Mapo izakaya for chipotle okonomiyaki: Gusa Yeonnam

This time, I met up with friends in Yeonnam-dong and went to Gusa Yeonnam (구사 연남) for drinks as part of a pre-wedding gathering. It is a place where you can have all sorts of teppanyaki dishes, from okonomiyaki to yakisoba and wagyu steak. The food was delicious and I liked the atmosphere too, so I found myself wanting to come back with my husband next time.

Gusa Yeonnam hours and how to get there

• Address: 6 Donggyo-ro 30-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 12:00–24:00
• Mon–Thu break time: 15:00–17:00
• No break time Fri–Sun
• Pets welcome

From Hongik University Station to Gusa Yeonnam

Gusa Yeonnam was about a five-minute walk from Exit 3 of Hongik University Station. The restaurant is on basement level 1, so just look for the GOOSA YEONNAM sign at the entrance and head down. The restaurant appears right at the bottom of the stairs, and there were chairs out front for waiting too.

Dim lighting and an open teppanyaki kitchen

Inside, there were bar seats in front of the kitchen and table seating farther in. The overall dark tones and soft lighting gave it quite a nice atmosphere, even though it was bright outside. There were Ghibli posters and little decorations here and there too, including Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service.

Best of all, the kitchen was open, so you could watch the cooking happening right on the griddle. Once an order came in, they cooked it straight away, and it was fun to watch while waiting for the food.

Ordering the wagyu set for three

You can order using the QR code at your table. There were four of us that day, and we ordered the wagyu set for three. You can change the steak cut, so we switched it to flat iron steak and asked for medium rare. For drinks, we chose lemon beer and a Suntory highball.

Banchan

After we ordered, cabbage came out first as the banchan (small side dish). They also set out an individual sauce for each of us, with soy sauce, wasabi, and salt.

Lemon beer and Suntory highball

The lemon beer and Suntory highball came out right after the side dishes. Both went well with the teppanyaki, but I especially liked the Suntory highball.

Classic yakisoba with egg yolk

The first thing to arrive was the classic yakisoba (Japanese stir-fried noodles). Cabbage, shrimp, and noodles were stir-fried together, with a fried egg on top.

Honestly, the sauce looked dark enough that I expected it to be strongly seasoned, but it was not overpowering at all. The noodles were evenly coated in sauce, and the occasional crisp bite of cabbage gave it a good texture. Breaking the egg yolk and mixing it through the noodles made everything softer, so I could keep eating without getting tired of it.

Mentaiko cheese rolled omelet with stretchy cheese

Next was the mentaiko cheese rolled omelet! There was quite a lot of mentaiko mayo on top, so I wondered whether it would be salty, but surprisingly the saltiness was not too strong.

The egg was soft, with cheese inside, and the cheese stretched and stretched every time we picked up a piece. It stretched with every bite, so it was oddly fascinating and I kept watching, haha. The omelet was moist too, and it went well with the mentaiko mayo.

Chipotle okonomiyaki that was not too rich

The third dish was the chipotle okonomiyaki (Japanese savory cabbage pancake). I do like okonomiyaki, but when there is a lot of mayonnaise and sauce, it can feel a little rich as I eat it.

But chipotle's characteristic spicy kick came through here and there, so I could keep eating it without getting tired of it. The sweetish sauce with that spiciness made it easy to enjoy right to the end without feeling heavy. If you dislike that rich feeling partway through an okonomiyaki like I do, I think the chipotle version would be worth trying.

Medium-rare flat iron wagyu and black tiger shrimp

Finally, four black tiger shrimp and the wagyu steak arrived together. There were stir-fried mung bean sprouts beside the meat too, which were nice to eat with the wagyu.

We changed the wagyu to flat iron steak and ordered it medium rare; the meat was tender, not tough. We had already worked our way through the yakisoba, rolled omelet, and okonomiyaki, so having the meat and shrimp come out last made it a pretty filling meal even for four women. It was also nice that the meat came straight from the griddle, so we could eat it warm.

Teppanyaki in Yeonnam-dong that was great for sharing with friends

We visited for a pre-wedding gathering with friends, but the atmosphere was nice even during the day, so I think it would be good to come here for drinks in Yeonnam-dong in the evening too. With yakisoba, okonomiyaki, and wagyu steak arriving one after another, it was great for sharing a variety of dishes. The chipotle okonomiyaki and the tender wagyu were what I remembered most. When my husband and I come to Yeonnam-dong next time, I am planning to come back for dinner. :)

The chipotle okonomiyaki and tender wagyu were what I remembered most.