Among Seoul‘s many riches, food arguably is most appreciated by locals and visitors alike, and almost every week a new eatery opens offering expertly cooked delicacies. International cuisine is abundantly present in the city, from fast-food to Michelin-starred fare, but Koreans most of all appreciate the flavours of local dishes, and the city boasts an endless array of dining establishments. A striking new addition is the Wujuok restaurant in Yeonnam-dong, a neighbourhood right next to the popular entertainment district of Hongdae. The latter’s buzz has clearly rubbed off and now a number of quirky and cool cafés, eateries and boutiques have opened up here too. Founders Gwi-hyeon Um and Jae-hun Heo set up an eatery serving North Korean food and tapped local architecture practice STUDIO ARCHETYPE to design a setting that would provide a modern context for the restaurant’s single signature dish.
Called Pyongyang Naengmyeon, it’s a humble noodle dish, from North Korea‘s capital city Pyongyang to be precise, which basically consists of two elements—a rough texture (noodles) and a fine texture (water). Extrapolating from the mere two elements, the design palette is understated, Spartan even, featuring walls captured by panels of untreated timber and alternated by sections in shiny stainless steel which add a distinct modern touch. The an L-shaped counter, crafted from stone, ties in beautifully with a four-seat communal table. Mind you, the new Wujuok restaurant seats a maximum of only 16 guests and only serves the aforementioned noodle dish, paired with a glass of soju. Given this quirky concept, we’d say it’s totally worthwhile to check out when in town.
Wujuok
11 Donggyo-ro 50 gil, Shop 102 + 103 (Yeonnam-dong)
03981 Seoul
Telephone: +82 70 41684812
Daily 11.30am-3pm and 5pm-10pm (closed on Sunday evening)
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
