Haemsi

About

Hip, signless fourth-floor wine bar in Cheonho featuring large windows, sunset views, and fusion Western small plates.

Tucked away on the fourth floor of an unassuming building near Cheonho Station, Haeimsi feels like a hidden enclave borrowed straight from Seongsu-dong. With no prominent street signage to mark its presence, reaching this hideaway requires climbing past hair salons and fast-food fronts until a doorway flanked by empty bottles reveals an open kitchen, sleek transparent chairs, and wide picture windows framing the evening sunset. It is an airy, mood-lit dining bar that seamlessly caters to casual group gatherings, blind dates, and wine-focused evenings. The kitchen leans into Western comfort fare infused with distinctly Korean touches. Its standout plate is the *polpo*, featuring tender domestic octopus that is slow-boiled and then crisped, paired with golden baby potatoes, fried shallots, and a homemade spicy mayonnaise cut with pickled garlic. It pairs naturally with a chilled pour of white wine. Pasta options display similar playfulness: the signature *gang-doenjang* ragù pasta layers rich minced pork and fermented soybean paste with perilla leaves, a silky poached egg, and a subtle lacing of mala oil that delivers a gentle numbing hum rather than overt funk. Haeimsi serves rice alongside the pasta so diners can scrape up every last bit of the textured sauce. For a brighter palate, the burrata basil pesto pasta arrives topped with a generous mound of creamy cheese, while the thick-bacon cream pasta leans savory and dense. A well-rounded drinks menu anchors the experience, spanning wines, peach highballs, and draft selections, backed by an ordering policy that expects each guest to select a beverage. Pet-friendly and spacious enough for full-venue bookings, Haeimsi delivers a polished alternative to the standard tavern crawl in Gangdong-gu.