KMK: La Creperie Maurina Groove Article

La Creperie Maurina

By Brian Dye https://kissmykimchi.com

Finding something new and different for dinner in Seoul can be a challenge. This city of millions with Western and Eastern influences converging in a confluence of gastric energies makes finding something new almost impossible. Well, as the saying goes: almost doesn’t count. And I’m glad it doesn’t. Otherwise I might not have stumbled upon the splendor of La Creperie Maurina.

I came across this flirty French bistro just off Garousu-gil in Sinsa-dong. It stood before me as if it had just been plucked off the streets of Paris. It may well have been since proprietor Jung Moon-gon lived in Paris for fourteen years. While in France to study music composition he fell in love with the language, the land, and most especially the food. He honed his culinary skills cooking for friends and upon his return to Seoul channeled his love for French food into La Creperie Maurina. Its doors opened in April of 2009 and have been attracting a growing following ever since.

You see, La Creperie Maurina specializes in something missing from the dining scene in Seoul: crepes! These ultra thin pancakes originate in the Brittany region of Northwest France. They’re considered a national dish and can be dressed down and served simply or tarted up as crepes Suzette. Jung Moon-gon gives his patrons a choice between savory or sweet crepes. If you go the savory route expect choices like the Sunrise with bacon, ham, egg white, cheddar cheese and onions; the Norwegian with salmon and capers; or the Parisian with emmental cheese, ham and mushrooms. For something more on the sweet side you can choose between spicy sugar, lemon tear drop, cherrysh, or the ever cute thank strawberry much. Crepes will set you back between 12,000W to 15,000W. An extra 3,000W your savory crepe selection can include a side salad.

If you just don’t find crepes to your liking then there is the Maurina Pizza for a scant 13,000W. Though, I recommend you forgo the pizza and instead order the house specialty: French onion soup. It’s absolutely divine. Pair it with the house salad (a mélange of greens, penne pasta, and fresh vegetables doused in vinaigrette) and you’ll wish you had an extra set of taste buds to enjoy the flavor longer. Both the soup and the salad cost 8,000W.

On the horizon Jung Moo-gon plans on introducing a duo of new menu items. For lunch he’s adding bolognese pasta. For dinner he’s getting a little more ambitious with Boeuf Bourguignon also known as beef burgundy. The dish will be accompanied by a salad and will be priced at 45,000W. Reservations for the beef burgundy must be made at least a day in advance.

La Creperie Maurina is an unexpected treat in the Seoul dining landscape. Mr. Jung offers something that stands apart from the traditional fare and serves it with style and grace. His restaurant has already become a quiet hot spot, enticing local French expats inside for a taste of home. Why not don a beret and join them?

La Creperie Maurina

524-33 Sinsa-dong 1F

Gangnam-gu

02 541-8283

Hours Noon to 11pm Tues to Sunday Closed Monday

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