Mum Aroy

Thai food is hot hot hot in Seoul right now, and Mum Aroy opened mid-2014 in the thick of it. Fortunately for us, it’s a delicious addition to the scene, and well worth visiting if you’re looking for a good pad thai in Hongdae. Husband and wife team Kim Ji-hoon and Gil Seung-mi both trained as chefs (he in Japanese cuisine, she in Italian), but learned Thai cuisine by working with Thai chefs who had themselves worked in upscale Bangkok hotel restaurants. Two signs they're onto something good: Mum Aroy imports noodles and spices direct from Thailand, and they do pad thai the original way: they soak, strain and boil sticky tamarind for two hours to get the sauce just right.