Grandmother’s Recipe 할머니의 레시피

I was researching for places to eat in Seongsu-dong on my first trip there as I was unfamiliar with the trendy neighbourhood, and I saw a few different media recommending this restaurant called Grandmother’s Recipe that served Korean home-style cooking. I was immediately drawn to the appetising photos, coupled with the fact that I really wanted to eat homely Korean cuisine before my trip ended.

When we reached at around 10.30am, there was already a couple queueing outside the restaurant. We stood in line and waited for it to open at 11am, and then we noticed that there was a snaking line forming behind us. I was quite surprised as I thought that Grandmother’s Recipe was just an ordinary restaurant, so I went to dig a little more after our trip and found out that it is actually recommended in the 2018 Michelin Guide Seoul, which definitely explained its popularity!

The restaurant was located in a beautiful spot near the Seoul Forest and flanked by trees along the road. If you’re here during lunch time, be sure to grab a window seat and bask in the sunlight filtering through.

The staff presented us an all-Korean menu in a beautifully folded envelope, but if you need an English menu, just let the staff know and they’ll be happy to present you with one, complete with photos and a detailed explanation of each item on the menu.

I ordered the signature bibimbamp set (버섯영양부추비빔밥) as well as shared some beef patties with my travel companions. Unfortunately I didn’t snap a photo of the menu so I don’t have the price of the food, but they didn’t burn a hole our wallets despite how amazing everything was – just see the effort they put into setting the food!

While I still think Jeonju serves the best bibimbap, I can’t deny that Grandmother’s Recipe take on this Korean home staple is a delightful surprise. The ingredients meshed well with the chili being just the right amount of spicy, topped with a burst of flavour from the garlic chips. It is rather atypical of the usual bibimbaps offered, but it is a good kind of different.

Also major shoutout to the sweet pumpkin paste (the yellow mixture) on the right – I would even say that this was my favourite part of the whole meal, I really wanted to ask for a few more servings of it if I wasn’t already so full from the bibimbap!

The beef patties were grilled to perfection, along with broccoli, king oyster mushroom and pumpkin slices. I never say no to protein that’s so well done (not in that sense) – my only gripe is that the meat was a little thick and difficult to eat, but of course it also means that they are incredibly generous with the amount of meat served!

I was really very impressed by the food served at Grandmother’s Recipe that I couldn’t help singing its praises throughout the meal, and after I got back from Korea I continued recommending this restaurant to anyone planning to spend some time in Seoul.

What they’re done amazingly well is toeing that delicate balance between homely cooking and fine dining – decadent and well-polished enough to earn a well-deserved place in the Michelin guide, but also comforting enough to make you feel like a Korean grandmother had cooked this for you when you pop over to her house.

There is no doubt that I would visit Grandmother’s Recipe again – I would even make a trip down to Seongsu-dong just to get a taste of this satisfying meal, even if I had no other business in the neighbourhood!

---

Directions

Address: 15-1 Seoulsup 6-gil, Seongdong-gu

Opening Hours:
Lunch 11:30am – 3:00pm, Last Order 2:30pm,
Dinner 5:00pm – 10:00pm, Last Order 9pm (Wed – Mon)
Closed Tues