Corkage-free Gangnam bar for BYO wine night: Mirim Yangjang

My friend said he'd come over near his office on a weekday evening (so happy about it), so I looked up good restaurants near Seolleung.

I've been craving Peking duck lately, so while searching I found Mirim Yangjang Seolleung Branch! I was looking for good spots near Seolleung Station and found this place, and get this — it has ⭐️free corkage⭐️. Booked immediately. Free corkage places are genuinely rare these days so this made me so happy, heart eyes. Grabbed a bottle of wine I had at home right away 🍷 It was a weekday evening so I went straight there after work.

What's the vibe like? All-red interior

The moment I walked in I was struck by how red everything was. Seriously, so red haha.

From the interior to the props, the whole space fully commits to the concept. Red through and through. It gave off a little bit of a 'visiting China' feel, and it was fun looking around at everything. It's been a while since I saw a place with such a clear concept. It wasn't overwhelming though — once we actually sat down to eat, it felt comfortable.

The whole point of the day was Peking duck! It's an open kitchen so you can see both the duck and the kitchen, hoho.

Free corkage, and wine glasses if you mention it when booking

Ah, I told them when booking that I was bringing wine, and they had already set wine glasses on the table for us. So thoughtful, I teared up a little.

Menu and prices

The menu is varied. There are sets and à la carte items — and everything, including the Peking duck, is really affordably priced.

Lots of alcohol options too! Maybe because the food is cheap, but soju is ₩7,000 haha. Evil. Very bad.

What we ordered for two

We ordered half a Peking duck, cucumber wood ear mushroom salad, and siumai. Since it was just the two of us, we didn't go overboard, and in the end the portions were just right. (Actually a lot was left over — we were both too busy chatting.) I always want Peking duck but the full portion is awkward for two people, so having a half-duck option is really nice.

The long-awaited Peking duck arrives~

You eat it with pancakes, scallion strips, cucumber, and a chunjang (black bean paste) based sauce (free extra vegetables!). The skin has to be good on Peking duck, and it can get greasy, but wrapping it with vegetables meant I kept going back for more! Half a duck was easy enough for two of us to eat, and it was actually nice because we could also try the other dishes.

The cucumber and wood ear mushroom salad tasted exactly as expected — refreshing, exactly the flavor I like, and good to eat in between as a palate cleanser.

Since Peking duck tends to be on the greasy side, having a tangy dish like this alongside it worked well as a combo. I should have eaten the siumai right when it came out, but we hadn't seen each other in so long that we lost track of time chatting, and it went completely cold. It was still fine even eaten cold. Next time I'll eat it the second it arrives...

It probably would have tasted even better warm, so that part was a little disappointing.

Even the wine we brought got an ice bucket

And then we opened the wine we brought 🍷 When you bring wine, they prepare an ice bucket like this for you.

Thank you. Drinking a bottle of wine out somewhere can add up quite a bit, so being able to bring the wine you actually wanted and drink it with the food is really great. If you like wine, remember this place next time you're looking for a bar near Seolleung Station!

Good for a company dinner too?

Overall the prices were good and the food was tasty, so I was satisfied. The menu was well suited to eating and drinking together, so it worked great as a dinner-with-drinks kind of place. The table spacing wasn't cramped either, and it was calm and quiet, which I liked. Since I went to chat with a friend that day, I appreciated that it wasn't too loud.

There's also a separate room, which looked good for dining with a group. It's near offices too, so it seems like it'd work well for a team dinner. I should go again next time with my team, hoho.

If you're craving Peking duck near Seolleung, or looking for a place to bring your own wine and eat together, I recommend Mirim Yangjang! Next time I'll bring more people and order even more dishes to try.