Matsunohana The Hyundai Seoul • 마츠노하나 더현대서울점

Matsunohana (마츠노하나) is an authentic Japanese restaurant specializing in Tendon (tempura donburi). Located in the basement of The Hyundai Seoul (더현대서울), Matsunohana serves a variety of Japanese meals centered on crispy Tendon and delicious Donburi with some additional seasonal menus. The restaurant itself is pretty spacious with clean modern design and plenty of two-person tables available making this a perfect place for solo diners and office workers around Yeouido who’s looking to grab a quick lunch. 

I’ve passed by this restaurant a couple of times before during lunch/dinner rush hours and they always seem to have a long line of people waiting for tables in front of the store. And every time I saw this, it always made me wonder on how good their tempura is. So one day when I was craving for some tempura, I decided to give this place a try. I went for a super late lunch on a Tuesday during odd hours (2:45 pm to be precise) to avoid the line. And my plan seemed to have worked because the restaurant was empty when I arrived. Although minutes later, there were a couple of different groups of people who walked in and dined in at the restaurant. So I guess I’m not the only one who’s having a super late lunch at this hour.

But anyways, after I was promptly seated, I placed my order and the food came out 5 minutes after. So service is definitely really quick at this place.

Shoyu Salmon Ebi Tendon (쇼유사케에비텐동) ₩18,800 | 9.5/10

Opted for the Shoyu Salmon Ebi Tendon which includes crispy fried shrimp, soy sauce salmon, onsen tamago and white rice. The salmon sashimi was fresh, nicely cut and seasoned. The soy sauce coating the salmon has the right amount of saltiness. The Ebi tempura was also really good, fresh shrimp that’s cooked just right with their special soy sauce lightly brushed on the outside of the tempura so you don’t have to dip the tempura into a dipping sauce. I also love the crispy breading that they use (the type that doesn’t scar the the roof my mouth if you know what I mean).

Hanwoo Daechang (한우 대창) ₩8,000 | 8.5/10

Out of all the sides listed on the menu, their Hanwoo Daechang was the one that intrigued me the most. Usually having to eat daechang with a friend since the minimum ordering portion is usually 2 servings, I jumped at a chance to eat daechang as a side. The daechang was fresh, pretty big, nicely cut and covered in a red sauce that I thought was going to be too spicy for me who doesn’t eat spicy food well. But turned out, it actually wasn’t too spicy (at least it was manageable for me and for you who eat spicy food, this is probably not spicy at all). The texture of the daechang was also really good, chewy on the outside but soft on the inside. 

All and all, really liked the food that I ordered and will definitely come back again when I’m craving some tempura. If you’re ever in The Hyundai Seoul and have no idea what to eat, Matsunohana is definitely one place to try. 

 

Matsunohana • 마츠노하나

Address: 서울 영등포구 여의대로 108 더현대서울 지하1층
Telephone: 02-3277-0760
Hours: Monday-Thursday 10:30-20:00 | Friday-Sunday 10:30-20:30

Instagram: @matsu_no_1
Naver: 마츠노하나 더현대서울점

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Mibbedong Yeonnam • 미쁘동 연남

Early last year when kaisendon went viral among travelers who visited Japan, I tried something similar in Seoul at a place called Mibbedong (미쁘동) in Yeonnam-dong (연남동) that sells Japanese food that’s mainly focusing on donburi, soba and sashimi. Their signature menus include their famous Uni & Salmon Roe Mibbedong, Cold Tomato Salmon Soba, Kani Miso, Cold Salmon Soba, and Red-Banded Lobster Sashimi. This small restaurant has limited seating and usually has a (quite long) line during lunch and dinner rush since it’s pretty popular among locals as well as tourists due to the fact that a number of Korean celebrities went to this place.

Because of that reason, the day I went to visit them I purposefully arrived past lunch hour at the restaurant at 2:30 pm to avoid the queue. But despite of the odd hours, I still had to wait for a table in front of their store. While waiting, the staff gave me the menu to choose from before telling me to order and pay at the counter. I did and after I paid, they told me to wait in the small waiting area inside the restaurant.

Since I ordered their signature Uni & Salmon Roe Mibbedong and Kani Miso, they gave me these two cards on how to eat the dishes. The Mibbedong card is in English, so it’s very foreigner-friendly.

The Kani Miso card was in Korean so if you don’t read Korean, you have to google translate it to know what it says. But it roughly translates to:

대게 딱지장 맛있게 즐기는 방법
How to Enjoy Kani Miso Snow Crab Innards

가나미소 대게 딱지장은 다 익힌 채로 화로 휘에 올라가기에 바로 드셔도 됩니다. 너무 익히면 딱딱해지거나, 딱지가 타버리니 조심하세요!
You can eat the Kani Miso Snow Crab Innards right away because it’s already cooked on the grill. Be careful not to overcook it because it could harden or get burnt.

토핑은 섞어드시기 보다는 각각의 토핑과 함께 내장을 떠 드시는 것을 추천드립니다.
We recommend to eat the innards with each toppings rather than mixing it all together.

추가 주문하신 대게 딱지장 공기밥은 부족하시면 언제든 더 제공해드립니다.
If you don’t have enough rice for the Kani Miso Snow Crab Innards, we will provide more rice at any time.

그럼 즐거운 식사되세요.
Enjoy your meal.

KanI miso snow crab innards (가니미소대게딱지장) ₩25,000 | 8.5/10

대게내장과 대게살을 전통방식으로 숙성시킨 장입니다.
Crab Innards Topped with Crab Meat, Sea Urchin, Salmon Roe and Egg Yolk.

The snow crab innards has deep rich flavors. The toppings are all fresh and goes well with the Kani Miso. I ate each of the toppings separately with the Kani Miso per the card’s recommendation and each spoonful gave a different flavor combination which made eating this dish pretty fun for me. Overall, I really enjoyed the Kani Miso and would definitely order this again if I come back.

Uni & Salmon Roe Mibbedong (제이타쿠동) ₩23,000 | 7/10

참치,우니,연어알,연어,딱새우등 9가지 재료들을 아끼지않고 사용해 만든 해산물 덮밥입니다.
Mibbedong Signature Mixed Rice Bowl with Tuna, Salmon, Shrimp, Squid, Red-Banded Lobster, Tuna, Capesante, Salmon Roe, Flatfish, Crab Meat, and Uni.  

Their signature Mibbedong is actually a bowl of rice topped with different kind of sashimi stacked in a mountain-like shaped, which is similar (if not the same) concept as kaisen don. It’s served with soy sauce, seaweed, pickled onions and circular pate-like shaped side dish that I wasn’t exactly sure what. I poured the soy sauce into the bowl and mixed them before taking my first spoonful. Tastewise, it was alright for me. It’s not bad but I think I still prefer the texture of sliced sashimi to chopped ones. I think personally, I’m just not too into mushy food in general.

When I’m almost done with my bowl, I left some of the mixed rice and sashimi to try eating it with the miso-based ochazuke. The soup is well seasoned and there’s a bit of a kick in the flavor. Having the rice with the soup definitely created a deeper flavor and it’s very comforting. 

Overall, I think the food was good. For me personally, out of the two dishes I ordered, I enjoyed the Kani Miso more. Is it worth waiting in line more than an hour for? Probably no. Under an hour? If you’re not too hungry to wait, I think yes. I also think the price still make senses with the quality of food that I got. Will I come back to this place again? Yes, but I would probably try their other menus such as their Cold Tomato Salmon Soba since that is also one of their popular menu and the presentation looks interesting. If not, their Kani Miso is good enough for me to put this place on my let’s-go-there-again-next-time list.

 

Mibbedong Yeonnam • 미쁘동 연남

Address: 서울 마포구 동교로38길 33-21 2층
Telephone: 0507-1350-1881
Hours: Everyday 11:00-22:00 | Last Order: 21:30

Instagram: @mibbedong_official

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Otaru Soba Udon • 오타루소바우동

Ended up at Otaru Soba Udon (오타루소바우동) one day when I was exploring Mullae-dong (문래동) and had a sudden cold soba craving for dinner. Found this restaurant among the search results I got for soba restaurant around the area and the place seemed to have great reviews. What really sold me though was their Fried Chicken Cold Soba (닭튀김냉소바) menu which is super interesting because I usually have my cold soba with tempura, so pairing it with a fried chicken was pretty new to me.

So then I head to Otaru Soba Udon (오타루소바우동) for my dinner. The restaurant is pretty spacious decorated with wooden interior and furnitures. I ordered their Fried Chicken Cold Soba (닭튀김냉소바). The soba was garnished with tamago, crab meat, clam meat, grated radish, lettuce, and green onions. The fried chicken was served with fried lotus chips on the side. The soba was cooked well and has a nice, firm texture. It’s easy to slurp and bite off with that spaghetti-like texture. The cold broth is seasoned well, not too salty, light and refreshing. The fried chicken was really nice too. Super crispy skin on the outside with juicy meat on the inside. And it actually works well together with the cold soba. Overall, I really enjoyed the meal.

 

Otaru Soba Udon • 오타루소바우동

Address: 서울 영등포구 도림로 491-2
Telephone: 02-2634-5460
Hours: Monday to Saturday 11:30-21:30 | Close on Sundays

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