Soh Soh Soh, where tradition meets modernity

Located in a quaint neighborhood just outside of Seoul, Soh Soh Soh offers diners the pleasant experience of enjoying popular Korean dishes in a picturesque, bistro-like setting.

Hu Kyung-sook opened the contemporary Korean restaurant two years ago after deciding to take her passion for cooking to the next level. As a former cooking teacher, Hu decided to take the plunge and open her first restaurant, Soh Soh Soh, named after a Korean expression meaning a cool, gentle breeze.

“My husband used to love inviting guests over to our house,” she explained. “So we always had people over at our house and I would always cook for them. Now instead of coming to my house to eat, they all come here.”

The menu at Soh Soh Soh is simple, offering customers either a lunch or dinner set, with lunch consisting of 10 small courses and dinner 11. All the meals are cooked and prepared by Hu herself.

The food is as tasty as it is aesthetically pleasing. The current summer lunch menu includes popular Korean dishes including black sesame porridge, mini-kimchi pancakes and a fresh pumpkin salad along with several small main dishes including sweet and spicy fried pollock with bell peppers, onions and diced almonds; and a spicy marinated pork dish that is char-grilled, giving the dish a distinct smoky flavor.

Many Korean restaurants have an eat-pay-leave atmosphere that makes diners feel rushed to eat as quickly as possible to make way for the next customer. However, at Soh Soh Soh it is quite the opposite: diners are encouraged to take their time and enjoy both the food and the quiet ambience.

“Most Korean restaurants around here tend to be very crowded and very loud, so I think one of the biggest differences from all the others is the atmosphere,” said Hu. “Even if we may serve the same kinds of food as other restaurants, the feel of this place is not the same.”

Diners looking to relax can take in the fresh air and garden view, and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea after their meal.

“The concept that I wanted to create for this place is to have a traditional Korean restaurant, but with a caf-like feel,” said Hu. “It’s like an Italian restaurant meets Korea. I know in most traditional Korean restaurants you eat sitting on the floor, but I wanted to be more modern and use tables and chairs.”

The set menu, which changes at least once or twice every season so that repeat customers can enjoy new dishes, is 19,000 won per person for lunch and 25,000 won for dinner.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)

Soh Soh Soh 30-77 Gogi-dong, Suji-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province

Open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

(031) 262-2422