Restaurants, Bars, Clubs and Nightlife in Seoul, Korea

Ddeokgalbi ordered at Modern Babsahng

Until now, I perceived Garosu-gil as a place only to find decent foreign food ranging from Indian to French. I thought only options for Korean food were available on samgyupsal (pork belly) shops or soju bars located on side streets or streets branching from the main street. But I ran into Modern Bab-Sahng (모던밥상), which roughly translates to modern meals. English name for the place is titled “Homemade Korean Dishes”.

Conspicuous with a magenta display sign, the place is located right opposite of Tom N Toms or next to Kuai19 (a Chinese dumpling place).

Magenta signage -- Impossible to miss!

Walking into the alley into the entrance of the restaurant you can immediately realize that Modern Bapsahng is no typical Korean restaurant.

An interesting thing about the interior is that there is a tree in the inside of the restaurant. Wooden beams make up the support of the building, and along with casual tables and furniture placement, the restaurant feels cozy as well as comfy.

Interior atmosphere is an interesting blend of cozy cafe and a typical Korean restaurant

I ordered ddeok-galbi, which is Korean burger-equivalent meat. It’s grilled ground beef seasoned with galbi sauce.  I also ordered mushroom dolsot-bibimbap, or mixed rice (bibimbap) in stone pot (dolsot), as well as yookgaejang, spicy shredded beef soup with fern brake and bean sprout.

Service was very good first of all. As soon as we depleted banchan, or small side dishes that accompany rice orders, the waiter was quick to replace the empty dishes with new ones. I judge Korean restaurant’s service based on how often they care to replace empty side dishes with new ones, and Modern BapSahng was pretty good at that.

Mushroom bibimbap -- before being mixed!

I noticed that the food was seasoned well; often times Korean soup dishes or “tang” contain too much salt. Sure, most Korean soups are meant to be eaten with white rice, but when you are unable to drink the soup without gulping down water afterwards, it probably means they added too much salt. The same went for the bibimbap. I felt like dishes at Modern BapSahng all had very “clean” aftertaste, without any dishes being overly spicy or salty. More often than not, Korean dishes employ too much seasoning which prevents flavor of individual ingredients from being appreciated to their fullest. Though I know not everyone shares similar taste buds as me, and some may even describe the restaurant’s dishes bland or “not spicy enough”.

Price range was very good for Garosu-gil restaurant. Dishes cost from 8,000 Won to 30,000 Won (average dish being around 15,000 Won). I would recommend this restaurant to those who are looking for a healthy and quick bite to eat, if you are craving Korean food. It would also be good to have a few drinks of soju or other Korean drinks while having dinner as they offer some selection of anju including pajeon (green onion pancake), kimchijeon (kimchi pancake) and dubu kimchi (pan-fried kimchi served on boiled tofu). This has nothing to do with review of this restaurant but I must mention this: soju and dubu kimchi — this is a divine combination that every self-respecting person who visit or reside in Korea must try.

The Good

• Reasonably priced, each plate ranging from 8,000 to 30,000 Won, with an average dish costing between 12,000 to 15,000 Won
• Casual atmosphere, great place to catch a quick meal
• Fresh ingredients used
• Great service, valet available

The Bad

• Though I liked how the food tasted, I can see some people may say the food is bland
• Usually very busy, so might need to wait a while without reservation

Contact

• 02-546-6732

Directions

• Modern BapSahng is opposite of Tom N Toms Coffee in the middle of the main Garosu-gil.  It is also in between Kuai19 (in red display sign) and 7/11 in the middle of the Garosu-gil

Map

(A) denotes Sinsa station exit #8. (B) denotes Modern BapSahng.

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