Gourmet 494: Seoul’s finest food in one place
Gourmet 494 is a luxury food hall in Seoul with a genius concept – the clever people of Galleria Department Store have hand-picked the hottest restaurants, cafes and bakeries in Seoul and have made a space for all of them to come together and open concession stands in the one location.
The result is a food-lover’s paradise. Gourmet 494 markets itself as a “Grocerant” – a portmanteau of “grocery” and “restaurant” – and has everything to satisfy your epicurean desires. There aren’t many places in Seoul that will stock all the components you would need to throw a Paris themed dinner party – but here you’ll find a broad selection of wines, cheeses, small goods, freshly baked artisan bread – and even caviar and foie gras if your budget allows.
Speaking of budget – it goes without saying that this is not a place for the price conscious. The main clientele here are ladies of leisure wearing fur coats and carrying Hermès handbags. So while most us will stick to E-Mart for our weekly grocery shopping, Gourmet 494 is still worth a visit if you’re looking for a special occasion wine or want to treat yourself to a fresh baguette filled with cured meats and soft cheese.
The food hall part of Gourmet 494 is more accessible – they have deliberately selected popular independently run restaurants rather than the bigger high-end chains and include a few eateries that are household names with foreigners – Brooklyn the Burger Joint for saucy, more-ish American style burgers, Vatos for fusion Korean/Mexican fare (think Kimchi Fries and Galbi Tacos), Cafe Mamas for panninis that will make you forget you’re in Seoul and Fell + Cole for experimental ice cream flavours.
You’ll also find traditional Korean food – with kimbap, tteokbokgi, neng-myun and sundubu made with the highest quality ingredients by the best in the business.
For all the sweet tooths out there, french bakeries Eric Kayser and Lebois offer basketfuls of golden baguettes, rolls and pastries – and if you’re feeling particularly decadent there’s every pie and tart you could dream off at Tartine.
South Koreans again prove that they are the kings of convenience with Gourmet 494 – if you’re only in Seoul for a day or two and want a comprehensive food tour, just ride the subway to Apgujeong Rodeo station with a full wallet and an empty stomach.
Gourmet 494 is on the basement level of the Galleria Department Store – directly accessible from Exit #7 of Apgujeong Rodeo Station (Yellow Bundang Line)
