Scallop uni oil linguine and steak ragù pappardelle in Sunhwa-dong, Daejeon: Plate

I visited the Dunsan-dong branch not long ago, and since there's one near my house too, I took the chance to go again. Let me introduce Plate, a pasta restaurant in Sunhwa-dong, Daejeon, and how this branch feels different from the Dunsan-dong one.

Plate Sunhwa branch: hours and location

• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:30
• Address: 30 Jungang-ro 121beon-gil, 1st floor, Jung-gu, Daejeon, South Korea
• 342m from Jungangno Station Exit 6

Sunday, 7:30pm — how was the wait?

It's tucked away small in a corner of a Sunhwa-dong alley. Even the outside had a nice vibe — whether they were already decorating for Christmas or this is just how it looks year-round, I'm not totally sure haha😅 I visited around 7:30pm on a Sunday, and the inside was packed — we were number 1 in the queue. Unlike the Dunsan branch, there's a table-management kiosk here, so the wait was at least a bit more comfortable :)

Black and wood-tone interior

The interior is done in black and wood tones, and the dim lighting made the atmosphere feel even better. Sure enough, a lot of couples were visiting. I only managed to snap this photo after the crowd had thinned post-meal. Overall it's cozy but compact — about 8 tables for four — and there's a restroom inside too, so it has everything it needs!

The menu board and how to order

Here's the menu board at Plate, our pasta pick in Sunhwa-dong, Daejeon. A staff member comes over to explain how ordering works! First you pick which pasta you want, then choose the noodle to your taste. For pasta types there's Basic and Signature, and for noodles there's fresh and dried. We ordered the Signature scallop uni oil pasta with linguine, and the steak cream ragù with pappardelle — and added the set to just one of them (+₩4,000).

Plate's current events: 1. ₩1,000 off when paying by cash (bank transfer) over ₩30,000. 2. Ice cream with a Naver photo receipt review. They're running these, so take part :)

After ordering, they brought out water and pickles first — pretty pink pickles, along with salt and whole peppercorns on the side, and even a gorgeous-looking water bottle..🩵

The set: salad, corn cream soup, bushman bread

These are the three things that come with the set: Plate salad, house-made corn cream soup, and bushman bread. The salad dressing was fresh and tasty, and the house-made corn cream soup was, true to its name, full of corn flavor 🌽 The bushman bread came out warm with whipped cream on the side to go with it. It was a great way to build appetite before the meal, and the bread was so soft and sweet that my niece devoured it happily. Ordering the set is cheaper overall, and of course you can also add these à la carte (for an extra charge).

My own pasta, plated with such a flashy look. Doesn't it look incredibly appetizing?

Steak cream ragù + pappardelle

I picked the pappardelle — described as having a wide, doughy-dumpling texture — thinking it would pair well with the heavy sauce, and the noodles really were thick with a satisfying chew, which made it quite filling. The steak on top was cooked medium-rare but still tender, not tough at all. They gave a generous amount of sauce too, so there was plenty throughout, and dipping the leftover bushman bread into it made it even better.

Scallop uni oil pasta + linguine

And then the oil pasta topped with kkwarigochu peppers, scallop, and bay scallops. They put in two whole big scallops, plus the scallop meat was plump and full of seafood aroma, and the kkwarigochu peppers added a spicy kick that balanced nicely with what could otherwise be a heavy cream pasta. I ordered it with linguine, though honestly I couldn't quite tell if what came out was spaghetti or linguine (?) — either way, it went so well together that I enjoyed every bite 👏🏻

How it compares to the Dunsan branch

The overall vibe was different from the Dunsan branch, but the taste was satisfying at both locations. If you're looking for a good-atmosphere date restaurant around Daeheung or Sunhwa-dong, I'd recommend Plate, our pasta pick in Sunhwa-dong, Daejeon. Thanks for the meal today!