Dadam

Baby Napa Cabbage Salad

Published Mar 9, 2014 3:04 PM KST
Updated Mar 9, 2014 3:04 PM KST

By Chung Hyun-chae

Dadam, an authentic Korean restaurant located in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul, is decorated with motifs inspired by Seongyojang, a typical upper-class residence of the late Joseon Kingdom located in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung. Seongyojang has been designated as the fifth-most important cultural property of national folklore.

The venue is full of unique traditional ornaments, each of which is similar to those at Seongyojang.

On the way to the entrance, you’ll see a huge root of a tree hung on a wall. Walking alongside the right side of the root, you’ll follow the stepping stones across a small gravel area.

There are two poles signifying prayer for good harvest at the entrance, and a well in the corner implying that the restaurant isn’t a place where people merely have a meal but also engage in conversation.

In the past, womenfolk formed a community at the well. The restaurant’s interior is by and large decorated with stones that are directly brought from old houses of Ganghwa Island on the western coast. The restaurant reminds visitors of an entire village.

As 16 private rooms resemble 99 rooms of Seongyojang, you’ll have the highest level of privacy and comfort.

In order to make guests feel as though they are in the room of a nobleman, the venue uses spotlight illumination.

This warm, indirect light makes the walls look like Changhoji, traditional Korean paper made from mulberry bark.

Each private room is named after Korean mountains from the eight provinces, including Mts. Halla, Taebaek and Deokyu.

Customers can choose rooms depending on the level of formality of their occasion, because each private room is set for different purposes. For example, a room used for family events has sofas next to the table for a comfortable chat, while another for business meetings has a large TV and full presentation sets.

Unlike the somewhat dignified atmosphere the venue exudes, the dishes are of traditional home cooking.

“Our food is traditional Korean cuisine, not fusion. We just give the dishes an artistic touch to make them look modern,” said Chef Chung Jae-deok.

Chef Jung once stayed at a Buddhist temple on Mt. Jiri while learning temple fare directly from a Buddhist leader. Accordingly, dishes at Dadam in general are rather unsaline but dainty.

The best part of the restaurant is that guests can relish decent seasonal food. The baby napa cabbage salad which this reporter tried is the typical salad of spring.

The Baby Napa Cabbage Salad is so fresh that even carnivores indulge in the natural flavor. Seasoned Mung Bean Jelly is also bland but tastes healthy.

A sommelier recommended two traditional Korean liquors — Jinyangjoo and Jaheeyang — which match well with the recommended dishes.

“Dadam, as a traditional Korean restaurant located in the trendy Cheongdam area, has a sense of responsibility in introducing traditional Korean liquors of good quality,” said Lim Jong-wook, manager of CJ Foodville, which owns the restaurant.

The venue holds more than 30 kinds of Korean choice liquors as well as a variety of white and red wine from around the world.

Considering there are lots of global companies in neighboring districts, the restaurant is frequented by foreign business people.

Address:

Dadam, B1 floor of M building, 97-1, Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Phone number:

02-518-6161

Opening hours:

Lunch served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and dinner from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Open throughout the year.

Price:

Lunch course from 40,000 won to 68,000 won. A la carte from 18,000 won to 60,000 won (VAT included).

Parking:

Valet parking is available for 3,000 won at the entrance.

Reservation:

Mandatory for rooms.

Private rooms:

Dadam has 16 rooms. One caters to 12-14 guests, three cater to 8-10 guests, six cater to 5-6 guests, six cater to 2-3 guests.

Frequented by:

Business people

Total seating:

204 seats

Interior of Dadam