Dongnam Bangatgan Seochon Pasta

Post by Chiefeater Luke Soon

Seochon is the quieter, more grown-up side of Gyeongbokgung, all hanok alleys, galleries and small independent shops. Dongnam Bangatgan fits right in. It’s the Seochon outpost of the Hannam-dong original, and it takes an old hanok and encloses the courtyard under a glass roof. The result is bright and airy but still cosy, full of greenery and potted ficus, with Tolomeo reading lamps clamped to the tables, sage-green chairs, red-topped tables and a brick-walled bar glowing at the back. On a sunny Monday afternoon the light pours in, and it feels more like a Mediterranean courtyard than central Seoul. Tea comes in a gleaming old-school stainless steel pot, a lovely touch.

We started with the squid ceviche. Translucent ribbons of squid are folded into a little mound and herbed through with dill, then crowned with a tangle of purple amaranth cress and curls of fresh citrus zest. It sits in a shocking-pink pool that looks like beetroot, broken up with drops of vivid green herb oil, all served in a rough, speckled stoneware bowl. It’s a beautiful plate, and the squid was tender with a clean, sweet bite, nicely lifted by the citrus. The flavours were bright but perhaps a little restrained for how dramatic it looks. Squid ceviche -7 out of 10.

The star was the bada pasta, bada meaning “sea”. It arrives on a big, irregular hand-thrown platter, piled high with clams and crowned with a heap of fresh rocket. There were two kinds of clams, big plump ones alongside smaller Manila-style ones, with blistered cherry tomatoes, golden slivers of fried garlic, chopped parsley and a hint of chilli, all sitting in a buttery, saffron-coloured broth thick with clam juice. The spaghetti was thick and properly al dente and soaked up that broth beautifully. The clams were generous, sweet and just cooked, and the fried garlic is the bit you go back for. The rocket adds a peppery freshness, although it’s best tossed through rather than left on top. The bada pasta – 7.5 out of 10.

Dongnam Bangatgan is less about one knockout dish and more about the whole experience: a sunlit hanok courtyard, generous Mediterranean-leaning plates, friendly staff and good music. It’s the perfect long lunch after wandering Seochon or the palace, and it’s open from breakfast until late if you’d rather come back for wine.

Address: 42-1 Jahamun-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (서울 종로구 자하문로 42-1), Seochon. About 5 minutes’ walk from Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3).

Naver Map: https://map.naver.com/p/search/동남방앗간 서촌

Phone: +82 2-736-1224
Must try: The bada clam pasta, and the squid ceviche for something light and pretty to start
Good to know: Sister branch of the Hannam-dong original; it does brunch by day and wine bar by night

Business Hours

Open Daily
08:00 am to 01:00 am