After doing some research you probably know by now that garosugil and apgujeongdong is the hottest neighborhood in Gangnam.
But you got it wrong.
From summer 2020, Dosan Park has become the hottest neighborhood with unbelievabley fantastic restaurants. Among many restaurants, I want to talk about Daemag, futomaki specialty restaurant.
Dosan Park’s Daemag Opening TIme
Daemag opens at 12:00 but you have to get there around 11:45 to avoid line.
Dosan Park Daemag Adress: 648-19 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Once you miss the first round of table, you might have to wait at least for an hour. So make sure to go before opening time.
I went there around 11:50 and almost got seated the last table.
- Daemag Opening Time : 12:00 – 14:30 / 17:30 – 21:00
There is a sign how to line up as it can get out of control.
Also they don’t open very long. Just for a short lunch and dinner, so I am reiterating that you must go early.
When it’s very hot, they put nice cold water outside while waiting.
Is Daemag’s Vibe Better than Kimbap Heaven in Seoul?
Ok… I don’t think I can compare with Kimbap Heaven as Kimbap heaven is more like fast food (and the price range is different).
But Deamag is definetely following the trend of just having chef’s table and less than 20 seats.
So it feels more intimate where you can see the chefs cooking in peace. Literally no chaos.
It was nice seeing the chefs roll a huge futomaki. But WAIT?
What is futomaki?
Daemag Futomaki
It is actually not a gimbap but more like a Japanese maki. Specifically it means “rolled very thick.”
It is twice as big as normal gimbap.
There is a gimbap restauarant that I love not far from Daemag. It is called Lee Kimbap and they make Korean rolls this big and it is my favourite Kimbap restaurant. Better than Kimbap Heaven.
Related Post: Best All You Can Eat Sushi including futomaki in Seoul, Gangnam for real?
The key point of eating futomaki is to put it in all at once.
The chef told me the reason is to enjoy all the different flavour at once. but I am sure many of you will struggle.
@roaming_seoul
Daemag Menu and Price
Daemag Price is :
- Fukomaki 1/2 roll : 16,000 won
- Daemag Fukomaki Full Roll: 30,000 won
- Basi Soba : 8,000 won
- Abura Soba: 8,000won
- Gyuku Sando 2 Pieces: 4,000 won
But don’t order separately. If you come here with two or more, you can order a set menu.
- Set Menu (Basic Soba, Abura Soba, Fukomaki 1/2 roll) : 31,000 won
My brother and I who eat a lot ordered this. And it was enough for us (3,000 won cheaper than ordering separately).
How is Dosan Park’s Daemag Food?
First you get miso soup.
It was a really hot summer so I didn’t really want it, but under the air conditioning it was fine 🙂
Next they serve you with fukomaki. It is filled with tuna, gyoku, fried shrimp, cucumber, avocado, radish, wasabi and more.
It almost broke my jaw, but it was worth it.
Next you get aruba soba. This is not as popular in America or in London (I only saw it at Monohon in Shoreditch).
It is a dry noodle with tuna sashimi, poached egg, scallion, onion and sauce. Because of the heat, the tuna becomes like a tataki.
I mixed with sesame oil and chilli oil and it was a bit blend for me. Maybe I was expecting something like Japanese ramen.
If you don’t like something that is too over powering, I would definitely recommend you aruba soba.
Next was the basil soba. This was probably my favorite. It felt like having an Asian version of pesto pasta.
There is a similar noodle restaurant not far from Dosan Park’s Daemag. It is called Kumsan Noodle Factory.
This basil soba somehow reminded me of that. Kumsan Noodle has a bigger portion and very filling. And I often say to my friends that it is the best noodles in Seoul.
So if you are staying around Dosan Park, I highly recommend trying Kumsan Noodle as well.