Do Ga Hun

by Robert Koehler on October 19, 2008

Do Ga Hun is a wine bar/French-Italian restaurant near Gyeongbokgung Palace, in the alley behind Seoul Selection bookshop.

The hanok was built sometime around 1910, as was the Russian-style red-brick building next to it. What they were originally built for, I don’t know, but prior to being purchased by the Hyundai Gallery, the property was owned by the Won Buddhism Foundation for about 30 years. The hanok was renovated as a wine bar and restaurant, while the brick building was turned into the Gallery Do Ga Hun.

It’s expensive as hell — I dropped 250,000 won for two — but in terms of atmosphere, you can’t beat it. Prices being what they are, I’m not sure how much I’d eat there, but for drinks, it definitely gets two thumbs way up. There’s a cigar menu, too, with all your favorite Cuban brands. If sitting out in a Korean-style madang with a bit of port and a Cohiba isn’t a great way to pass an evening, I don’t know what is.

NOTE: Played with the images in LightZone, a LightRoom-esque program for Linux. Probably works better when using RAW files.

{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }

1 R. Elgin October 19, 2008 at 11:09 pm: I like the wide-angle night shots; they look great. That is a very nice looking place too. I still prefer Photoshop to Lightzone for more reasons that I want to list too but it looks like a neat tool.
2 michael October 19, 2008 at 11:32 pm: I wondered what that place was like–thanks for the tour. Maybe if I win the lottery I’ll go there.
3 user-81 October 20, 2008 at 5:40 am: The wide-angle gives the first photo a Dr Seuss animated look to the buildings.

And as she sat their and ate
she did not know her painful fate.

For every time she took a taste
the buildings slightly stepped up their pace.

As soon as they got enough close
they’d pounce on her and she’d be toast.

I do not like kimchi and spam.
I do not like it Samsoon I am.
4 Acropolis7 October 20, 2008 at 6:21 am: Those were magazine worthy Robert. This is trully the “Korea Sparkling” that needs to be seen.
5 CactusMcHarris October 20, 2008 at 9:24 am: Yes, and I appreciate the fact that the wine bottle now looks as big as an oxygen bottle, which in a sense it is.

So was the food just OK? Were you paying heavily for rest of it?
6 hitest October 20, 2008 at 9:25 am: user 81 ; , although I think your meter is a bit loose

Thanks for the pictures and info. I don’t mind paying for ambiance, as long as the food/service/occasion deserves it.

I presume the lady in the pictures was paying for the meal or unhappy with her choices
7 Darth Babaganoosh October 20, 2008 at 6:39 pm: My apartment is 5 minutes down the alley from there, so I pass by it all the time. NICE way to spend an evening with the wife/gf.
8 GI Korea October 20, 2008 at 9:30 pm: Great pics, I especially like the first one. All the times I have walked through that area I have not ever seen this place. Looks like quite a place. Like others though I’m curious to what the food was like?
9 eatyourkimchi October 21, 2008 at 3:57 pm: These are some awesome pictures. I recently got Lightzone, but I never fiddled around with it. Now I kinda feel like I should.

Thanks!