Mosu Seoul Dinner Review: Culinary Class Wars Season 2 Chef Ahn Sung-Jae’s Restaurant
I finally went to the new Mosu Seoul for dinner, after watching Chef Ahn Sung-jae on “Culinary Class Wars 2”. I’d only heard stories about how hard it is to book, so I was pretty curious and honestly had high expectations.
📍 Location
Mosu Seoul
41-gil 4, Hoenamu-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
⏰ Opening Hours
12:00 – 22:00
🅿️ Parking
Valet parking available
✔ Facilities & Notes
- 1st floor: open kitchen with counter seats
- 2nd floor: table seating by the windows
- Closed every Sunday and Monday
- Corkage: 200,000 KRW per bottle
- Lunch tasting: 320,000 KRW / Dinner tasting: 420,000 KRW
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Exterior
The restaurant moved to a new space, and this was my first visit after the relocation. From the entrance you already see a lot of trees and greenery, so your eyes feel kind of refreshed before you even sit down. It doesn’t feel like you’re in the middle of Itaewon at all.
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Interior
Mosu is spread over two floors. The first floor is the open kitchen, so you can literally watch Chef Ahn leading the team in front of you like a live show. If you’re into cooking, those seats are gold.
We were seated on the 2nd floor by the window. From there you see the trees outside, all green and calm, which makes the whole meal feel a bit more relaxed. The downside is, since the main action is downstairs, the 2nd floor feels slightly more chaotic in terms of service. Staff keep running up and down, and you don’t really get that tight, focused fine-dining vibe you feel at the counter.
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Menu We Ordered
- Dinner Tasting Course: 420,000 KRW
- 7-glass Wine Pairing: 310,000 KRW
Wine pairing list that night:
1. Clos Cibonne, Cuvee Prestige Caroline 2022
2. Jamet Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2023
3. Dom Pérignon Brut 2015
4. Pieropan ‘La Rocca’ Soave Classico 2022
5. Lucien le Moine Bourgogne Blanc 2022
6. Chateau Montus XL 1996
7. Klein Constantia, Vin de Constance 2018
When I looked at the full wine list, some bottle prices were surprisingly low compared to other fine-dining spots in Seoul. I even double-checked the menu because I thought I misread it.
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Food & Wine Review
Wine Glasses & First Pour
Before anything started, I checked the wine glasses (habit now) and they were spotless, no water stains or lipstick marks, which already makes you relax a bit.
The first wine, Clos Cibonne Cuvee Prestige Caroline 2022, had this mix of red currant, macerated strawberry, blood orange and warm baking spices. Pretty aromatic but still fresh, a nice way to open.
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Small Bites
Then the first food plates started coming out.
Small Bites Platter
- Scallop from Gangwon: super smooth and creamy, with a sweetness that kept building as you chewed.
- Seaweed puff with potato salad: crispy, salty, and the potato salad had a fresh, clean flavor that balanced the richness really well.
Overall the bites were very well balanced; nothing felt heavy.
The tomato essence with okra and bonito had a clear Japanese touch in the aroma. Plus the watermelon inside gave a juicy, bright, refreshing feel that I really liked.
The mushroom tart was nutty, with that classic button mushroom aroma that spreads out as you chew, and a rich cream to finish. This one went especially well with the wine.
The “taco” used a thin yuba chip as the shell, filled with chewy abalone. You get a strong grilled flavor, shiso, a bit of salty gamtae seaweed and butter lingering in your mouth. Really tasty and fun to eat.
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Summer Squash Noodle
The second wine, Jamet Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2023, was full of wildflower and lemon blossom aromas, with a touch of honey and clean acidity. Pretty easy to drink.
With that came the summer squash noodle. The broth is made from the liquid of steamed zucchini, so it has this gentle, familiar flavor that kind of triggers food memories from Korean home cooking. I liked the comfort of it, but compared to older Mosu courses I’ve had, this one felt a bit too simple and less exciting.
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Roasted Sesame Tofu
Third pairing was Dom Pérignon 2015, with toasted almond, a bit of smokiness, white fruit and spice. Pretty classic, layered champagne.
The roasted sesame tofu was one of the more memorable dishes. Inside the tofu was cooked uni, quite salty and rich. The tofu itself was deep in flavor but still soft, and there was a spicy Korean-style seasoning that reminded me of traditional “dadaegi”. It felt very Korean but modern at the same time.
On the side there was an ice cream with quinoa that brought nuttiness, acidity and sweetness together. The texture contrast was fun and it actually worked well with the champagne.
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Wood-Fired Turbot & Burdock Tarte Tatin
Next wine, Pieropan La Rocca Soave Classico 2022, had honey and peach notes, strong minerality and green herb aromas. Quite unique.
The wood-fired diamond turbot came with chive, cucumber and Korean “bang-a” leaf sauce, plus caviar. As someone from Gyeongsang-do, the bang-a leaf flavor really reminded me of chueotang broth. The soft turbot and salty caviar made me instantly want more wine with it.
Then came one of the star dishes of the night: burdock tarte tatin with skin juice. Chef Ahn said it was inspired by his grandmother’s stir-fried burdock. You get gentle burdock aroma, sweetness and bitterness all layered, then the texture and flavor of the pastry underneath. The balance was so good it honestly felt a bit legendary.
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Acorn Noodle & Hanwoo
Lucien le Moine Bourgogne Blanc 2022 followed, with lots of fruit, acidity, minerality and white flower notes.
With that, we had ember-charred acorn noodle. The truffle from Australia was more intense than I expected. The acorn noodles were bouncy and slightly rustic in texture, which I liked. The nuttiness with Parmigiano Reggiano, butter and chamnamul sauce all came together really nicely.
Then the big red: Chateau Montus XL 1996. Deep, inky, full-bodied, lots of plum, cassis, blackberry jam, with mint and dark chocolate lingering. Perfect for the main meat.
The main dish was hearth oven grilled Hanwoo: a steak cut (sirloin) and a tteokgalbi-style patty made from short rib, with assorted seasonal vegetables from Bonghwa.
The sirloin had strong beef flavor, cooked very evenly with a good bite. Eating it together with the vegetables made the dish feel more complete. The tteokgalbi, though, felt pretty standard. Not bad at all, but nothing that really stuck in my memory considering the rest of the course.
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Desserts & Sweets
The last wine, Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2018, had grape, honey, spice, orange peel and apricot notes, with dense sweetness but still some structure. Great as a final glass.
Then came the small sweets. The finger lime sorbet worked like a palate cleanser with sharp lime bursts.
The makgeolli steamed rice cake had a layer of mold they cultured themselves, so the texture was fluffy and a bit like Korean “sulbbang” (alcohol bread). Very Korean, but done in a refined way.
The kelp ice cream had umami and salty seaweed flavor from gamtae, with cacao crumble and hazelnut. That combination is always good, and this version was no exception.
To finish, they served coffee with yakgwa. Simple, but a nice quiet ending after a long course.
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Final Thoughts
Let me be honest.
Early and mid courses were very strong: complex flavors, clear stories, and great balance with the wines. The burdock tarte tatin, acorn noodles, sesame tofu, and turbot are dishes I’d happily eat again.
But as the meal went on, I felt the dishes became simpler in both ingredients and flavor. Considering how hard it is to book Mosu and the high price, that drop in excitement near the end was a bit disappointing for me.
Also, because the open kitchen is on the 1st floor, the 2nd floor felt a bit less focused service-wise. Not terrible, but you do notice the difference if you’ve sat at other counters in Seoul.
Would I say it’s a must-visit for serious food lovers and wine fans? Yes, at least once. Just go with realistic expectations: some dishes are truly memorable, but the whole course doesn’t keep the same peak energy from start to finish.