Pilgyeongjae 필경재

Diners walk through a gate, a courtyard and a garden to reach the table, because the restaurant occupies the ancestral hanok of Prince Gwangpyeong's descendants. Tiled roofs, timber beams and a low garden stay in view through the whole meal. The Maehwa course brings beef japchae, yukhoe (seasoned raw beef), grilled beef short ribs and grilled sea bream with seasonal side dishes, and pine nuts and ginkgo turn up as garnish on many plates. After the smoky, marinated short ribs, the clean white fish of the sea bream lightens the sequence. Portions lean toward a restrained course rather than an overflowing spread, and kimchi between dishes resets the palate. Private rooms work for family occasions and formal meetings with in-laws, though sound carries between rooms in the old wooden structure. Cars go to a paid valet.