SEOUL 1988 Innenstadt — Restaurant in Hamburg

Bit of a shock what happened and just only processing it. Had lunch here and liked it so we went back for dinner. As vegetarians for more than a decade, we ordered the veg version of Japchae. After first few spoons we found a piece of meat (assuming beef). Waiters to their credit apologised sincerely and offered a replacement, but we fundamentally despise food waste so after some deliberation and because we thought it was an accidental ingredient addition my husband decided to continue once they had removed the piece of meat. In my culture beef is forbidden even for non-veg people so imagine my horror. Later we found several smaller pieces and we realised that it wasn’t the case of accidentally one or two pieces of meat going in the food but the whole dish being prepared as the non-veg version, the chef (we assume) then realising the mistake and attempting to remove every piece of meat, and serving it as if it were a veg dish to us non-suspecting customers who place trust in the restaurant to respect dietary choices. We proceeded to pay the bill and forget comping the bill, they didn’t even offer to take away the cost of that botched dish, let alone offering a discount or taking away the drink at a bare minimum. We were shocked and didn’t have any words neither the energy to reason with them. Only after we paid they offered us the veg version of the dish to takeaway….we’re tourists, we’re not going to store food in the hotel room after we’ve just had dinner!?? I’m sure this won’t even register in their clear popularity but it’s important to call out this lack of trust and disrespectful behaviour. More than the money it is about the principles, for a restaurant to respect their customers or even know basic dining etiquette. In this age of fickle surface level popularity, I hope they pay attention to this episode and learn...

First of all, what you need to know is that they don’t accept card payments. They only accept cash. Next thing is, if you want to go to the restaurant and they‘re full. You need to write your name on the guest list that they hanged near the door and wait for them to call your name, to later usher you to your seat (you will also meed to write down the total number of the guests). It‘s a tiny restaurant, so I think it could only max. receive 6 group inside? With the max of 3 big 4 groups? Other than that, the tables can only fit 2-3 person. But you have to be there when you‘re waiting because if not, your name will be skipped.

ALRIGHT. Next on to the food. It’s very authentic obviously they are cooking their own traditional dishes. So yes, veryly. AND THEY ARE GOOD. Or maybe I haven’t been to any other authentic korean restaurant (so I‘m biased lawl) BUT THEY ARE SOOOOO GOOD??? ESPECIALLY THE KIMCHI HOLY MOTHER OF LOOOOORD. CAN‘T I JUST BUY THE KIMCHI ALONE??? (Cause we got them for free). The chicken is enough for you to share with the whole group because they are BIG alright. I alone buy the bibimbab and they are DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS! Anyways they are authentic and the price is soooo worth it?????? Like they are WORTH IT. WORTH IT.

The staff is SOOO ADORABLE AND FRIENDLY AND CUTE (imsimping eunnie).

So yeah 10 out...

it was very lovely. to begin with you have to write down your name and group size on a sheet of paper right near the entrance so the staff can assign you a table if available (they’ll call your name and if you ain’t there anymore they give the table to someone else down the list). there is a little wait time, but if you’re not in a hurry that shouldn’t be too big of a problem tbh.

the menu itself is quite big in option to pick from so a broad variety of everything for all tastes is available (if you happen to be vegan it might not be your first pick tho)

the charming interior adds to the whole vibe and the staff is very nice and very welcoming. (if you happen to struggle with overstimulation, like myself, try to go there either very early or not during rush hour, but even then the noise is not too bad and pretty manageable. there is soft music playing in the background as well and in total 6 tables). if you’re not a pro with chopsticks, they have a tray with extra spoons at your table, there is also extra napkins, as well as soy sauce and another condiment (it’s a red sauce where i’m not sure what exactly it is, but it’s very tasty and not too spicy if you’re wondering).

all in all a very good place to go for a good hearty meal, so i can only highly...