Kid-friendly Namyangju restaurant, toddler mushroom risotto: Romaok

Romaok Riverside at Mieumnaru in Namyangju: a Friday lunch with my toddler

Romaok Riverside is a Western-style restaurant right by the Han River in Mieumnaru, Namyangju. I made a 1pm Friday reservation on Naver and went with my daughter and my mom.

When I'm bored on weekends, going to my mom's place is the best! Actually I meant to go on Saturday, but with the nice weather lately, a drive that usually takes an hour took almost two — so I skipped my daughter's kindergarten on Friday and we headed to Namyangju instead!

When I lived in Namyangju I used to go to Mieumnaru all the time! Great for walks, lots of pretty cafés and good food. Today we went to Romaok, which is popular right now! I have good memories of the Magok branch (paid for it myself back then). I'd been meaning to bring my mom here — right by the Han River, I wanted that open, wide-open feeling.

Where is the easiest place to park at Romaok Riverside?

For parking at Romaok Riverside, it's easiest to drive all the way to the end of the Namyangju Han River Sports Park public lot and park near the Romaok entrance! It's technically a public lot but feels almost like a private one... first hour free, and cheap after that!

The hanok exterior and garden: an easy place to wait with a child

Romaok Riverside has a real hanok (traditional Korean house) feel, haha. There's a garden out front so waiting there with a kid, feeling the autumn breeze, was so nice! (My daughter was obsessed with hunting for four-leaf clovers in the grass.)

We booked for 1pm but got there early. There was a second-floor waiting area, but we did the four-leaf clover hunt instead... mission (turns out there are more than you'd think). Thanks to that, the time flew by, haha!

Wandering around looking. Even random shots came out so pretty... ah, if I had a second kid I'd want to have their dol (first birthday party) in a garden like this... haha. Guess I'll do a garden dol next life, haha. Apparently they actually do host dol parties there! If you're interested, ask Romaok Riverside directly :)

How to get a Han River view table

You need to book fast for a Han River view seat at Romaok Riverside! Write 'Han River view seat' in the request notes when you reserve on Naver :)

After hunting hard for clovers and getting the call to come in — we went in! And the view... my eyes are cleansed, haha. Didn't even eat yet and already full from the view, haha.

What we ordered at Romaok Riverside

First things first, mama bird takes care of her daughter's food... they have a toddler mushroom cream risotto! Very kid-friendly, haha.

I'm watching my weight these days, so I planned to start with the kelp-aged flounder carpaccio as an appetizer and follow with the balsamic glaze salmon steak. My mom ordered the gorgonzola pizza, haha. I heard the pine nut salad was great and agonized over it, but since the salmon steak comes with a salad, I went with the carpaccio instead! The pine nut salad is apparently delicious — just so you know :)

Bread before the meal: ciabatta

First, ciabatta came out as the pre-meal bread! Warm and really tasty.

Kelp-aged flounder carpaccio

The carpaccio! Wow, you can really feel the care in the plating. There's even caviar on top — feels fancy, haha. Paired with wasabi sauce, it was so good! I almost ordered another one... and the price wasn't bad at all for the ingredients!

How is the toddler mushroom cream risotto seasoned?

They explained that the toddler mushroom cream risotto at Romaok Riverside is made with no salt at all, using only cheese for flavor, out of consideration for kids' health! I had a bite too — wow, even adults would love this. As soon as you eat it, your mouth fills with cheesy flavor!

We got this free via a Naver coupon. If you're going with kids, definitely download it! Even without the coupon, I'd order it again next time.

Gorgonzola pizza

My mom's gorgonzola pizza. Wood-fired pizza really is the best. Dip it generously in honey!

Great for kids to eat too!

Balsamic glaze salmon steak: how does it suit a child's palate?

Lastly, my own order, the salmon steak! It tastes totally different from the usual salmon steak! The balsamic glaze packs a ton of savory depth. Such a treat. It might be a bit too intense for kids' palates! But my daughter ate it just fine, haha.

If you're worried it might be too intense, you can probably ask for lighter seasoning.

Stacking coupons and coffee on the second floor

After finishing the meal, I joined the Americano review event and drank it on the second floor before heading back outside! The toddler risotto and Americano coupons stacked, so I even got to enjoy a nice coffee on top of it all!

A Han River date with my mom and daughter after a while was so nice! Romaok is great for special occasions and also good for meeting up with friends. I'd go back and I'd recommend it. There's a lot of waiting even on weekdays, so definitely make a reservation before you go :) plus a bonus Han River view, haha.