Solsot Cheongdam • 솔솥 청담점

Solsot Cheongdam (솔솥 청담점) is a chain restaurant that is specialized in “Sotbap” (솥밥) (or“pot rice” in Korean), a Korean traditional dish where short-grain rice is cooked with various ingredients in a heavy pot placed directly on a stove or over an open flame. The dish has been gaining popularity (or at least I’ve seen more and more clips online of restaurants serving Sotbap) in the past couple of years and in my opinion is one of the food trends that’s pretty popular in Korea in recent times (not recent recent, but pretty recent). I still remember a couple of years ago when it started with one or two restaurants that went viral because of their Sotbap menu. But these days, you can find multiple restaurants that have similar concepts in different places in the country. Solsot is one of the bigger franchise in this category with 77 locations all over South Korea. 

I went to the Cheongdam location (솔솥 청담점) on a Friday for lunch with a friend of mine. We arrived at 11:30 am, right before the lunch rush started and managed to get a table right away. The restaurant is not too big with about 24 seatings available around the room. The tables are for mostly for 4 people, but there are about four tables that accommodate party of two. And good thing we came a little early because minutes later, the restaurant was full with people and there’s even a line forming outside. So yes, the place is definitely pretty popular and you might have to wait for a table if you come during lunch or dinner rush. 

The menu here is pretty straight forward with accompanying pictures so you don’t have to guess what you’re getting. Each Sotbap set comes with sides of salad, soup, banchan, dipping sauce and a Yakult drink. 

How To Eat

First, mixed everything inside the pot. Add the sauce too according to your preference and liking. After everything is mixed together, scoop the rice out and place them on the empty plate they gave with your set. If you want to enjoy the Nurungji (or scorched rice), leave the crispy rice that’s sticking to the pot and then pour the hot tea/broth that they gave you inside the white sake bottle shaped container into the pot and put the lid back on top. You can eat this at the end of your meal after you finish your Sotbap.

Overall Comment

One thing I have to say about the flavors, if you’re imagining Sotbap to have a bold flavors (as in South East Asian standard for bold flavors and strong seasonings for example), you might be disappointed when eating it. In general, I think when talking about what considered comfort food in Korea, most of the dishes are very mildly seasoned, especially if you’re comparing it to the flavors one usually finds in South East Asian cooking. Even my Korean friends have told me that SEA foods are generally stronger in seasonings and saltier compared to Korean food (not all, but majority of it). So for the locals, the flavors and seasonings might already hit their level of comfort, but if you are from South East Asia or prefer a strongly seasoned dishes like those found in the SEA countries, Sotbap could taste a tad under seasoned for your taste buds. Just a heads up.

Abalone Sotbap (전복솥밥) ₩18,000 | 8/10

The abalone is fresh and chewy, not tough at all. This Sotbap tastes very earthy especially with the addition of the sesame seeds. For the Abalone Sotbap, it does come with a pack of seaweed sheet on the side. And they recommend you to wrap the rice with the seaweed, dip it into the sauce and eat it in one bite. Eating it this way does add a layer of complexity to the Sotbap and enhance that sea flavor in your bite.

Steak Sotbap (스테이크솥밥) ₩18,000 | 8/10

The steak is nice and tender with pretty generous portion. The egg yolk added an extra creaminess to the Sotbap which I enjoyed. The sauce for the Steak Sotbap is a bit saltier than the Abalone Sotbap’s sauce so I would recommend you to pour it little by little first and taste it in case pouring everything in all together is too salty for you. 

All and all, my friend and I enjoyed our meal. We were pretty stuffed by the end of our lunch (we didn’t even finish all of our rice, just the proteins cause the portion is actually bigger than we thought) and the Sotbap felt like a very healthy meal. If you’re looking for something warm, comforting and nutritious for your body, I think Sotbap is the way to go.

 

Solsot Cheongdam • 솔솥 청담점

Address: 서울 강남구 도산대로53길 16
Telephone: 0507-1334-6806
Hours: Everyday 11:30-21:00 (Last Order 20:30)

Instagram: @solsot_official

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1LDK Seoul Cafe: Taste and Sense • 테이스트 앤드 센스

Taste and Sense (테이스트 앤드 센스) cafe is a pop-up cafe located inside the 1LDK Seoul store in Cheongdamdong (청담동) area, close to the Apgujeong Rodeo subway station (압구정로데오역). Accidentally found this place out when I was visiting the boutique store that carries various local and international lifestyle designer brands. The wooden furniture combined with the green plants that are placed around the space and natural lighting that came through the glass ceiling made me feel like I’m stepping into a greenhouse. A well air-conditioned greenhouse that is. Had a little break at this quiet space enjoying a pot of iced rose jasmine tea before I carried on with my day.

Note: These pictures were taken before the pandemic.

 

1LDK Seoul Cafe: Taste and Sense (테이스트 앤드 센스)

Address: 서울 강남구 선릉로162길 5 1LDK 2층
Telephone: 02-3446-4789
Hours: Everyday 11:00 - 20:00

Instagram: @10meals_official

UPDATE:

4 years after its opening, 1LDK Seoul announced on their Instagram that they’ve decided to rebrand 1LDK Seoul store and come back as 10department (Instagram: @10department_official) for their new store concept in September 2020 at the same location.

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Following the rebranding of the store, Taste and Sense was also rebranded into 10meals, occupying the same space but with different menu concept and decor.

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Underyard • 언더야드

Came to Underyard (언더야드) with my cousin for some late brunch on a Monday and we had to wait for quite a bit for our table cos the place was packed. We weren’t expecting it to be packed since, first, it’s a Monday, and two, the restaurant itself is located in the middle of a quiet residential area that does not necessarily attracts a lot of foot traffic.

After we finally got our seat in one of the tables inside of what felt like a contemporary underground kitchen, we looked through their menu to decided what we’re gonna order. Their food menu is pretty simple. There are sandwiches, salads, and homemade yogurt options, and also Shakshuka to complete the food menu. Their drink menu on the other hand consists of selections of coffee, tea, and soda.

We decided to order their Shrimp & Salmon Sandwich and Shakshuka and to share. The shrimp & salmon sandwich was light and fresh and a perfect choice to open our meal. The combination of shrimp, salmon, cucumber, eggs, dill, and lemon was really well balanced. The shakshuka—which is basically eggs in tomato sauce—on the other hand, came with bread and it tasted wonderful. The fresh juicy taste of tomatoes combined with the eggs gave us a perfect end to hearty meal. If you are looking for a brunch spot in Seoul, I would recommend to give Underyard a try.

Underyard • 언더야드

Address: 서울특별시 강남구 논현동 62-20
Telephone: 02-3443-3356
Hours: 10:00 - 19:00 (Closed on 1st, 3rd, 5th Monday of the month. Closed on Sundays)

Instagram: @underyardseoul

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Midnight in Seoul • 미드나잇인서울

Supposedly known as Seoul’s first cereal cafe, I visited Midnight in Seoul (미드나잇인서울) last spring with my cousin when we were exploring Gangnam (강남) area. The cafe’s interior is definitely unique. When you step into the cafe, you’ll be greeted with different kinds of cereal on display against the pink walls surrounding the space. There’s also a sitting area inside a dark purple room decorated with pink and turquoise furnitures and a ‘sh*t happens’ neon on the wall. At this point, you’ll probably start to pull out your phone to take some snaps around this Instagrammable cafe (if you haven’t already).

Originally opened by actor/K-pop singer Yoon Kye-sang, photographer Kim Rin-yong and Hong Sung-hyeon, and stylist Lee Jin-kyu, the cafe has now changed ownership to the singer Jo Kwon from the popular K-pop group 2AM since last year. They also have expanded their cafe to a new section right next door so the space is now bigger than before. (The new area was still under construction when I was there but I believe it’s now has been completed looking from their Instagram updates.)

The main menu here is obviously a different range of cereals. You order based on whatever you feel like eating and build your own cereal bowl. First, you choose your base cereal, add a dairy product, and finish it of with toppings if you wish. They also serve drink menu on the side.

The concept of a cereal cafe is definitely unique. I mean, coming from a person who spend a lot of my time living/traveling alone, I do sometimes crave cereals but having to buy a whole box of cereal just to fulfill my one time craving is a bit much (and yes I know some brands do offer the one serving cup version, but the choices are very limited). So this type of place could come in handy at times when I crave for cereals.

But I have to say, the menu price here is a bit on the expensive side. One bowl of cereal ranges from ₩3,500 to ₩8,000 (without the additional dairy and topping fee), depending on which cereal you chose. But maybe that’s okay, since they are location in Gangnam after all. In any case, come here to get your cereal fix or maybe just to check the place out. Who knows, you might bumped into Jo Kwon or one of his friends ;)

Update:

On October 31, 2018 Midnight in Seoul announced in an Instagram post that they’ll be closing the cafe on November 1, 2018.

Midnight in Seoul • 미드나잇인서울

Address: 서울특별시 강남구 논현동 63-16
Telephone: 02-545-6321
Hours: 10:00 - 22:00

Website: Midnight in Seoul
Instagram: @midnightinseoul_official

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