Seongsu mother-daughter date restaurant with fresh lasagna: Kongkase

Looking for a nice restaurant for a cozy weekend date with my beloved daughter at Seoul Forest, I ended up at Kongkase, famous as a pasta specialist near Seoul Forest.

This is the restaurant of the "master" who appeared on the TV show SBS Masters of Living not once but twice in a row, episodes 850 and 851, so I had huge expectations even before visiting.

Visiting in person, the vibe, the food, and the service were all beyond expectations, so I really want to recommend it to anyone looking for a good Western restaurant in Seongsu-dong or near Seoul Forest.

Kongkase Seongsu hours and how to find it near Seoul Forest

• Name: Kongkase Seongsu
• Address: 11 Wangsimni-ro 5-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea (1st floor)
• Hours: Mon–Fri 11:30 – 21:30 (last order 20:30 / break 15:00 – 17:00)
• Sat–Sun break 16:00 – 17:00

What is the Kongkase Seongsu dining room like? White-and-wood interior

Kongkase Seongsu is a cozy Western restaurant done up in white and wood tones. The moment I walked in, the warm, sentimental interior caught my eye.

The inside creates a cozy atmosphere with its white-and-wood tones, and with the staff's friendly service on top of that, it's a great place to visit on a special day.

My daughter was so busy taking selfies the second we walked in, saying the interior was so pretty, haha.

A large wooden object standing tall in the center pulls the whole space together nicely, and stylish props and books are displayed here and there on the walls, so it was full of the warm, upscale feel that a pasta specialist near Seoul Forest should have.

The tables were spaced out generously, not cramped at all, and the QR code stuck to each table let us check the menu and order easily.

Complimentary bread and two ades: Jeju hallabong and blueberry, 5,000 won each

Once we ordered, Kongkase Seongsu first brought out warm pre-meal bread. Crispy outside and chewy inside, dipped in the balsamic olive oil that came with it, it was the perfect way to whet our appetite before the meal.

For drinks, I ordered the Jeju hallabong ade (₩5,000) I picked, and my daughter went with the blueberry ade (₩5,000). The yellow and purple colors were gorgeous even just visually, great for photos. The hallabong ade was sweet and refreshing and my daughter really loved it, while the blueberry ade had that heavier, slightly bitter, refreshing quality that paired wonderfully with the main dishes.

Fresh-noodle lasagna, 23,000 won: chewy pasta made by a TV-featured master

Finally, the main dishes we'd been waiting for arrived! The first thing we tried was the lasagna made with Kongkase Seongsu's fresh noodles (₩23,000).

True to a pasta restaurant near Seoul Forest that's appeared on Masters of Living twice, the plating and visuals were incredible.

The lasagna is popular for its chewy texture and rich flavor, and the thick sauce paired perfectly with the pre-meal bread too.

Between the rolled-up rounds of fresh pasta was a deep, rich ragu sauce packed with cheese, topped generously with fresh arugula, so I could really enjoy the savory, rich flavor without it feeling heavy at all.

My daughter took a bite too and said the noodles' chewiness was on another level, calling it the best lasagna of her life.

Beef Wellington, 53,000 won: crisp pastry outside, juicy beef inside

Next up was the dish that's basically Kongkase's signature — the beef Wellington (₩53,000).

It's famously a dish that takes a lot of hands-on work, and when I gently sliced through the golden-brown pastry shell, the tenderloin inside was packed in moist and cooked to a rosy medium.

Piled with soft, savory mashed potatoes and the master's own special brown sauce, the crisp texture of the pastry and the juicy tenderness of the meat melted together and just dissolved in my mouth.

The roasted Brussels sprouts, shallot, and bean garnish that came alongside cleaned up the flavor of the meat even further, and my daughter and I kept gasping in delight as we finished every last bite.

Honest verdict on a mother-daughter date at Kongkase Seongsu

On this visit to Kongkase Seongsu, what I liked most was that the inside creates a cozy atmosphere with its white-and-wood tones, and the staff's friendly service on top of that makes it a great place to visit on a special day.

Between the carefully made food, the staff's thoughtful and friendly service, and the cozy atmosphere, everything was just about perfect, and I got to make an unforgettable weekend memory with my daughter near Seoul Forest.

If you're searching high and low for a good Western restaurant near Seoul Forest or a standout spot in Seongsu-dong, I really hope you'll visit Kongkase, which has already been proven on TV. I'm planning to go back myself the next time I'm craving good Western food.