Mangwon Station fine dining: 55,000-won 9-course lunch at Noju

I'm Romi — big appetite, small stomach >_<

Today I want to introduce a great-value fine dining spot near Mangwon Station! It was my mom's birthday and I wanted somewhere with a nice atmosphere to eat, and I happened to find this place!! They run their courses around seasonal ingredients, so it's an even better place to visit for anniversaries or birthdays haha. Let me give you an honest review!

Where is Noju, and how do you walk there from Mangwon Station?

Noju is on the 2nd floor at 56 Donggyo-ro 9-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, just 145m from Mangwon Station Exit 2, so it's really close. It's open daily 11:30-23:00, with lunch last order at 14:00, break time 15:00-17:00, and last order at 21:30.

• Wine pairing, birthday/anniversary perks, sommelier, group bookings available, reservations, Wi-Fi, corkage allowed
• No parking — use the nearby Mangwon public parking lot

There's no dedicated parking lot, so I'd recommend taking the subway!

Go into the alley behind Mangwon Station Exit 2, and if you head toward the parking area on the left of the Mangwon Makguksu entrance, you'll see the signboard!

It's on the 2nd floor, so you just go up these stairs!!!

Inside Noju: window seats and open-kitchen bar counter

The inside of Noju is cozy and calm! The interior is clean and well put-together, so the atmosphere was great. The lighting was good too, so sitting at the window seat made it even better haha

I had reserved through Catch Table and the table was already set when I arrived. The deposit is 10,000 won per person! It looks like you pay in full on-site and get refunded later. If you mention it in advance when booking, they also do a lettering service, but I forgot to ask ㅠㅠ If you're going for an anniversary or a date, definitely request it!!

I also loved the little detail that you can comfortably store your coat and bag.

It's an open kitchen, so if you sit at the bar you can watch them cook!! I'd especially recommend this seat if you're dining solo.

Since they're known for wine pairing, there are so many kinds of wine haha. I was disappointed I couldn't drink since I drove. Every dish seemed like it would go so well with wine, so next time I'll go by subway in the evening haha.

* Menus may change.

Noju lunch and dinner course prices and what each includes

Noju's lunch runs two ways: the Chef's Choice Lunch at 38,000 won (7 dishes) and the Signature Lunch at 55,000 won (9 dishes). I ordered the Signature Lunch, and a lot of the dishes felt fresh and new, so I was excited haha

Chef's Choice Lunch, 38,000 won for 7 courses

• Focaccia
• Two bite-sized amuse-bouches
• Arancini
• Salsiccia
• Signature gnocchi
• Sulfur-fed pork
• Walnut

A lunch course for under 40,000 won — isn't that just the best value?!

Signature Lunch, 55,000 won for 9 courses

• Focaccia
• Two bite-sized amuse-bouches
• Arancini
• Black tiger shrimp
• Salsiccia
• Saltimbocca
• Signature gnocchi
• Sulfur-fed pork
• Walnut

The Signature Chef's Choice Dinner course lets you try 11 dishes (focaccia, three bite-sized amuse-bouches, flounder, John Dory, cannelloni, tilefish, black tiger shrimp, salsiccia, signature gnocchi, chuck flap tail, walnut) for 89,000 won!

They said there are lots of wines not even on the list, so ask if you need a recommendation haha

The 9-course signature lunch at Noju, course by course

Focaccia with house-made yuzu ricotta

The first dish of Noju's Signature Lunch is focaccia. They also give you house-made yuzu ricotta cheese, which has a totally refreshing yuzu flavor!

And the bread was warm, crispy outside and soft inside, so delicious. Eating them together is the absolute best. The cheese is the kicker, so make sure to have it together haha

Two bite-sized amuse-bouches

Second was two bite-sized amuse-bouches! The beet-and-honey tart hits you with freshness the moment you bite in, instantly waking up your appetite. The endive had cucumber, shrimp, king oyster mushroom, and caviar — lots of different ingredients but a harmonious flavor.

White ragu arancini

Third was arancini made with white ragù! Arancini is a traditional dish from Sicily, Italy — fried rice balls made from risotto.

There's sesame oil powder sprinkled on top. It felt like a donut with ground meat inside. First time trying it, and the sesame oil pairing worked really well haha

Black tiger shrimp in bisque sauce

Fourth was black tiger shrimp! The sauce is a bisque made from sweet shrimp heads, apparently. They explained what was in it so kindly when serving haha

The sauce really emphasizes that distinctive shellfish umami, so rich and intense, the best!!

Salsiccia pasta and saltimbocca

Next up, salsiccia!! The sauce is made with Italian sausage, and the noodles had a nice plump texture haha. This was when I noticed the chef carefully checking everyone's eating pace and pacing the course accordingly, which made the flow really comfortable.

My photo of the saltimbocca got lost, but it's pork loin wrapped in jamón, with a sage herb and a butter-simmered tomato sauce. Being meat, I started to feel pretty full around this point haha

Noju's signature truffle potato gnocchi

The signature gnocchi is a popular menu item at Noju — potato gnocchi with truffle. The texture was unique and delicious, one of the dishes I remember most ㅠㅠ

Truffle can easily feel overpowering, but it wasn't at all here, and I think it would pair amazingly with wine... I definitely need to go back and have it with wine ㅠ

Sulfur-fed pork, then walnut sherbet to finish

The eighth dish was sulfur-fed pork!!! It comes with grilled oyster mushrooms and jalapeño sauce.

The jalapeño sauce was spicy for me, so I dipped just a little at a time, and the mushroom was the real kicker!!! You have to eat them together haha

And to finish and cleanse the palate, the walnut sherbet was so good! It tasted like a fancy walnut ice cream. The whole course lineup is clean and well-balanced, right?!!!

Why Noju works for a birthday or anniversary course meal

They say what looks good tastes good, and Noju's course looks beautiful and tastes great too, so you really feel pampered there. Since the menu keeps changing, I want to go back again to try a whole new-feeling course.

And most of all, being able to eat like this at this price ㅠ it's the best value fine dining. My mom was fully satisfied too, which made the whole day great for me as well! If you want to spend good time with good people over a course meal on a special day, I recommend Noju in Mangwon-dong!