty. They're all glass bowls, in particular, which gave it a real home-cooked feel.

Even the apron hooks at Thanon55 are anything but ordinary, and the people cooking in the kitchen aren't Korean either! So it felt even more like a local restaurant, like eating local home cooking.

It's not just the feel: the Thanon55 self-serve bar has something I'd never seen at other Vietnamese or Thai restaurants, a kind of radish slaw? radish salad? radish side dish? I couldn't not try it! I took a little, and it was so cool and tasty that I went back for more. I could tell it would go especially well with rang saeb.

Sauces and pickles on every Thanon55 table

Thanon55 has a variety of sauces and pickles on every table.

I took a little of just the ones I was curious about to taste. The pickled chilies looked like they'd go really well with rice noodles, and the red sauce seemed like it would be great even just mixing the noodles from the rice noodle soup into it, so there are lots of ways to eat. They'd also be good as dips for tod mun kung (fried shrimp cakes) or spring rolls.

Can you order leng saep at Thanon55?

Yes, Thanon55 has rang saeb. It wasn't on the menu I'd seen before going, but they have it?? Why isn't this on the Naver Place menu? There are so many Koreans who love rang saeb! Why aren't you telling people, boss!

On top of that, ordered as a single dish it comes in a perfect portion for one, so even for a solo lunch, rang saeb over rice instead of rice noodles would be really filling.

They thoughtfully gave us gloves, tongs and a bowl for the bones too.

What does Thanon55's leng saep taste like?

Thanon55's rang saeb is less salty than other rang saeb, which suited Korean tastes perfectly, and it was also deep in flavor, just right for Koreans who love depth. Several things stood out.

In particular, lemon is cooked in whole with the dish, which suits anyone who likes Thai food, and it keeps things bright rather than too heavy. Best of all, I squeezed the cooked lemon for even more juice and it was really good.

How spicy is Thanon55's leng saep?

The sauce on Thanon55's rang saeb is poured on just right and it was delicious, but it's really spicy, so be warned! Strangely, maybe it's a Thai chili thing, the heat is in your mouth rather than your stomach, so even I, who can't handle spice, could eat it, and it's the kind of heat that's fun and enjoyable.

How to eat Thanon55's leng saep: top it with radish pickles

Putting the spicy radish pickles from the Thanon55 self-serve bar on top of the rang saeb is really, truly delicious. Please try it this way!

The meat alone can be too heavy, but the radish pickles balance it out, and since rang saeb is salty, they neutralize that too. Thanon55's rang saeb in particular has a heat that leaves your lips tingling, and the pickles tame that as well. In every way, eating it with these radish pickles was really good.