Dozen Oyster Hannam Oysters

Post by Chiefeater Luke Soon

Oyster season has properly arrived in Seoul, and on a damp Sunday evening in Hannam-dong, Dozen Oyster Hannam was exactly where I wanted to be. You find it off Itaewon-ro 54-gil, through a weathered timber arch with OYSTER spelled out across the top. It sits between a pink-brick knitwear shop with a mint-green door and a boutique running a Black Friday sale, and walks you into a little stone-paved courtyard. The restaurant itself is a brown-tiled, arched shopfront with a chalkboard of the day’s oysters outside and a covered terrace under big umbrellas. It’s the kind of hidden nook Hannam does so well.

Dozen calls itself a seafood bar and grill. It’s the more casual sister of Pearl Shell, one of Seoul’s better-known oyster bars, and started in Seongsu-dong before opening here. The idea is simple: good raw oysters, a few grilled and pasta plates, and wine, without the ceremony.

The oysters came half a dozen to a tray, on crushed ice with lemon wedges and a little pot of shallot mignonette. The tray paired oysters from opposite ends of the peninsula. One set came from Tongyeong on the southern coast, the heartland of Korean oyster farming. The other came from the waters near Gaseong, up by the border with North Korea. It made a fun north-and-south tasting. All of them were big, deep-cupped and plump, with clean white shells and frilly dark mantles. They tasted cold, briny and creamy, with that sweet mineral finish oysters have at the start of the season. A squeeze of lemon was all they needed; the mignonette is there if you want a sharper edge. At ₩35,000 for half a dozen or ₩69,000 for a dozen, they’re fairly priced for Hannam.

The anchovy pasta was spaghetti twirled high in a wide bowl, sitting in a loose, savoury, anchovy-rich broth with blistered cherry tomatoes, a pinch of chilli, chopped parsley and a generous shower of toasted breadcrumbs on top for crunch. It was properly al dente, the anchovy gave it depth without being fishy, and the broth was the best part. I’d have happily mopped up what was left with bread.

The wine list could be better, but it’s very acceptable for an establishment like this. As you’d expect, Champagne and Chablis are where it’s strongest, since those are the natural partners for oysters and seafood. The other regions are thinner. On the terrace, a table was lined with bottles: Chablis after Chablis, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Franciacorta, a wooden Laurent-Perrier case and, inevitably for Hannam, a gold Armand de Brignac. Stick with the Chablis and you won’t go wrong.

It’s relaxed, unhurried and very Hannam, a good stop for a dozen and a glass after shopping the neighbourhood. I rate the oysters 7 out of 10 and the anchovy pasta 7 out of 10.

Prices: Fresh shucked oysters ₩35,000 (half dozen) / ₩69,000 (dozen); grilled oysters ₩20,000 (2) / ₩40,000 (4); pastas ₩26,000 to ₩28,000; grilled seafood platter ₩74,000

Must try: The Tongyeong and border oysters side by side, the anchovy pasta, and a glass of Chablis

Good to know: Sister restaurant of Pearl Shell, with a covered outdoor terrace

Address: 1F, 63-4 Itaewon-ro 54-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울 용산구 이태원로54길 63-4 1층), Hannam-dong. About 10 minutes’ walk from Hangangjin Station (Line 6).

Naver Map: https://map.naver.com/p/search/더즌오이스터 한남

Business Hours

Monday to Friday
04:00 pm to 11:00 pm

Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays
12:00 pm to 11:00 pm