I had heard rumours that all sorts of good restaurants were opening in Seochon lately, but since it is north of the river I never quite had a reason to go. This day I happened to have some free time, so I went.

When I got to Seochon, I found new restaurants opening in every corner of the back streets, well beyond the existing shopping area. Maybe it means people are now willing to walk a bit for a great dining experience, or maybe it means rents have shot up that steeply and competition among small business owners has gotten that fierce. Either way, I am all for bistros with character spreading through the alleys.

Enoteca Chin Chin is a small bistro built around a wine bar concept. It is a place where the small plates are the main event rather than regular meals, and the concept works better for a group of three or four having a casual drink than for a solo visit. Let me say up front that at this level the food is not outstanding, but it is not bad either. Even ten years ago there were not that many restaurants at this level, and now you can enjoy pretty decent food at a neighbourhood bistro, which really made me feel how much times have changed.

Water

Unusually, mineral water is provided free and unlimited.

Sherry

I was not really in the mood for wine that day, so I ordered this, and it turned out they serve properly aged sherry. It was better than I expected, which surprised me.

Edelweiss

The fruity beer you all know.

Snacks

The lighting was so dim that none of my photos came out well. A bit of a shame, but nothing to be done.

Bruschetta

There were plenty of dishes that work both as a meal and as a snack with drinks.

Chicken breast salad

Quite a generous portion. Again, a good concept for something to go with wine.

Cannelloni

It was filled with potato, cheese and so on, and tasted pretty good. Just one of these fills you up.

Chocolate cake

The dessert was excellent. More than you could expect from a drinking spot with this kind of concept.

I went in with low expectations because of the odd name, but it turned out to be a bistro that stays true to its concept, the kind of place where people who like it would quickly become regulars. The fact that so many places like this are opening is, I think, one of the remarkable things about Korea. If this trend keeps up for another ten years or so, Korea’s dining scene could reach a level not far behind Japan’s. I just hope, please, that it does not get ruined the way Itaewon, Garosu-gil and Hongdae did.

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