My First Restaurant Review: Chef Lee Won-il's Pop-Up in Cheongdam!
Hello everyone~!!
This is Boksil, and this is my first time writing a restaurant review! Hehe.
Lately, my wedding schedule has been getting busier and more exhausting...
So, I'm planning to keep today's blog post short and sweet!
It all started on...
August 20th, the day of my dress tour.
I went dress shopping with my best friend, who is also a mutual friend of my fiancé!
I wanted to treat my friend, who helped me through the tiring schedule, to something delicious.
After searching diligently, I made a reservation and visited Chef Lee Won-il's Pop-Up Restaurant in Cheongdam!!
This is my honest, paid-for-myself review. Let's get started?!
Reservations
Difficulty, Deposit, Refund Policy, Corkage
You can easily make a reservation for Lee Won-il's Table through the CatchTable app!
There were plenty of available slots even for the next day.
I made a reservation on 8/18 for my visit on 8/20.
❤ There is a deposit!
It's ₩10,000 per person, based on the number of people in your party ~(￣▽￣)~*
❤ The refund policy is as follows:
- No-shows, cancellations on the day of, or 1 day before: Non-refundable
- Cancellations 2 days before: 100% refund
❤ Corkage is free for one bottle! (No additional bottles allowed)
Exterior
Photo Zone
Turn into the alley, and you'll see the number 211 ㅎㅎ
2(Lee) 1(Won) 1(Il) ( ‵▽′)ψ
They've created a photo zone of sorts at the entrance.
Take a picture, whether it turns out well or not..
But, I noticed from making the reservation that there are pictures of Chef Lee Won-il everywhere ㅎㅎ
I think it's part of their marketing, but he has such a likable face, I couldn't help but smile every time I saw them!
Interior
2nd Floor, 3rd Floor
We went up to the 2nd floor first!
It's much bigger than I expected ㅎㅎ
The space was so pretty, it put me in a good mood.
The staff confirmed our reservation here and led us up to the next floor.
When we arrived on the 3rd floor,
They guided us to our seats~
It seemed like they could accommodate large groups as well.
I liked the lighting and atmosphere of the space!
Menu
Food, Drinks
A menu was placed on the table, so we looked through it eagerly.
I told my friend, "Order whatever you want!" (Hehe)
I did some research on CatchTable reviews beforehand, and I saw that people highly recommended ordering the Kimchi Stew or Chogye-tang (Cold Chicken Noodle Soup) as a main dish!
Since my fiancé isn't a fan of Chogye-tang,
We ordered the Kimchi Stew!
And my friend wanted to try the Yukhoe (Beef Tartare) Kimbap, so we got that too.
I wanted to try the Cold Pork Slices with Vegetables, so we ordered that as well-!
For drinks, we asked for recommendations!
First, I asked about the [Drunken Monkey] drink, which caught my eye on the menu.
They said it was a red rice makgeolli (Korean rice wine) ㅎㅎ
They said it was refreshing, so I passed!
I asked if they had any other recommendations,
And they recommended the Iced Gyeong Takju, so we tried it!
I don't really enjoy alcohol,
But my fiancé and friend are both good drinkers.
So I only took one sip!
It was so delicious..!!
So much so that..
I told them we should buy it for our housewarming party later! LOL
I looked it up and found out that the 'Gyeong' in Gyeong Takju is
From Sung Si-kyung's 'Gyeong'?
I was the only one who didn't know it was a famous alcohol..
Food
Yukhoe Kimbap, Rib Kimchi Stew, Cold Pork Slices with Vegetables, Chewy Kimchi Pancake
Yukhoe Kimbap ₩19,000 / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The first dish they brought out was the Yukhoe Kimbap!
This was my friend's top pick! Highly recommend it!!
The egg under the Yukhoe was also so soft and delicious,
But especially the yellow salad in the middle of the Yukhoe Kimbap..!
It's a Korean melon salad, and it was so delicious ㅠㅠ
The combination is crazy..!!
The radish kimchi they served with it was also cool and delicious ❤
Rib Kimchi Stew ₩37,000 / ⭐⭐⭐
Next up was the Rib Kimchi Stew!
The meat was so tender that the bones came right out,
And the kimchi wasn't too sour, so it was easy to eat.
Although it was tasty,
I was left wondering, 'Do I really need to come to Chef Lee Won-il's pop-up store to eat this?'
The portion size wasn't great for the price..!!
Still, who can resist bubbling Kimchi Stew..
Cold Pork Slices with Vegetables ₩21,000 / ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Next is the Cold Pork Slices!
I'd never really tried Cold Pork Slices before.
I have this aversion to foods that seem trendy, you know? LOL
So how was it?
Delicious, of course...
Actually, this dish isn't just about the pork, but the accompanying fresh kimchi salad, water dropwort, and salted seafood...
The combination is insane ㅠㅠ
After trying this and the Yukhoe Kimbap, I realized:
Chef Lee Won-il is great at creating flavor combinations!
All the dishes we initially ordered had arrived,
But we were still a little hungry, so we ordered more-!
Have you seen the video of Chef Lee Won-il making Korean pancakes?
I really wanted to try it after watching that..!!
So I ordered a pancake too ㅎㅎ
Chewy Kimchi Pancake ₩12,000 / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is the best kimchi pancake of my life.
Chewy and crispy can coexist..
Even if you don't order anything else, you have to try the kimchi pancake..
And it's so cheap...
I think they must have poured a whole jar of kimchi into it! It's so generous!
How was my first restaurant review..
I mainly post about weddings on my blog,
So I have a lot of brides-to-be and grooms-to-be as neighbors!
Since you're bound to visit Cheongdam at least once,
Keep this place in mind and give it a try!
I recommend the Yukhoe Kimbap and Chewy Kimchi Pancake,
And if you drink alcohol, the Iced Gyeong Takju (/▽＼)
Thank you for reading!
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???? Wedding Planner: J Wedding Moon Eun-ji
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