Simple Tokyo • 심플도쿄

Simple Tokyo (심플도쿄) was a small homestyle Japanese-fusion restaurant in Ikseon-dong (익선동) that I visited a couple of years ago for a dinner with a friend. The restaurant occupied a small space that was decorated beautifully with white light panels, wooden hanok inspired structure, green bamboo plants, and marble tables and white chairs that were placed on a Japanese zen garden inspired flooring. If you pass by this place during night time, the lights from inside definitely will catch you eyes and that's exactly why me and my friend decided to eat here.

We both ordered their Beef Brisket Nabe Udon (차돌 나베 우동) and it was really good. It came with shiitake and oyster mushroom, cabbage, and plenty of leeks on top. The broth was super rich and flavorful, the meat was tender and the portion was pretty fulfilling. It was a perfect meal for a cold night.

Unfortunately, the restaurant has closed a year or so after its opening because the last time I passed by this location, the space has been emptied out. Even so, thought I share the pictures from this place because the interior was pretty.

Simple Tokyo • 심플도쿄 (CLOSED)

Instagram: @simpletokyo_official

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12 months • 열두달

Eating at 12 months (열두달) is like eating in a mini cafeteria. The hanok restaurant that’s located at Ikseon-dong (익선동) actually housed 6 different brands that have different menus that focus on different things ranging from meat, pasta, vegetables to drinks. It’s actually a great concept for a group of people who might have different cravings but still want to eat together because you can just select from the different concept menus that they have.

The interior of the place is also very homey. Maybe because the original structure of the hanok is kept so I felt like stepping into someone’s house. I also like how they have different sections of seatings, from the middle area that’s lit by the natural lighting from the glass ceiling above to the more private seatings that are divided by shelves and walls.

The first time I went to 12 months (열두달) was when it was just opened. There’s always a line in front of the place on the weekends so I decided to go during odd hours on a weekday to avoid the queue. Sure enough, the place was not too busy when I got there. There were still people eating, but at least I don’t have to wait in line. After looking through their menu, I ended up ordering ROOT’s creamy mushroom pasta and it was delicious. The portion was pretty big, the sauce was the right amount of creamy with earthy flavors and it was topped with generous serving of sliced mushrooms. I’ve been back a couple of times since then with my friends and they all seemed to like the food there. Unfortunately, I think the place just closed recently and has been replaced by another store because I can no longer find it on the map.

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