Western restaurant near Seoulsup: tomato salad on bread at Kongkase

I was back in Seoulsup after a long while, went looking for a good Western restaurant nearby, and ended up at Kongkase Seongsu (콩카세 성수), a place I'd had saved for ages!

Where is Kongkase Seongsu, and what's the atmosphere like?

Kongkase Seongsu is easy to reach, only about a 5-minute walk from Exit 5 of Seoulsup Station! It's tucked a little off the main road, so just remember it's behind the SK gas station and you'll find it easily!

A clean, big glass front greets you right away, haha.

Apparently Kongkase Seongsu appeared on the TV show Life of a Master (생활의달인) as a master of beef Wellington and lasagna! Thinking of these as dishes made by a master, I couldn't help wondering how good they'd taste!!

Inside, a calm white-toned interior welcomes you. It felt perfect for a blind date or a date night~!!! There were indeed lots of couples, and plenty of people having get-togethers too.

Kongkase Seongsu menu and how to order

Apparently "concassé" (CONCASSE) means tomatoes that have been peeled and finely chopped, a basic ingredient of Western cooking. They say the restaurant takes basic ingredients and turns classic dishes into its own style, and you could really feel that philosophy in the menu!

The signature dishes at Kongkase Seongsu are beef Wellington, lasagna and potato gnocchi, and there was a wide range of other Western dishes too: various pastas, risottos, flatfish steak, even pork jowl with kimchi purée. You can pick to your own taste, and choosing was half the fun!

You order by scanning the QR code on the table, and this is what I ordered this time!

• Tomato salad ₩12,000
• Funghi risotto (mushroom risotto) ₩18,000

Eat the bread together with the tomato salad

The first thing to arrive at Kongkase Seongsu was 2 pieces of bread. It's tasty dipped in olive oil and balsamic, but the real tip is to put the tomato salad that comes later on top of the bread!

The food came out pretty quickly! The plating is so pretty it's great for posting on Instagram. A friend who loves taking photos of good food, or your girlfriend, would be thrilled to be brought here ><

How does the tomato salad at Kongkase Seongsu taste?

Next came the tomato salad (₩12,000)! Wow... this was seriously legendary!! I'm normally someone who hardly ever orders salad, but the salad at Kongkase Seongsu was completely different.

Every tomato is peeled one by one, so the texture is incredibly soft, and eaten with the cream served alongside, the smooth, sweet-and-sour flavor is just crazy good! I finally understood why they named the place Kongkase.....! Honestly the pinnacle of fine food.. It's even better eaten together with the bread from earlier!

What's on top of the funghi risotto?

The funghi risotto (₩18,000) at Kongkase Seongsu came with jambon (Korean-style ham) and fried enoki mushrooms on top of a creamy mushroom risotto. The crispy enoki added texture to the soft risotto, and the saltiness of the jambon popped in here and there, so I enjoyed it to the very end!

Would I go back?

It's close to Seoulsup Station, and I had a lovely meal in an atmosphere great for dates! Next time I definitely want to try the signature beef Wellington and lasagna. I'd go back!! If you want both atmosphere and flavor near Seoulsup, Kongkase Seongsu is worth a meal!