[RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK] Kamar brings Southeast Asian flair north of Itaewon-ro

The newly opened restaurant Kamar provides impressive views of central Seoul’s Itaewon area. Korea Times photo by Audrey Tay

By Audrey Tay

Nestled above the bustling alleys of central Seoul’s multicultural Itaewon is Kamar, a newly opened fusion restaurant and dining bar offering flavors reminiscent of Southeast Asia.

Walking into Kamar feels like stepping into somebody’s room. Unlike the typical Instagram-friendly spots with their carefully curated aesthetics, Kamar (which fittingly translates to ‘room’ in Malay) is an eclectic mix of different elements. Amid the stunning night view, cozy interior, nostalgic music and fragrant aroma of food… sits a DJ booth. Much like its location, Kamar’s identity is thematically ambiguous — hard to pin down. No one knows what it is exactly, yet somehow everything falls into place, and being in its presence is very comforting.

To start we ordered a steamed tom yam seafood dish (29,000 won) to share. Needless to say, they were not joking about the seafood. In the best way possible, it tasted the way it looked, with fresh mussels, clams and shrimp adding a delightful fragrance to the already-tangy broth.

Steamed tom yam seafood at Kamar / Korea Times photo by Audrey Tay

And then came the highlight of my day: the chopped pork rice bowl (15,000 won). We devoured this unsuspecting dish at first bite, so good that we nearly forgot the chef’s instructions to mix in the chili sauce on the side. The sauce added an exquisite hint of acidity and — to our pleasant surprise — further elevated the savory flavors of the minced pork and sunny-side-up egg. Anyone can cook, but who else can really make a chopped pork rice bowl this good?

Chopped pork rice bowl at Kamar / Korea Times photo by Audrey Tay

Next, we had the mee goreng basah (18,000 won), or “wet fried noodles” in English. Now, I know — the visuals of the dish might seem rather overwhelming to someone unfamiliar with Southeast Asian or Southern Chinese cuisine. However, as a Southeast Asian, I found it offered a familiar taste of warm gravy, fish cake, bok choy, shrimp and intentionally slightly burnt fried noodles. While this was not my favorite dish back home, the unexpected diversity in cuisine felt reassuring.

Mee goreng basah / Korea Times photo by Audrey Tay

In regard to drinks, Kamar offers a diverse selection of wines and cocktails. We only had the gin and tonic, which did turn out to be quite good.

Kamar is the place to be if you’re looking for a sleek yet cozy dining environment … or simply a really good bowl of chopped pork rice.

The bar at Kamar / Korea Times photo by Audrey Tay

Kamar is open from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. every day of the week except Monday. Visit @kamar_seoul on Instagram for more information.

Audrey Tay is an intern at The Korea Times. After coming here from Singapore, she graduated from Hanyang University, where she majored in film and international studies.