Truffle gnocchi and oil pasta at a Gwangju Suwan restaurant: Bueokgan

A Western-style restaurant that's great for a Gwangju date

#paidmyself #visitedinperson

Today I'm sharing a great date-course spot in the Suwan district!

Bueokgan (Suwan Branch)

is where I went. Unfortunately there's no dedicated parking lot, so you have to park in a nearby alley,

and since it's a narrow alley, parking difficulty is pretty high... If you're a new driver, I'd suggest taking the bus instead.

Bueokgan Suwan Branch hours, break time and parking

Bueokgan Suwan Branch is open daily from 11:30 to 21:00, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00. Lunch last order is 14:30 and dinner last order is 20:20, so keep that in mind when planning your visit.

I visited Bueokgan Suwan Branch, a good spot in the Suwan district when you're craving pasta or a brunch menu.

What to order: truffle mushroom cream gnocchi and shrimp anchovy oil pasta

This time we ordered the truffle mushroom cream gnocchi, the shrimp anchovy oil pasta, and a grapefruit juice. Picking one cream dish and one oil pasta and eating them together turned out to be a really good combination.

When I look for pasta spots in Suwan, I often find places with similar menu lineups, so I liked that Bueokgan offers gnocchi and several other Western dishes alongside pasta. It's a place that works well whether you're grabbing lunch, going on a date, or just want to dress up a casual meal a bit.

How is the truffle mushroom cream gnocchi at Bueokgan Suwan?

The first dish we tried was the truffle mushroom cream gnocchi. The cream sauce is infused with mushroom and truffle aroma, so the savory scent hit us as soon as it landed on the table. The cream sauce itself was smooth and rich, pairing well with the gnocchi.

Gnocchi is definitely best eaten with plenty of sauce coated on it. With mushrooms mixed in, the texture was more varied than the sauce alone, and the distinctive truffle flavor added an overall rich, savory taste.

If you like cream-based dishes, this one should satisfy you without a doubt. It's especially good to order when you want something a bit different from pasta on the side.

Shrimp anchovy oil pasta: clean and light

Second up was the shrimp anchovy oil pasta. We ordered it alongside the cream gnocchi to avoid a combination where both dishes might feel too heavy, and in the end I think it was the right call.

The clean flavor typical of oil pasta was joined by the salty umami of anchovy, plus shrimp, so it wasn't as plain as I expected. Some people might worry that anchovy means a strong smell, but overall the

flavor was more like a natural boost of umami, so it wasn't overwhelming at all. Eating the shrimp with the noodles added a springy texture, and switching to the oil pasta after a few bites of the cream gnocchi changed things up in the mouth each time — the two dishes really complemented each other.

If you're looking for pasta options in the Suwan district, it might be worth trying an oil pasta like this one instead of just cream or tomato-based dishes.

Grapefruit juice to drink with the pasta

For the drink, we went with grapefruit juice. When you're eating creamy food like gnocchi or oil pasta, you start craving something refreshing in between bites, and the grapefruit juice did that job well.

The bright, tangy grapefruit flavor was great to sip between bites of food, and especially after the rich cream dish, it felt like it reset the palate — it matched this particular menu combination well.

Bueokgan Suwan from brunch to dinner in the Suwan district

You don't have to think of Bueokgan Suwan Branch as only a place to come for pasta. In this atmospheric space you can slowly enjoy gnocchi and pasta, so it also felt like a good fit for anyone looking for a brunch spot in the Suwan district.

It's a good place to meet up and eat with friends, and also works well when you want a nice atmosphere for a date meal. If you order several dishes to share, there's the added fun of trying a variety of items.

When I look for a Western restaurant in Gwangju, menu variety is something I personally weigh heavily. I prefer places that don't just have several kinds of pasta, but also things like pizza or gnocchi that you can order and share. In that sense, Bueokgan Suwan Branch is fine for a group ordering a variety of dishes, and also works well for two people ordering a couple of mains without feeling like too much.

Which dish should you choose at Bueokgan Suwan?

Of the dishes we tried this time, I'd recommend the truffle mushroom cream gnocchi if you like rich, savory flavors, and the shrimp anchovy oil pasta if you want something cleaner with more umami. Ordering both together lets you alternate between cream and oil, and personally I really liked that combination. Adding the grapefruit juice on top made the overall balance even better.

Bueokgan Suwan Branch is a good place to visit when you're looking for pasta in the Suwan district, need a nice brunch spot in Suwan, or are simply craving a Western meal in Gwangju. Next time, I'd like to try some of the other dishes we didn't get to this time.