Jongno Korean restaurant for a friend's celebration lunch: Modam

My close friend had some really happy news to celebrate, so I booked a restaurant with a great atmosphere — Modam Dining Gwanghwamun, famous around Gwanghwamun as a go-to spot for wedding meetings!

Modam Dining has such good reviews that I went in with high expectations, and honestly, the food, service, and atmosphere all met them haha

Modam Dining Gwanghwamun basics

• Address: Basement 1F, Deoksugung D Palace, Jongno-gu, Seoul (near Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5)
• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00 (break time 15:00–17:00, except weekends)
• Reservations: Naver Reservations (hall and room seats bookable from 4 people)
• Parking: Free 2 hours at Deoksugung D Palace underground lot (Concordian Building lot if full)

What's the atmosphere like?

The interior was quiet and calm, exactly my style. The space is well divided by partitions, so it was great for intimate conversation. So clean and put-together!

Room seating is bookable for groups of 4 or more, which makes it a perfect spot for taking parents or older relatives too.

The bori-gulbi & abalone tteokgalbi set course

We ordered the bori-gulbi set and the abalone tteokgalbi set. When you order a set, it's not just one plate — it comes as a full course starting with an elegant appetizer spread, and the plating was pretty enough for photos too.

① Green bean porridge (nokdujuk)

A very smooth and nutty porridge for the first bite. It wasn't fully ground, so there was still some texture left, and I liked that the natural flavor of the green beans really came through.

② Sweet pumpkin and yuzu salad

A vivid yellow salad from the sweet pumpkin, lightly drizzled with a tangy yuzu dressing — the classic sweet-and-sour salad, but great as a way to wake up the appetite.

③ Mustard vegetables with pine nut sauce

Crisp cucumber piled with plenty of nutty pine nut sauce and almond-like nuts on top — the nuttiness was intense with every bite. There was mustard in it, but the sharp bite wasn't too strong, so it was a flavor anyone could enjoy.

④ Cheongyang chili water kimchi

A refreshing water kimchi with finely chopped cheongyang chili. Rather than a sharp spice hit, it had a subtle tingle running through the cool broth — not overpowering at all and easy to keep sipping. Perfect palate cleanser between the richer dishes.

⑤ Halibut sashimi & aged kimchi

The thinly sliced halibut was aged sashimi, so it was really tender, and eaten with the aged kimchi plus a touch of doenjang sauce, it was such a harmonious bite!

⑥ Fried shiitake mushroom

Whole chewy shiitake mushrooms inside a crispy fried coating. The mushroom's natural savoriness soaked lightly into the frying oil, giving it a nutty, clean flavor. I'm honestly not usually a fan of shiitake, but this was moist and paired so well with the sauce on top that I really enjoyed it.

⑦ Perilla oil capellini

Thin capellini noodles tossed with perilla oil, egg garnish, perilla leaf, seaweed, and sesame seeds — the nutty aroma really soaked into the noodles.

It felt like a cold pasta, and with raw shrimp meat piled on top, the nuttiness was maximized.

⑧ Four side dishes

True to a Korean dining restaurant, you get napa cabbage kimchi, stir-fried seaweed stem, seasoned eggplant, and stir-fried shiitake. Personally, I found the kimchi cool and spicy in a good way. Overall, solid and reliable flavors!

⑨ Bori-gulbi & abalone tteokgalbi

The main dishes were so good it's almost pointless to describe them further. The bori-gulbi had plump flesh, and even mixed with green tea water over rice, there wasn't a hint of fishiness!

The tteokgalbi was firmer and a bit drier than I expected, so it was just so-so haha. The single piece of abalone that came with it, though, was so moist — however they boiled it, I wanted more... It wasn't overly seasoned and felt like the real definition of refined, high-end Korean food.

If the rice portion feels small

That said, given the amount of tteokgalbi and bori-gulbi, I felt the initial rice portion was a bit small. It's probably kept small because there are so many dishes before the meal itself. If you ask, they'll happily give you more!

Final thoughts

Walking out, my friend and I kept saying how genuinely good this place was. Given the level of service, the value for money is great too, so I plan to come back for special occasions or whenever I want to treat myself! I'd recommend Modam Dining Gwanghwamun for important wedding meeting occasions with parents, or as a go-to spot for Korean set-meal gatherings near Gwanghwamun :)