Dominic Steakhouse in Seoul
Dominic in Hannam-dong is all about steak. You order a hunk of wet-marinated steak by weight and they grill it up and then serve it in a sizzling pan, Peter Luger-style, and then you get to pick an assortment of sides like baked Mac N’ Cheese, creamed spinach, salads and more. The wine list is impressive with selections from around the world such as a Pennywise Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (50,000 won).
So when I and a guest was invited to Dominic, I was happy to comply. The restaurant is off the main Itaewon drag near the Cheil Building. The facade of the restaurant is cleverly behind a wall that shields the restaurant from the cold and the noise from the road. The interior has a stylish New York Loft feel to it with very cool lights that are x-ray slides of light bulbs. To the back of the restaurant are large windows which showcase the city scape of Seoul.
The service was polite. To start we ordered the bruschetta. The bread was crispy and the bruschetta was topped with caramelized onion flavored with balsamic vinegar and it was topped with fresh tomato, basil and grated Parmesan cheese.
For the meal we ordered 300 grams of the ribeye (48,000 won) which was more than adequate to feed 2 (or possibly 3). I ordered it medium but in the sizzling, cast-iron pan it continues to cook. Next time I would probably get it rare. The steak was flavorful and good with the horseradish and the Dijon mustard.
To accompany the steak we ordered the creamed spinach and the Mac N’ cheese. The spinach was great. Very flavorful, the hunk of bread in the veggies sopped up the cream. The bread was good, but a tad too big and hard to cut up. The Mac n’ cheese was the star of the night and it had a very crispy, cheesy top. The corn in the Mac in cheese was surprisingly good as well.
Of the desserts, I recommend the decadent chocolate soufflé. The tiramisu was a tad strong.
Overall, if you are looking for a good date spot that will impress your date, this is definitely worth a visit.
Dominic
Yongsan-gu Hannam-dong 683-133
02-790-7588
Disclosure: Daniel Gray was invited to the restaurant and the meal was complementary.