[Restaurant Review] The Lounge at Park Hyatt 파크하얏트 Gangnam
As a broke college student/compulsive shopper, there is no way I would have come to Park Hyatt to spend 37,000 won to eat a burger in some fancy ass chairs. But thanks to my cousin we got to experience what The Lounge was all about.
Vibes
Loads and loads of class. Jewel tone furniture. Freezing cold AC. An impressive view, other than the fact that the green roof tops of Seoul buildings appear ugly af. The service is UNBELIEVABLE. We called in advance to make a reservation and The Lounge contacted the valet. Then, as soon as we arrived, the valet must have called the hostess because she was already expecting us by the time we made it upstairs. Another thing I noticed was that they prepared the table in steps, giving us our napkins, then plates, cutlery, etc. all separately in a certain order. It was a good distraction while waiting for the food.
Fooods
The menu features traditional Korean items as well as more western dishes. In Korea, I always lean towards western foods, so I ordered a wagyu cheese burger. I asked to have it prepared medium rare. The burger was perfectly moist but had a slight acidic quality to it which I didn't like too much. The beef is Australian Wagyu beef :O. Overall it was a standard high-quality burger: great taste, but nothing spectacular. The Salmon had a great crust, amazing moistness, and played well with the vegetables served. For dessert we had a shaved iced combo, which allowed us to order mini sizes of two different bingsus. The patbingsus tied interesting flavors together, including mango with ginger granola and milk ice cream with apple puree. I would say that they are most definitely not worth the price based on taste alone.
Wagyu Burger
Final Thots
Although I was satisfied with the food, the price is ultimately paying for the atmosphere and service. If I were to come again, I would come for the afternoon tea, which is 38,000, the price for a lot of afternoon teas in Korea.
pros: service, atmosphere, view
cons: freezing cold AC
items I recommend: wagyu cheese burger
find it: 606 Teheran-ro, Daechi 2(i)-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea (right off samsung station)
Mango Bingsu