First fine dining near Mangwon Station: asparagus anchovy pasta, Noju

Is Noju near Mangwon Station a good first fine dining experience?

Noju is a restaurant famous for good-value fine dining in Mangwon, so if you're looking for a pasta restaurant near Mangwon Station or a date spot in the neighborhood, it's worth a visit. I went on a weekday lunch with my mom and had the Noju lunch course. The food was more generous than I expected, I left full, and (!!!) I was really satisfied, so it stuck with me. I've never been to fine dining before..!

Since the price feels less intimidating for fine dining, I think Noju in Mangwon is a good place to get your start with it!

Finding Noju's entrance, opening hours and reservations

Noju is on the second floor of a building on Donggyo-ro 9-gil. You'll wonder, where is it..? Is it here..? But look closely at the building and you'll find the entrance going up! haha

• Closed every Monday
• Tue–Sun 11:30–23:00 (break time 15:00–17:00, last order 21:00)
• Lunch course ₩55,000
• Signature course (dinner) ₩79,000
• Ordering à la carte at dinner requires ordering alcohol

I reserved through Catchtable before visiting!

What are Noju's atmosphere and seating like?

As soon as you walk into Noju, the counter and kitchen are on the left. Maybe because it was a weekday lunch, the place was relaxed and we got in right away with no wait. It seems like a lot of people come here for dates in Mangwon, and with its calm, quiet atmosphere it looked good for a blind date or an anniversary meal too!

I also liked that the tables weren't crammed together. There was plenty of space behind us, and the table next to us felt just a tiny bit close, but not to the point of being uncomfortable.

There are bar seats too, so I thought it would be fine to visit alone.

There were also hangers for coats and bags.

What's in Noju's 55,000-won lunch course?

What I ordered that day was the Lunch Chef's Choice lunch course, priced at ₩55,000. The lineup can change depending on when you visit; on the day I went, it was served in the order below.

• Focaccia
• Two bite-sized starters
• Arancini (fried rice ball)
• Jambon (Korean-style ham)
• Anchovy pasta
• Signature gnocchi
• Iberico pork
• Lemon sorbet

Focaccia with yuja (citron) ricotta cheese

This is the basic table setting. The first thing out in the Noju lunch course was the focaccia.

The bread itself was nutty and crisp outside, moist and soft inside, and the combination with the yuja (citron) ricotta cheese served alongside was really good. The moment I took a bite I said, "ohhh..." lol

That's me getting ready to eat the focaccia.. haha Next up, two bite-sized starters!

Two bite-sized starters: beet tart and endive

I liked the slight tanginess of the beet tart, and the tart shell was crisp like a cracker. The beet was more lightly pickled in texture than crunchy. If it had been crunchy it might have been more my taste..? The endive blended peanut nuttiness with a salad feel, like a salad you can hold in your hand!

Arancini with a sesame oil aroma

The arancini in Noju's lunch course was impressive too.

The arancini was crisp outside and warm inside, and the texture felt just right. The sauce underneath was slightly tangy-sweet? Above all, the nutty sesame oil aroma coming from the rice was unusual. This was the first moment I thought, "this would be good with wine..." haha Arancini is a bit heavy by nature..

Noju's best dish: zucchini jambon with cheese sauce

The jambon was personally one of my best dishes that day. Jambon was tucked inside zucchini and eaten with a cheese sauce, and the zucchini was really sweet and soft. Eating it with the jambon gave me the satisfaction of eating meat too!

The cheese sauce was smooth like soup, so everything came together really well. It was so good...!!! A new combination I'd never tried before?!

Anchovy pasta with asparagus

Next was the anchovy pasta. The asparagus texture was really good. Is this what people mean by evenly cooked..? haha It kept a nice crunch, so it was fun to chew.

The distinctive anchovy flavor didn't stick out too strongly and came through subtly, so it wasn't overwhelming. The sauce was tasty and the portion was quite big, more than I expected. It's a dish people looking for a pasta restaurant near Mangwon Station would like. haha

Noju's signature gnocchi with truffle

The gnocchi, Noju's signature dish, was really satisfying too. I liked the moist, chewy texture typical of potato gnocchi. The truffle was grated on top, so you could smell it fully. And when eating, it blended well with the creamy sauce and didn't feel heavy. I could see why it's the signature dish.

Americano instead of wine: how does the pairing work?

Actually, I couldn't drink wine, so I didn't get the pairing T_T Instead I ordered an Americano to go with the meal! What I felt that day... is that Noju would be much better with wine or a pairing drink!!! It's not that the food was greasy; it's that having a drink would have made it more perfect.

By the way, on the day I visited there was also a green tea-based non-alcoholic pairing drink available. (I don't drink green tea, so I didn't order it T_T)

Main course: Iberico pork with jalapeño

The Iberico, the main dish of Noju's lunch course, was really delicious too.

The staff explained each dish as they served it, but honestly I didn't catch it properly..... I think they said it was the lagarto (alligator-cut) part! It was nutty, tender... it was just delicious. haha Topping it with mashed potatoes and jalapeño together is a really great combination.

The softness of the mashed potatoes, the nuttiness of the meat, the slight spiciness of the jalapeño !!! These three balanced each other perfectly. Of course, the meat alone was good enough too.

Finishing with lemon sorbet

A clean finish with the last lemon sorbet. Eating it at the end of the course left my mouth sweet and refreshed, which I liked. haha I came with my mom, and overall it was a satisfying meal!

Mom's and my favorite dishes from Noju's lunch course

My favorites from this Noju lunch course were the Iberico, jambon and signature gnocchi. My mom's favorites were the signature gnocchi, anchovy pasta and jambon.~~~ The main dishes really are the most memorable. haha

• My favorites: Iberico, jambon, signature gnocchi
• Mom's favorites: signature gnocchi, anchovy pasta, jambon

If you're looking for a pasta restaurant near Mangwon Station, a date course in Mangwon, or good-value fine dining in Mangwon, Noju seems like a quite satisfying choice!

Next time I'd like to come back and try the wine pairing. I'll earn some money and come again... haha!!!