Miro Sikdang, a Korean-style pub in Hongdae, is a popular place with a permanently long line. Normally you can only get in if someone grabs a table first and calls you over, but for some reason a tweet popped up saying they would be open on New Year’s Day, so I went right at opening time. A really good chance I had not had in ages.

Inside

We were the first customers, so I could even take photos of the interior. Clean and simple, right?

Hwayo cocktail and salad

It makes me really happy that a salad comes as standard. If you care about your health you cannot skip the salad, but at most restaurants a salad on its own is not cheap.

Seafood and chive pancake

If I had to pick just one dish at this place, I would go for this seafood and chive pancake (haemul buchujeon). The balance of flavours is really good.

Grilled bulgogi

Meat grilled over charcoal on a wire grill is another dish Miro Sikdang is proud of. There is no better thing to drink with.

The greens that come with the bulgogi

The salads keep coming, so my joy is doubled.

Whole steamed squid

The owner gave us this on the house for coming on New Year’s Day. The squid itself was on the small side, but the innards were so rich and savoury. He really does have an eye for ingredients. I had meant to go easy on the alcohol since it was New Year’s Day, but I could not help ordering one more glass.

Whisky soda

The whisky soda here is really good too. It goes surprisingly well with Korean food, which makes it all the more remarkable as a cocktail.

Tangerines

As we were about to leave, stuffed, they packed us a bag of tangerines, saying they had come up from Jeju Island. I tried them at home and they were sweet. So very grateful.

A bread shop I found on the way

There is this shokupan shop (Bread Monster) tucked into a corner of Hongdae, and it looked pretty popular. Hongdae seems to have become a battleground of bakeries lately, which is exciting. I will have to drop in whenever I find the time.

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