Jeonju restaurant for perilla octopus capellini and wine: Adam

An evening when I wanted wine and pasta in Jeonju’s Gaekridan-gil

While traveling in Jeonju with my mom, I looked for somewhere with a little atmosphere for wine and pasta at dinner. I learned about Gaekridan-gil, near Hanok Village, where lots of trendy spots have gathered lately, and reserved Adam, where you can enjoy unusual pasta alongside wine.

The atmosphere was anything but ordinary from the exterior! I’d visited Jeonju several times, but this was my first time in Gaekridan-gil. There were so many stylish, trendy places here that I thought, wow, there are plenty of places worth coming to beyond Hanok Village.

Vintage brick walls and soft lighting inside

I thought it would be relaxed on a Sunday evening, but there were more guests than expected, and I loved the interior once I stepped in. The walls had vintage-feeling brick, with wooden tables and black chairs, and the soft lighting made the overall mood warm and calm. There was also a sofa-style seating area on one side, which looked nice for a date or a long conversation over a family meal.

The food comes out a little slowly

It has an open kitchen, so you can watch the food being made, and since it is run by one chef, the food comes out a little slowly. There were two parties ahead of us that day, so we waited about 30 minutes, but they brought our wine first. Chatting with my mom about our Jeonju trip over a glass of wine made the wait better than expected. I think it is best to visit when you have some time to spare.

It was hard to check the wine menu in advance on Naver, but when I saw it there, many bottles were in the ₩30,000–₩60,000 range, which felt more reasonable than expected. So we ordered a bottle. I usually prefer white wine, but they had run out of it that day, so I chose red for the first time in a while: Piccini Memoro Red, ₩32,000.

• Tomato pasta ₩14,500
• White ragù pasta ₩19,500
• Perilla oil salted-octopus capellini ₩9,500
• Order complete

A salad and pretzels are served before the meal. The salad had fresh greens with balsamic glaze and a bright, tangy sauce; the sauce was not excessive, making it a nice appetite-opening appetizer.

Rich but not heavy white ragù pasta

The white ragù pasta came out first! Its thick, rich ragù clung well to the noodles, with a nutty and deeply savory flavor.

The cream sauce did not feel overly heavy, even with wine, and the sauce itself was so flavorful that I kept reaching for it.

Fresh tomato pasta with red wine

I loved that the tomato pasta had a strong fresh-tomato-sauce feel. It was not the dull, heavy tomato sauce you often get; it went down lightly while still tasting quite rich, which was impressive.

It was seasoned a little boldly, but that actually worked well with the red wine. The sauce was good enough to make me think it would be delicious on a Margherita pizza, too.

The perilla oil salted-octopus capellini we finished first

The last thing we ordered was the perilla oil salted-octopus capellini from the side menu! I had debated getting grilled cabbage, but chose this because it was unusual—and the portion was quite generous for a side.

The red wine was dry, but not overly acidic or heavy-bodied, so it paired nicely with the pasta. Above all, I liked that a bottle in the ₩30,000 range felt easy to order without too much pressure.

The nutty fragrance of perilla oil came through, followed by the salty, slightly spicy flavor of salted octopus, and the combination worked far better than I expected.

Maybe because it was cold pasta, it also felt a little like bibim guksu (mixed noodles) with salted octopus. It had Korean-style flavors but still the refined feel of pasta, which was fun. The spicy note between the pastas we had eaten kept it from becoming tiring, and we ended up emptying this bowl first.

Overall, the food quality was good, and I liked that the menu offered distinctive combinations rather than only familiar Western dishes! It was quiet and atmospheric, so rather than rushing through a meal, I recommend Adam if you are looking for a great Gaekridan-gil restaurant in Jeonju where you can linger over a glass of wine.