Fugetsu, Japanese in Hongdae

(Directions and map at bottom of post)

Fugetsu is a popular Japanese restaurant in Hongdae. One of the main dishes served here is okonomiyaki. Okonomi means "what you like" and yaki means "grilled." Each table is equipped with its own grill. If you are new to Japanese cuisine (as we are) this would be a good place to start because your server cooks your food for you. I would not know where to begin to cook my own okonomiyaki.

The menu has many options to choose from. We ordered a beef modanyaki (okonomiyaki with noodles). The server mixed cabbage with egg and plopped it on the grill with some beef in the middle. After some time he added a layer of noodles and Katsuobushi (dried, fermented and smoked skipjack tuna). The paper-thin pink-brown shavings look alive as the heat causes them to wave and dance on top of the other ingredients. When the beef is cooked through the server flips the savory pancake and spreads a layer of mayo and okonomiyaki sauce on top. I never expected Japanese food to include mayonaise but the end result was quite delicious. It blended well with the sweet teriyaki/worcestershire-like okonomiyaki sauce.
In the picture below you can see that we also ordered a seafood soba noodle stirfry. It was a nice accompaniment to the other dish because it was a little plainer and not sauce heavy.
They did not have an English menu available to us so it's best to know some Korean, although the menu does have a lot of pictures to help you out if your knowledge of Korean is low.

Directions: Walk out Hongik University Station Exit 5. Take your first left (not the intersection with the KFC immediately when you come out, but the next left) and then your second right. I've seen some maps of Hongdae call this the "street you want to walk." You will have to walk for about 15 minutes passing many colorful shops and restaurants. Look for this building with a pig sign on the second floor:
It's across the street from a parking area. I tried to get a clear picture of the sign with the big pig but it's still a little difficult to make out. Here's a map to help you out:

View Fugetsu in a larger map