Salmon poke bowl solo lunch with wasabi ranch: Slow Cali Hongdae

A Hongdae solo dining, Hongdae salad, Hongdae poke recommendation!! It's 'Slow Cali Hongdae Entrance Station Branch.'

Location and hours of Slow Cali Hongdae Entrance Station Branch

• 📍Location: 9 Sinchon-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1st floor
• ⏰Hours: 10:00 - 23:00 (last order 22:40)

I visited 'Slow Cali Hongdae Entrance Station Branch,' located about 10 minutes from Hongdae Entrance Station.

I go to Slow Cali pretty often on days I want a healthy meal, and this time I stopped by on my way home craving poke!

It's on a corner, so it caught my eye right away. It's right behind AK Mall, so it's perfect if you're already out shopping in Hongdae. Just cross one crosswalk and you're there! 👍🏻

Totally recommend this as a simple lunch or dinner stop after shopping or hanging out in Hongdae :)

Ordering by kiosk — what's on the menu?

The counter you see right as you walk in. Ordering is simple — just use the kiosk. It has pictures and the text is pretty large!! 👏🏻 The staff were also kind and helped out if I had any trouble haha

The menu is broadly organized into salmon / octopus / yukhoe (raw beef tartare, new menu) etc., and you pick your preferred sauce for each. You can also choose rice or noodles, and besides poke there are salads and soups too — a place where you can get something simple, healthy, and filling.

There's a separate drinks menu too, and you grab your drink yourself from the fridge below the kiosk.

How great is that? 😉

Salmon poke with brown rice + wasabi ranch sauce

I chose the salmon poke (brown rice / wasabi ranch sauce). Wasabi ranch is a smooth, creamy sauce! I picked this as the most reliable signature menu — fresh salmon with various toppings, brown rice, and salad all together.

It seemed to come out within 3 minutes of ordering hahaha

By the way, if you work out, you can add protein toppings. Salmon / chicken thigh / tuna / smoked duck and more — up to 9 items can be added.

Slow Cali uses raw salmon, not smoked, and it's piled on generously! Maybe that's why it felt fresher, and there was plenty of salmon to go with the salad.

Especially my favorite, the wasabi ranch sauce 💗 pour it all on and mix — done!!! Can you see how fresh the salad looks? It's September, so it's still hot during the day and vegetable freshness matters — maybe because of good turnover, the veggies were fresh through and through. They were also cut into just the right size to eat with the rice.

And best of all, the rice is brown rice, not white! Eating this healthy is possible, hahaha, and it's even tastier :)

Great atmosphere and fullness for solo dining

It's simple and fast for solo dining, but with so much salad and salmon packed in, I'd fully recommend it as a healthy meal or diet option. When I was there most people were eating alone, and judging by the protein drinks next to them, it looked like they'd come from a workout haha.

There was some left... there wasn't.. ?

Since it's packed full of salad, once you finish the whole bowl the fullness is no joke..! With the brown rice added in too, it was really filling 🤍

This is the interior of Slow Cali Hongdae. There are lots of single seats and even window seats, so the interior felt clean and tidy!

On a day you want something simple yet healthy in Hongdae, a day you want to eat solo quickly, a day you want a healthy poke bowl packed with veggies, or a day you're dieting but still want to enjoy salmon! I recommend 'Slow Cali Hongdae Entrance Station Branch,' close to Hongdae Entrance Station.