Reviewed by Rachel Lim ETA’12-13
City: Seoul (서울)
Restaurant name: Mies Container (미즈컨테이너)
Restaurant address: 서울시 강남구 서초동 1316-29 타임빌딩 1층
Directions: Come out exit 9 of Gangnam metro station. Walk about one block; take a right at the Seven Eleven. The restaurant will be on your left.
Food Served: Western-style entrees with a Korean kick.
Payment: Cash or credit card
Price: Dishes range from ₩10,000-₩20,000.
Mies Container is Gangnam personified. On a typical weekend evening, lines of high-heeled women snake out the restaurant and curve around the block. Once inside, the restaurant’s interior features an open loft concept, low-hanging piping and lots of corrugated aluminum that gives the place a hip, industrial vibe. Staffed only by handsome male waiters, all of whom smile jauntily and wink while recommending their favorite menu items, Mies Container is a perennial favorite for Korean women looking for a girls’ night out.
Mies Container is worth a visit just for the atmosphere, but the quality of the food is an added bonus as well. The restaurant has an incredible 9.98/10.00 rating on Wingspoon, the Korean version of Yelp, and features Western-style fare with a Korean twist. Our waiter recommended the salad pasta–cold spaghetti noodles, romaine lettuce, spinach, corn and bacon bits tossed in an Asian-style vinaigrette. The other Mies specialty are the “spoon pizzas,” layers of cheese on a thin, barely there crust. They’re meant to be eaten with a spoon, not sliced and served. We also ordered garlic french fries, which were thin, crispy, and drenched in minced garlic. All servings were large and attractively plated.
Atmosphere (Out of 5)
5- The restaurant’s interior won the prestigious Red Dot design award a few years ago, and the combination of dressed-to-kill patrons and hunky waiters makes for great people watching.
Service (Out of 5)
3 – After ordering food at the counter, you are given a construction helmet with a number on it in lieu of the traditional buzzer. And while the wait staff is attentive and friendly, it can often be difficult to flag them down.
Food (Out of 5)
4 – The Koreanesque Italian food won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I found the generously portioned entrees to be delicious and worth the price.
Very cool All servings are large and attractive.