Up To Me Yeonnam Review: Australian Fine Dining in Seoul

Hi! Today I visited Up To Me Yeonnam, a fine-dining restaurant in Yeonnam-dong. It is an Australian-style restaurant in Yeonnam-dong, and since it offers course meals, I went with my parents for the first time in a while.

📍 Location: inside Yeonnam-dong. I came out of Hongik Univ. Station Exit 3 and walked; it felt like about 15 minutes. 📍 Parking: available in the space next to the restaurant. If it is full, use a nearby public parking lot. 📍 Hours: 12:00–22:00 Because Up To Me is a fine-dining course restaurant, I recommend reserving a time in advance. I booked ahead through Catch Table before visiting.

Go up to the second floor, and a deep blue door welcomes you.

The interior was really pretty. There was an open terrace and soft lighting. They had group seating, the tables were spaced widely, and because it is fine dining, every part felt comfortable and pleasant.

The seat we were shown to was an inside table with a framed picture of the Australian Opera House. I loved the lighting, the artwork, and the whole mood.

It was very hot that day, and the wet towel they gave us was extremely cool. After using just one towel, I felt my body heat drop. I had walked there in the heat, so it was nice to cool down quickly.

Up To Me’s menu was so pretty. It was shaped like a passport, so it felt like traveling. The course I experienced was “Regular Course 9 — Summer.”

This is the drink menu outside the course menu. There were various wines, beer, and nonalcoholic drinks. Since I visited during the day and did not feel like alcohol, I ordered an orange ade and a grapefruit ade.

Now I’ll start walking through the course.

The drinks I ordered came out first. I really liked that they were not too sweet. The orange ade was moderately sweet, while the grapefruit ade I ordered had a pleasantly bitter note, which made it even more my style. I was worried that overly sweet drinks might get in the way of the food, so this was a relief.

Amuse-bouche, Part 1

The first dish was finger food. All three kinds had a crisp texture: pink caviar, avocado puree, and cheese ball caviar. I only wrote the main ingredients, but the textures were good and the flavors felt new to me.

Amuse-bouche, Part 2

The second finger-food course included a maki roll with gamtae, vegan tteokgalbi, and chaji-bap rice; a tofu-skin chip topped with wasabi and pea puree; bread topped with maple syrup and Australian-style jam; and a juice with finely chopped cucumber and watermelon. The maki was really good. It was my first time trying vegan tteokgalbi, and I was surprised because it tasted better than I expected.

Vegetables and salad

Chili-parsley oil was poured around the outside, and inside was a sauce made with arugula and cilantro. The colorful pickles were carrot, radish, and beet, and I was told they were house-made. The butterfly-shaped chip was made from potato; it was so pretty that it almost felt too pretty to eat.

Up To Me pita bread & chimichurri

The pita bread was hollow inside, so I added chimichurri into it before eating. It was sweet and tangy, and it went well with the bread.

Australian T2 palate cleanser

The Australian T2 cleanser refreshed my palate. The blueberry sorbet topped with lemongrass foam was also quite tasty. It was a good way to reset before the next dish.

Service dish

The service dish was fried cauliflower. It had tomato sauce on top and also a curry aroma, so it was delicious.

Fish and chips

The fish was served as salmon. Since salmon is my favorite, I liked it even more. There was also apple foam and a chip made with red cabbage. Like the butterfly-shaped chip from earlier, there was also a fish-shaped potato chip. The salmon was very soft and delicious, and the pairing with the sauce was excellent.

Australian wagyu steak

This was Australian wagyu steak. The cut was salchisal, so it was very tender. It came with miso sauce and kale puree, which were good for dipping. It melted in the mouth.

Grilled pork green curry penne pasta

It had been a while since I had penne pasta. It had large pieces of soy meat, which made it even tastier, and the almonds and pistachios sprinkled around it made the pasta nuttier. Zucchini came with it, and it matched the pasta well.

Opera House and lamington

This was the dessert dish. I was told the ice cream was made with burdock tea, and I was surprised because it tasted much better than I expected. The chocolate lamington was finished with coconut powder; it was nutty and sweet, perfect for dessert. The Lotus crumbs and strawberry sorbet underneath were refreshing too.

The course changes by season, and I really enjoyed the “Regular Course 9 — Summer” that I experienced. It made me curious about what the fall, winter, and spring courses are like. My parents were satisfied, and I was very satisfied too, so I highly recommend Up To Me Yeonnam.

. . . #petfriendlyrestaurant #omakase #veganrestaurant #australiancoursemeal #seoulcoursemeal #coursemeal #korearestaurant #datespot #anniversary #finedining #restaurant #seasonalcoursemeal #revisit #yeonnamfinedining #hongdaefinedining #yeonnamdongomakase #hongdaeomakase #veganomakase #veganfinedining #hongdaerestaurant #yeonnamdongrestaurant #yeonnamdongpasta #yeonnamdongcoursemeal #mapoguveganrestaurant