Min’s Kitchen – Must Eat Upscale Korean Food in Seoul

For me, exploring a new country and culture starts with food! If you’ve followed my travels for a while, you know how much I love to try local meals wherever I travel. I’ve done a wonderful cooking class in Laos, been to the oldest Peking duck restaurant in Beijing and joined a lovely food tour in Athens. On a cold Thursday evening in fall, I took Kate, The Toronto Seoulcialite, out for a special treat at ‘Min’s Kitchen’, one of my favorite places for upscale Korean food in Seoul!

HERE’S MY EXPERIENCE ABOUT MIN’S KITCHEN – MUST EAT UPSCALE KOREAN FOOD IN SEOUL

CREATIVE CUISINE BY TV COOK MINJI

Chef Minji offers modern Korean cuisine at her wonderful restaurant in Seoul. She is also famous for being a TV cook running her own show called ‘Homemade Cook by Kim Minji’. Whether you prefer pork, chicken, beef or seafood, abundant choices are waiting for you at Min’s Kitchen. While we were presented with a couple of Minji’s signature dishes, you can also go for a set meal starting at around 30,000 KRW.

Sophisticated Interior and Welcoming Atmosphere

Situated in the upscale area of Apgujeong, Sinsa-dong, Min’s Kitchen is very close to public transportation. Look out for the sign leading you straight down to the basement restaurant. This unique location creates a welcoming atmosphere with dimmed lights and good music. What I enjoyed was that Minji herself was also there and started talking to us about her meals and recommendations. All of the staff, Minji included, were dressed well, polite and super helpful. The menu shows both Korean and English descriptions of the meals and the staff is also fluent in English, making it super easy for foreigners coming to experience Minji’s meals.

REcommended dishes

The first dish we were presented with was a ‘cold bean sprout salad with four kinds of seafood and beef topped with a soy sauce based dressing’. All ingredients looked fresh and smelled delicious. After the waitress presented us with this dish, she mixed the ingredients together before our eyes. This was definitely one of my favorite dishes at Min’s Kitchen as it was light, fresh and super flavorful. Next, we received a ‘crispy tofu salad with fresh lettuce topped with fried tofu pieces and perillia seed dressing’. Definitely another dish that’s perfect to start off a wonderful dining experience. Next were ‘oats with fried shrimp’. I really loved this dish because of its crispiness and rich flavors. Another highlight was the ‘roasted beef sticky rice’, which is seasoned beef covered with glutinous rice flour and definitely nothing I had tasted before. Our last dish was ‘pork nurungji gangjeong’, crust of overcooked rice mixed with crispy pork meat. This was probably my favorite dish of the evening due to the wonderful sweet and sour flavors – absolutely delicious!

cold bean sprout salad

cold bean sprout salad and crispy tofu salad

oats with fried shrimp

roasted beef sticky rice

pork nurungji gangjeong

More deliciousness

Our dining experience didn’t stop there. We were also presented with a 40% Korean schnaps, which the chef recommended to pair with our dinner. While it was definitely high-proof, it did accompany the meals well and gave us another great insight into Korean food culture. We also seasonal fruit ale which reminded us of Christmas flavors from back home. Min’s Kitchen also has an extensive wine list featuring wines for all tastes and preferences.

THE DINING EXPERIENCE

I enjoyed my experience at Min’s kitchen a lot and can see this to be the perfect place for business dinners or important family dinners. I was truly amazed by chef Minji’s skills and beautiful menu. The staff presented each meal in a professional way introducing the ingredients. If you are looking for an exciting Korean dining experience, different from anywhere you’ve been, definitely head to Min’s Kitchen!

MORE INFORMATION: MIN’S KITCHEN

Address:10-4, Dosan-daero 45-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Phone: +82 2-544-1007

Reservations: Recommended

Price: Moderate

Website: Click Here

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