Free corkage Chinese lunch course near Sinsa Station: Samsin

What kind of restaurant is Samsin Garosu-gil?

Today I visited Samsin Garosu-gil, a Chinese restaurant favorite near Sinsa Garosu-gil. Samsin (三神) is a fusion Chinese restaurant located near Sinsa-dong's Serosu-gil, about a 3-minute walk from Exit 8 of Sinsa Station.

The team says they've run Korean, Chinese, and Japanese restaurants before, and here they bring elements of all three cuisines together on one plate. The kitchen is led by a chef with Michelin two-star experience and a chef with hotel dining experience.

• Samsin Garosu-gil basic info
• 46 Gangnam-daero 156-gil, 2F & 3F, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• About a 3-minute walk from Exit 8 of Sinsa Station
• Open daily 11:00–23:00
• Valet parking ₩5,000 for 2 hours
• Naver Reservation and Catch Table reservations available

There are courses for 2 or more people available from lunch through dinner, with lunch starting at ₩25,000 and dinner ranging from ₩50,000 to ₩125,000. Beyond the courses, there are also plenty of individual dishes you can order one by one.

I saw a lot of fusion dishes mixing Korean, Chinese, and Japanese influences—galbi-jjim jajangmyeon, gochujang dongpo-yuk, Tokyo tangsuyuk, and lotus-flower crab. So much looked delicious that it was really hard to decide what to eat... haha.

Private rooms and dining hall on the 2nd and 3rd floors

The restaurant is spread across the 2nd and 3rd floors. The moment you walk in, it feels like a high-end Chinese restaurant. Everything is done in a clean blue tone.

There are several private rooms, which I photographed—ranging from 4-person rooms all the way up to a 13-person room. Great for a wine gathering too, haha.

Another thing I liked was that even the hall seating is sectioned off like this. There's enough distance from the next table that even dining in the hall feels fairly private.

Samsin Garosu-gil menu and course prices

That day we ordered Samsin Course A, ₩25,000 per person.

What comes in Samsin Course A (25,000 won per person)

Sokcho snow crab soup

The crab soup that opened the course was soft and warm, the kind of dish that gently wakes up your appetite.

The subtle sweetness and savoriness of the crab meat were the centerpiece, and the thickness wasn't too heavy, so it wasn't a heavy way to start the meal.

Handmade dim sum sampler, 4 pieces

The dim sum skins weren't too thick and the fillings were moist, so with the first bite you tasted the juices and the savoriness of the filling right away. The xiaolongbao in particular had hot broth and meaty flavor spreading out smoothly, and it tastes even better with the ginger soy sauce served alongside, haha.

Tokyo tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork)

The Tokyo tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork) had a much bigger presence of meat than your typical tangsuyuk.

The outside was fried crispy while the meat inside was relatively thick and moist, and the sauce wasn't just sweet—it had sourness and saltiness too, which cut through the richness well. You're clearly eating tangsuyuk, but there's oddly a Japanese feel to it, if that makes sense? Once you taste it, you'll immediately understand why it's called Tokyo tangsuyuk, haha.

Meat jjamppong (spicy noodle soup)

The meat jjamppong leaned more toward deep, meaty broth than the usual seafood-forward, refreshing style of jjamppong.

The smoky char and savoriness of the meat had melted into the broth, giving it a slightly richer flavor, and the spice level wasn't too strong, which was perfect for a spice-wimp couple like us.

Taean potato jajangmyeon (black bean noodles)

The potato jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) had a sauce that felt a bit softer and nuttier than a regular jajangmyeon.

The sweetness wasn't overdone either, so instead of a bold, punchy jajangmyeon, it finished closer to nutty and clean.

After finishing the whole course, we were incredibly full!!! Practically bursting...!

One bottle of corkage free: the opening promotion

Samsin, the Chinese restaurant favorite near Sinsa Station, is currently running an opening event with 1 bottle of corkage free.

You just get a coupon through Naver Reservation and use it. After that, corkage is ₩20,000 per bottle, and glasses are provided by the restaurant. Honestly I'd been planning to bring wine along ever since I made the reservation, but I suddenly had to get dental work done and I'm on a temporary alcohol ban, so I couldn't drink at all—it was really sad😭 Everyone please take care of your health!!!! Health comes first!! (That way you can drink wine too... you get to drink wine!!)

High-End Best Baijiu 6-Shot Sampler, 85,000 won

There was one more thing that caught my eye almost as much as the wine. The High-end Best Baijiu 6-Shot Sampler, ₩85,000.

It's a set letting you compare six kinds of baijiu at once — Moutai Gold, Shui Jing Fang, Yanghe Daqu Gold, Kong Fu Jia Jiu Ziyao Mint, Haejiram, and Yantai Black. Baijiu isn't easy to compare by buying whole bottles one at a time, so a sampler like this looked really interesting. Especially paired with the Chinese food, comparing the aroma and style of each one would make for a nice little tasting course for anyone who loves drinking. I've never laid out baijiu like this to try before, so I was genuinely curious.

But... the problem is I'm still on the alcohol ban... Everyone reading this, stay healthy!!!!!

Is Samsin Garosu-gil worth it? Final verdict

If you're looking for a gathering spot around Sinsa Garosu-gil, Samsin is worth considering.

With so many rooms, it was great for private dining, and the space overall felt calm and clean. The lunch course starts at ₩25,000, so it's not too costly, and being able to try a variety of dishes at once was a plus. Best of all, right now there's a corkage-free bottle for the opening promotion, making it a good Chinese restaurant pick for wine lovers. This time I couldn't fully enjoy it because I'm on an alcohol ban, but next time I'd love to bring a bottle of wine to pair with the food, and I definitely want to try the high-end baijiu sampler too!