Avoiding the Five Pungent Vegetables: Meaning, History and Ingredients
The meaning and history of avoiding the five pungent vegetables, the ingredients included and regional differences, and ways to build flavor without them.
Read the storyMahina Vegan Table · Garosu-gil, Seoul
Mahina
Journal
A closer look at Seoul, plant-based food, classical music and contemporary art.
Categories
Today at Mahina
Mahina Vegan Table · Garosu-gil
Meet us in Garosu-gil2F, 75 Nonhyeon-ro 175-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaMahina Journal · Most read
Stories to explore
Mahina Journal · Latest
Latest stories
Browse recently published stories by subject.
12 Korean Phrases to Show When Ordering Vegan Food in Seoul
When explaining your needs aloud is difficult, choose the phrase you need and show it on your screen. Each card brings together the Korean sentence, romanised pronunciation, English meaning and suggested use.
Continue reading
Jacqueline du Pré and Elgar's Cello Concerto: Why the 1965 Recording Endures
How did a recording by a twenty-year-old cellist make the work and performer so closely associated in listeners' minds? Follow it by ear, from the opening four chords to the final recollection.
Continue reading
Wrappers Collected in 20 Countries and 30 City Works: Why the Numbers Differ
The wrappers were collected in 20 countries, while the completed series contains 30 city-titled works. Counting the country names in those 30 titles without repetition produces 18.
Continue reading
Can You Visit Mahina Vegan Table Without a Reservation? Walk-ins, Waiting and Window Seating
You are welcome to visit without a reservation. If the timing or seating matters, reserving through Naver or CatchTable can reduce uncertainty on the day.
Continue reading
3 Days, 2 Nights in Seoul, with Time for an Unhurried Meal
Rather than packing in as many sights as possible, this Seoul itinerary divides the city into areas and reserves generous time for one meal each day.
Continue reading
Roman-style Carbonara without Egg or Dairy: Where Does the Sauce’s Body Come From?
In a Roman-style Carbonara made without egg or dairy, the sauce’s ability to coat the spaghetti evenly is central. Vegan bacon and vegan Parmesan powder add their own flavour and texture.
Continue reading
Why Does Porcini Have Tiny Pores Rather Than Gills Under Its Cap?
Porcini has a surface formed by countless tubes beneath its cap rather than thin gills. Understanding this structure, the way it lives in the forest and the volatile compounds behind its aroma brings the mushroom's form on the plate into sharper focus.
Continue reading
Seong-Jin Cho in Debussy's Reflets dans l'eau: Ripples and Light Made at the Piano
There is no water or light inside a piano, so why can this music suggest a trembling surface? Follow its small three-note motif and the figures that spread around it.
Continue reading
Tiny Diamonds, Not Powder: A Surface That Sparkles in Different Directions under the Light
The sparkle across the wrapper is not a single, uniform sheen. Tiny diamonds, the lighting and the viewer's position meet to make different points brighten in turn.
Continue reading
Planning a Group Visit to Mahina Vegan Table: Guest Numbers, Menu Format and Arrival Details
As a group grows, choosing a date and reserving seats is no longer enough. Please coordinate the guest count, menu format and arrival details in advance so that the restaurant can prepare properly.
Continue reading
Pour-Over Coffee: Extraction Principles and Five Recipes for Adjusting Flavor
An introduction to pour-over extraction, water, grind size and drippers, with recipes for hot and iced coffee.
Continue readingAvoiding the Five Pungent Vegetables: Meaning, History and Ingredients
The meaning and history of avoiding the five pungent vegetables, the ingredients included and regional differences, and ways to build flavor without them.
Continue reading
Arrival Day at Incheon Airport: How to Plan the Time to Dinner in Garosu-gil
A flight's arrival time is not the time you will reach the restaurant. Breaking an unpredictable arrival day into stages makes an evening plan far more realistic.
Continue reading
The Sound of Chanterelles Cooking for Chanterelle Pasta
The moment chanterelles meet a hot cooking surface, moisture inside the mushrooms moves and bubbles form, sometimes producing brief sounds. Once grilled, the chanterelles add a distinct shape and springy bite alongside the spaghetti.
Continue reading
Is a Shallot Just a Small Onion? Its Clustered Structure and Aroma
A shallot is not simply an immature onion. It is a close relative, but several bulbs characteristically grow together from one plant, while skin colour, shape and aromatic intensity vary by cultivar.
Continue reading
Michelangeli in Debussy's Hommage à Rameau: A Slow Sarabande Heard Note by Note
How do the beats of a slow sarabande and the spaces between its chords remain connected? Listen in turn to three voices and their resonance in Michelangeli's recording.
Continue reading
Why the Title ‘A Clue to the Recovery of Authenticity’ Continues across Different Works
The shared title does not bind distinct works to the same conclusion. It is a continuing question that establishes new points of departure for approaching authenticity through people, objects and events.
Continue reading
Lunch and Dinner at Mahina Vegan Table: Times and Menus to Check before Booking
Lunch and dinner differ in more than their opening and closing times. Checking last orders, the interval between services, available reservation times and the current menu together makes it much easier to plan a day in Seoul.
Continue reading
Espresso Machine History and Design: Boilers, Pumps and Extraction
Explore espresso machine history, how pumps and boilers work, and the differences between single-boiler, heat-exchanger and dual-boiler systems, with explanatory diagrams.
Continue reading
Gimpo Airport to Garosu-gil: Choosing a Route by Luggage and Transfers
The route you can manage comfortably may be a better choice than the nominally fastest one. After arriving at Gimpo Airport, begin with your luggage and the number of transfers.
Continue reading
Porcini Pasta: Tasting Grilled Porcini with Tomato Sauce
Tomato sauce forms the foundation of the spaghetti, while broad pieces of grilled porcini add a distinct bite and deep mushroom aroma. Fresh basil and arugula leave a bright finish.
Continue reading
Why Chanterelle Ridges Do Not Separate Like Blades
The lines beneath a chanterelle cap differ from the thin gills of a button mushroom. Blunt ridges continuous with the flesh descend along the stem and, together with the wavy cap, form an important part of the chanterelle's shape.
Continue reading
Sabine Meyer and Mozart's Clarinet Concerto: The Low Notes Restored by the Basset Clarinet
How does an instrument that descends below the familiar clarinet change Mozart's melodies? Hear the difference between the reconstructed basset-clarinet version and the traditional clarinet version.
Continue reading
How Hamburger Wrappers Collected from Cities Around the World Became an Artist's Material
Wrappers once used for a meal and destined to be discarded travelled through a network of collectors to Seoul, where city names and a new surface transformed them into works of art in 2013.
Continue readingMahina Journal · Sections
Explore by subject
Seoul Travel
Seoul Travel Guide
12 Korean Phrases to Show When Ordering Vegan Food in Seoul
When explaining your needs aloud is difficult, choose the phrase you need and show it on your screen. Each card brings together the Korean sentence, romanised pronunciation, English meaning and suggested use.
Continue reading3 Days, 2 Nights in Seoul, with Time for an Unhurried Meal
Rather than packing in as many sights as possible, this Seoul itinerary divides the city into areas and reserves generous time for one meal each day.
Continue readingArrival Day at Incheon Airport: How to Plan the Time to Dinner in Garosu-gil
A flight's arrival time is not the time you will reach the restaurant. Breaking an unpredictable arrival day into stages makes an evening plan far more realistic.
Continue readingGimpo Airport to Garosu-gil: Choosing a Route by Luggage and Transfers
The route you can manage comfortably may be a better choice than the nominally fastest one. After arriving at Gimpo Airport, begin with your luggage and the number of transfers.
Continue readingPlant-Based Food
Mahina’s Plant-Based Cooking
Grilled Pineapple Burger: How Well-grilled Pineapple Supports a Vegan Patty
In Mahina Vegan Table’s Grilled Pineapple Burger, the pineapple does not replace the patty. It adds a layer of acidity, moisture and grilled-fruit aroma to the satisfying centre created by the patty and bun.
Continue readingRoman-style Carbonara without Egg or Dairy: Where Does the Sauce’s Body Come From?
In a Roman-style Carbonara made without egg or dairy, the sauce’s ability to coat the spaghetti evenly is central. Vegan bacon and vegan Parmesan powder add their own flavour and texture.
Continue readingThe Sound of Chanterelles Cooking for Chanterelle Pasta
The moment chanterelles meet a hot cooking surface, moisture inside the mushrooms moves and bubbles form, sometimes producing brief sounds. Once grilled, the chanterelles add a distinct shape and springy bite alongside the spaghetti.
Continue readingPorcini Pasta: Tasting Grilled Porcini with Tomato Sauce
Tomato sauce forms the foundation of the spaghetti, while broad pieces of grilled porcini add a distinct bite and deep mushroom aroma. Fresh basil and arugula leave a bright finish.
Continue readingIngredients
Ingredient Notes
Pasta Shapes, Cooking Times and Sauce Pairings
Explore pasta shapes through real photographs, the differences between dried and fresh pasta, cooking times and complementary sauces.
Continue readingWhy Does Porcini Have Tiny Pores Rather Than Gills Under Its Cap?
Porcini has a surface formed by countless tubes beneath its cap rather than thin gills. Understanding this structure, the way it lives in the forest and the volatile compounds behind its aroma brings the mushroom's form on the plate into sharper focus.
Continue readingIs a Shallot Just a Small Onion? Its Clustered Structure and Aroma
A shallot is not simply an immature onion. It is a close relative, but several bulbs characteristically grow together from one plant, while skin colour, shape and aromatic intensity vary by cultivar.
Continue readingWhy Chanterelle Ridges Do Not Separate Like Blades
The lines beneath a chanterelle cap differ from the thin gills of a button mushroom. Blunt ridges continuous with the flesh descend along the stem and, together with the wavy cap, form an important part of the chanterelle's shape.
Continue readingClassical Music
Classical Music at Mahina
Jacqueline du Pré and Elgar's Cello Concerto: Why the 1965 Recording Endures
How did a recording by a twenty-year-old cellist make the work and performer so closely associated in listeners' minds? Follow it by ear, from the opening four chords to the final recollection.
Continue readingSeong-Jin Cho in Debussy's Reflets dans l'eau: Ripples and Light Made at the Piano
There is no water or light inside a piano, so why can this music suggest a trembling surface? Follow its small three-note motif and the figures that spread around it.
Continue readingMichelangeli in Debussy's Hommage à Rameau: A Slow Sarabande Heard Note by Note
How do the beats of a slow sarabande and the spaces between its chords remain connected? Listen in turn to three voices and their resonance in Michelangeli's recording.
Continue readingSabine Meyer and Mozart's Clarinet Concerto: The Low Notes Restored by the Basset Clarinet
How does an instrument that descends below the familiar clarinet change Mozart's melodies? Hear the difference between the reconstructed basset-clarinet version and the traditional clarinet version.
Continue readingContemporary Art
Kim Hongrok & Contemporary Art
Wrappers Collected in 20 Countries and 30 City Works: Why the Numbers Differ
The wrappers were collected in 20 countries, while the completed series contains 30 city-titled works. Counting the country names in those 30 titles without repetition produces 18.
Continue readingTiny Diamonds, Not Powder: A Surface That Sparkles in Different Directions under the Light
The sparkle across the wrapper is not a single, uniform sheen. Tiny diamonds, the lighting and the viewer's position meet to make different points brighten in turn.
Continue readingWhy the Title ‘A Clue to the Recovery of Authenticity’ Continues across Different Works
The shared title does not bind distinct works to the same conclusion. It is a continuing question that establishes new points of departure for approaching authenticity through people, objects and events.
Continue readingHow Hamburger Wrappers Collected from Cities Around the World Became an Artist's Material
Wrappers once used for a meal and destined to be discarded travelled through a network of collectors to Seoul, where city names and a new surface transformed them into works of art in 2013.
Continue readingPlan a Visit
Reservations & Visiting
Can You Visit Mahina Vegan Table Without a Reservation? Walk-ins, Waiting and Window Seating
You are welcome to visit without a reservation. If the timing or seating matters, reserving through Naver or CatchTable can reduce uncertainty on the day.
Continue readingPlanning a Group Visit to Mahina Vegan Table: Guest Numbers, Menu Format and Arrival Details
As a group grows, choosing a date and reserving seats is no longer enough. Please coordinate the guest count, menu format and arrival details in advance so that the restaurant can prepare properly.
Continue readingLunch and Dinner at Mahina Vegan Table: Times and Menus to Check before Booking
Lunch and dinner differ in more than their opening and closing times. Checking last orders, the interval between services, available reservation times and the current menu together makes it much easier to plan a day in Seoul.
Continue reading
Parking near Mahina Vegan Table: How to Check Shingu Elementary School and Sinsa Station Public Parking
Save two public parking options near Mahina Vegan Table, then check Seoul Parking Information and the signs at the facility in sequence.
Continue readingCoffee, tea & wine
Coffee, tea & wine
Hawaiian Kona Coffee: Flavor and History on Volcanic Slopes
Explore Kona's growing region and climate on Hawaiʻi's Big Island, its coffee's flavor and history, and the difference between 100% Kona and Kona blends.
Continue readingPour-Over Coffee: Extraction Principles and Five Recipes for Adjusting Flavor
An introduction to pour-over extraction, water, grind size and drippers, with recipes for hot and iced coffee.
Continue readingEspresso Machine History and Design: Boilers, Pumps and Extraction
Explore espresso machine history, how pumps and boilers work, and the differences between single-boiler, heat-exchanger and dual-boiler systems, with explanatory diagrams.
Continue reading
Enjoying Espresso and Exploring Coffee Menus Around the World
Explore how to taste espresso, coffee cultures around the world, and the brewing methods and ingredients behind ristretto, lungo, americano, long black and other drinks.
Continue readingVegetarian culture
Vegetarian culture
Vegan and Vegetarian Population Shares by Country
Vegan and vegetarian population shares and trends by country, the different types of vegetarian diets, and patterns of plant-based food consumption.
Continue readingAvoiding the Five Pungent Vegetables: Meaning, History and Ingredients
The meaning and history of avoiding the five pungent vegetables, the ingredients included and regional differences, and ways to build flavor without them.
Continue reading