One thing you can always say about Seoul, is that there is always somewhere new and trendy to check out. The restaurant revolving door is forever moving. To quote Heidi Klum, “One day you are in, and the next day you are out!” One hot spot of the moment is Sundance Place, which was recommended to me by one of the coolest girls I know, Amy Aleha, radio star over at TBS.
Sundance Place
Sundance Place
Sundance Place
Sundance Place
Sundance Place
Sundance Place
Sundance place is located right at the top of Gyeongridan, on the main road that runs along Namsan Park. Being on the mountain top it has fabulous views of the city below, and has a very Ibiza kinda feel to it. Think palm trees, lots of wood and gold, and canvas awnings. The are actually two different floors, upstairs is a cafe, whilst downstairs is for dining. We were hoping to sit upstairs as I thought it was the cooler spot of the two, but were directed down to the patio.
Once seated we were presented with the menu, and were immediately surprised by the eye watering prices. Clearly a room with a view comes with a hefty price tag. The menu itself is a rather odd mix of dishes too, like they had taken their favourite dishes from Europe and Japan and thrown them all together. It was quite busy when we were there and from looking around the pizzas, egg waffles, and open sandwiches looked like the most popular choices, so we opted for the Open Sandwich Set (25,000).
Whilst we were waiting for our food we got a couple of drinks. Again these drinks are on the expensive side of pricey, I ordered the San Pellegroino Limonata (9,000), while my companion had an Ice Peppermint Tea (8,000). Clearly sitting outside in the sunshine comes with a serious premium. The non-alcoholic drinks all varied between 7,000 – 11,000. Whilst the beers and house wine ran between 10,000 -16,000.
After spending time taking selfies our Open Sandwich Set (25,000), turned up. Our four piece selection included sundried tomato pesto, banana walnut, strawberry prosciutto, and pesto avocado. We started with the sundried tomato which was our resounding favourite. The tomatoes were slightly juicy which gave a pop of flavour, we also enjoyed the bread and the mascarpone spread they were sitting on. Our second favourite was the avocado, which was topped with chilli flakes. Personally I cared for this less than I thought, even though the avocado was perfectly ripe, I didn’t really need the pesto or chilli, as it kind of overwhelmed it. The two fruit options we enjoyed the least, I don’t need to eat fruit on bread, and if they hadn’t come as a set I never would have ordered them. I realised after that if you prefer you can just get two pieces with the topping of your choice for 18,000, which I would probably be more inclined to do if I came again.
Overall I really liked the space and vibe at Sundance Place, but the menu and drinks selection were quite a let down, not to mention the overinflated prices. If you still want to check it out, I’d advise eating somewhere else first like The Royal food & Drink, which is nearby-ish, then coming for beers or wine which you are able to drink on the upper floors.
Sundance Place is located at 268, Sowol-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. To get there, you are best taking a bus or taxi to the Grand Hyatt and walking or directing them from there. Otherwise it is a very long walk from Noksapyeong or Hangangjin station. For more information you can call them on 02-790-2292 or check out their Instagram page. They are open everyday from 12pm-11pm.