Hongdae is one of Seoul's biggest party areas. There are several streets lined with bars and clubs, which are popular with young Koreans and Westerners alike. Carne station lies just a couple of blocks from the heart of this and is seen by many as the perfect start to an evening out.

The food is nothing spectacular. There is plenty of Western fare on offer including burgers, pasta, fajitas, and salads as well as Korean barbecue-style food such as the baconesque sangyopsal and the rib based kalbi. However, no matter if things aren't the greatest you've ever tasted they are good enough to make you want to head back for more and the beauty of Carne Sation is that you can do that as many times as you so desire.

A similar situation exists with drinks. The beer may not be the best. The draughts are the perennially poor Red rock and Cass, the lesser of Korea's three major domestic beers. To compensate for this, the supply is inexhaustible - believe me I tried to drink them dry - and the glasses are iced so each beer goes down nice and cold.

The only drawback I can find for Carne Station is that it closes its doors at the frighteningly early hour of ten at night, meaning you need to get there early, and on weekends reservations may not be the worst of ideas. BUT, if you can eat and drink all the decent food and beer you want in a pleasant environment, that is not the greatest of drawbacks. There is even the school of thought that reads that by ten you should be leaving anyway and heading into the pumping nightlife of Hongdae.