visitseoul.net

"Romance is a Bonus Book" is a drama about people who work for a book publishing company. The love story between Dan-i (Lee Na-young), a once-successful copywriter that had to take a break in the midst of her success and is now fighting each day as a contract employee, and Eun-ho (Lee Jong-suk), the handsome youngest chief editor in the field that publishes only bestsellers, seizes the hearts of viewers. Let’s visit the restaurants in Seoul featured in the drama where each episode became all the more romantic.

Dan-i and Eun-ho’s favorite udon restaurant

Soba Restaurant

This is the restaurant that was often featured as the main characters’ go-to dinner spot. In particular, the dinner that Eun-ho, Dan-i, and Seo-joon (Wi Ha-joon) shared on episode 6, where Eun-ho becomes so jealous of the other two, made all the viewers smile. This restaurant became even more popular when it was featured in TV shows like 'Bob Bless You' as one of the best restaurants in Seongsu-dong. They are most well-known for their cold soba noodles with abalone and prawns. Their unique noodle-making process creates delicious and filling noodles that will draw you in more and more with each bite. Do not forget to take a photo by the entrance that is so often featured in the drama.

Falling in love with delicious salmon

Dotori Brothers

Seon-ha Dumplings, the restaurant owned by Hae Rin (Jung Yoo-jin)’s parents in the drama, is actually a Japanese restaurant called ‘Dotori Brothers’. Even before the drama aired, this restaurant has been so popular that there is a separate waiting area. The restaurant has an antique feel, as it is in a renovated hanok house, and the adorable acorn, or dotori, drawn on the sign and menus will make you smile. There are English translations available along with photos of the food, so foreign visitors will not have any difficulty with ordering. Their signature menu is the egg salmon set, which comes with fresh salmon on top of rice, avocado, a salmon-don with a poached egg on top, and some side dishes. The salmon-don will just melt in your mouth.

Where Dan-i realizes her feelings for Eun-ho

Royal Saloon

1In episode 10, Seo-joon hurts himself while cooking, but Dan-i does not give him a bandage, knowing that it would bother Eun-ho. Viewers were more than excited to see that Dan-i was finally realizing her feelings towards Eun-ho. This scene was filmed at ‘Royal Saloon’, a restaurant in Yeonhui-dong. It is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For breakfast, they serve toast with fruits and salads. When you walk into the restaurant, the old telephone, record player, wooden tables, and other vintage paraphernalia will make you feel as if you have travelled back in time. The main menu here is omurice, a sweet-and-sour fried rice dish with a soft egg on top. The Royal Saloon Set lets you have the Hamburg steak, pork cutlet, deep fried shrimp, and chicken all at once. Everything comes in large servings and is delicious.

A cute little café right by Seo-joon’s home

Thanks, Oat

Seo-joon lives right above a cute little café that looks like it came out of a fairytale. This café is ‘Thanks, Oat’, located in Yeonnam-dong, and is a homemade Greek yogurt café. They make their own yogurt and granola daily without any preservatives or additives, providing a healthy and fresh menu. You can try new and unique yogurt flavors made from different combinations. The most popular menu is the strawberry rare cheese, which is a tasty dish consisting of yogurt topped with granola, fresh strawberries, cheese, and agave syrup. Besides the yogurt, there are also various types of latte, fruit tea, and fruit ades, although they do not sell coffee. The monthly special menu is shown at the entrance, so be sure to check it out.