For many readers who binge-watched or got inducted into K-drama during the pandemic, the name Itaewon Class might ring a bell. The 2020 Korean series trained the spotlight on Itaewon, a colourful and eclectic neighbourhood in Hannam-dong, a district in Yongsan-gu in central Seoul on the north bank of the Han River. As Yongsan was also once home to a US military base, it is not surprising to know that Itaewon is a foreigner enclave in Seoul. Because of demand, there is concentration of bars, restaurants and nightclubs here that caters to an international crowd. While in Seoul, there may be days when you feel you have had enough of soju, galbi and kimchi. In that case, head to Itaewon for your pasta or mala noodles fix.
The Hannam area status as the cultural crossroads of South Korea and the rest of the world has actually been established the 14th century, as the area was part of Hanyang, the capital city during the Joseon dynasty. Therefore, Itaewon, and more so, Hannam, the area that surrounds it, has also drawn the cosmopolitan, creative and culturally inclined.
With so much to see and do, zooming into the right spots might be a tad tricky on a tight schedule. Let us share our top picks – from gastronomy to art and culture. Even if you feel you already know Hannam-dong, take a look at our recommendations as we cover places that have opened since the pandemic – which you probably have not have visited.
To plug right into the heart of Itaewon, check into this 226-key hotel by the Accor group. Mondrian Seoul Itaewon, which opened in August 2020, not only marks the brand’s entry into Asia Pacific, it also holds a special place in the heart of Seoulites, as it occupies the site of the former Capital Hotel. The defunct hotel had opened in 1988 to welcome the country’s first major influx of foreign tourists into the country for the Olympics Games.
On a personal note, my stay at this hotel introduced me to the brand, which will open a Singapore outpost in 2023. A display of zany Pop Art installations deck the common spaces together with interiors washed in a palette of comforting colours give the hotel ultra-cool vibes.
With watering holes which runs the gamut from an elegant wine bar – Rumpus Room (which also serves high tea to ladies who lunch in the day) to Privilege Bar, a snazzy cocktail bar on the rooftop where the rather (heavy-handed) mixologist whips up delicious knockout (pun intended) drinks, Mondrian Seoul Itaewon is currently the hottest hangout in Seoul. It is also the best place to people-watch.
If the heady cocktails at the Privilege Bar get to your head, step outside into the outdoor Altitude Pool & Lounge, where you’ll find daybeds, a poolside bar, a live DJ and the city’s trendy tastemakers. Even on a frosty evening, serious swimmers have the option to do their laps at another pool indoors. Targeting the health-conscious, the hotel also offers private pilates reformer classes on request. Clearly, this is a hotel that targets the millennials who want everything from life.
Gucci fans, pay tribute here. Itaewon, was chosen to be the location of the second Gucci flagship store in Seoul because of its reputation for diversity and inclusivity. Design afficionados will love the attention paid to details, starting with the façade. Through an intricate installation of wires, Korean sculptor explores the theme of reality versus illusion.
As “gaok” refers to a traditional home in Korean, expect warm and welcoming interiors, although a tad dramatic and kooky; with touches like a silver staircase in the middle of the store and a polka-dotted ceiling – as one would expect from flamboyant Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s creative director.
The shop spans 11,000 sq ft over four floors with private men’s and women’s VIP rooms. Besides a wide selection of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, handbags, luggage, small leather goods, shoes, jewellery, accessories as well as items from Gucci Décor, Gucci Gaok also carries a range of exclusive accessories, such as new baiadera designs inspired by Saekdong, a traditional Korean pattern of colourful stripes, and ‘GAOK’ printed hard-sided luggage. These were all snapped up shortly after opening.
Within a 5km radius of Gucci Gaok are at least a dozen of art galleries. One of them is the Foundry Seoul located right below Gucci GAOK. The latter is actually a tenant of the same owner of Foundry Seoul. Designed by Seoul-based architecture and interior design studio Intg, Foundry Seoul opened last year with two exhibition spaces. The main exhibition hall features “blue-chip” emerging international artists, while the other space showcases experimental works from different genres.
When I visited in late November, the gallery was running New York-based artist Egan Frantz’s first solo exhibition titled “Not Enough Words”. Forty-three of Frantz’s works completed over his oeuvre filled the space. Franz is known for trying to capture and express the essence of things themselves that cannot be fully contained within the frame of language through performances, sculptures, and installations, and abstract paintings. At the time of uploading, Foundry Seoul is in the midst of putting up the next exhibition.
Just 15 minutes away on foot is a multi-concept store (run by Yoon Sangah, a granddaughter of Troa Cho) which just opened last November. In her heyday, Troa was a renowned fashion designer with stores in South Korea and New York’s Madison Avenue. By the 1990s, the label was put on the backburner when Cho and her children focused on other investments and businesses. But Yoon, who returned to South Korea more than a year ago from the US where she was training as a chef, became set on reviving it.
Troa, the eponymous label founded by Yoon’s retired octogenarian grandmother whom Yoon absolutely adores, had specialised in customising women’s clothing according to customer’s measurements, preferences for fabric (though Troa has always specialised in cashmere), embellishments and details. Through the new Troa, Yoon has revived this concept with a twist. Instead of putting prototypes on display, she hangs them in closed wardrobes to free up space and for an uncluttered look.
At the back of the store is an industrial chic room that Yoon lets out for events. On the second floor is Home by Troa, a brasserie-style restaurant called that dishes out moreish quick bites like burgers and sandwiches, and offers a tasting menu at night.
One can only eat so much bulgogi and kimbap, especially when you are not Korean. And you’d not regret eating at Borgo Hannam, which in my opinion, serves one of the best Italian fare I have ever tasted, and would not feel shy gushing over.
Though officially not in Itaewon (but still in Hannam as its name suggests), Borgo Hannam is just a 10min walk from Gucci GAOK. Formerly executive chef at JW Marriott South Beach Singapore, Park Hyatt Seoul and JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul, Chef-owner Stefano di Salvo helms the kitchen six days a week, turning out homemade pasta, and other delectable Italian dishes. He also bakes the smorgasbord of Italian sweets that greets guests as they enter the restaurant, and slaves over the stove for six hours to yield the umami-rich broth from Jeju scampi that coats every strand of spaghetti with seafood. Those on a low-carb diet would ditch it the moment a single strand of di Salvo’s pasta touches their lips. You’d find it hard to resist licking your plate of every drop of sauce after finishing the pasta. That is if you still have space after first polishing a starter of finely sliced hanwoo (prized indigenous Korean beef) topped with a huge dollop of tuna mayonnaise sauce.
Within two years of opening, Borgo Hannam has made it into the 2022 edition of Michelin Guide Seoul as a recommended restaurant. We are surprised – it should have gotten a star.