I first heard about Mesiya on a Facebook group, and I was really intrigued by the fact that they do Japanese “soul” food, and that they focus on only serving one set menu for the day. So one day, during lunch, I stopped by there. Unfortunately, there were no signs on their restaurant, so if I hadn’t seen a photo of their place prior to my going there, I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t have found it!
This place is rather small, and they have one large table and one small table. You will have to share the tables with other customers, so be prepared for that! It also fills up fast, so you may want to come a bit early and wait for them to open. Despite the small size and the table set up, the place feels cosy and very home-like. The interior decoration suits the place. The brother and sister duo who owns the restaurant are very nice, and they provide great service. You can also see them in action while they cook since they have an open kitchen.
My very first visit there, I had their croquette set, and I was super impressed by it! Everything tasted so fresh. The presentation of the meal is wonderful, and the little home-made touch to the meal really suited it. The set came with rice, three croquettes, miso soup, daikon, some crunchy fish dish that I never got the name of, salad with sesame seed dressing, and fruits. Everything tasted fresh and very home-made. It all filled me up, and it was so healthy. My favourite thing from there was their soup, salad, and the crunchy fish.
After my first visit, I came back multiple times. I tried their eggplant and pork rice donburi set, agedashi tofu set, kara-miso ramen set, and soba set. I like all their set, but I think my absolute favourite was their soba set. The strangest set for me was the kara-miso ramen set. I found out that kara-miso is “spicy miso”, but it wasn’t spicy for me at all — though perhaps my spicy tolerance was too high for their ramen.
Minor faults aside, Mesiya is definitely one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Seoul. As of August 2015, their set starts at 15,000 and more depending on their dish. I do admit it’s a bit pricey, but it’s worth getting it every so often. Plus, everything is home-made, and everything tastes good. Can’t go wrong with home-style cooking, if you ask me!
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Business Info
010-8886-6208
23, Hoenamu-Ro 13ga-Gil, Yongsan-Gu, Seoul, Korea
서울특별시 용산구 회나무로13가길 23
To get to this place from Noksapyeong Station, start by going out exit 2. Go straight until you reach the underpass. Use it and take the left exit. From there, go up the street on the right, passing Caffe Pasucci and Well-Being Mart. Go all the way up until you reach a Y-intersection with the pharmacy right in between the intersection. Take the left fork and go straight until you see the police box. Make a right at the police box, and walk down that road for about two minutes, and Mesiya will be on the left. It’s several doors down from Berkeley Coffee Social, and they are right next to an eye-wear store. They will have a board outside with their name.
15,000 ~ 20,000 won budget per person
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