Hongdae pasta spot, jambon truffle risotto Mom loved: Hôtel de Couture

The weather has been so nice on weekends lately, perfect for dates, right? This weekend I headed out to the alleys of Yeonnam-dong, which are packed with great restaurants and photogenic spots. Every time I go, there's a new hot place to check out, which is half the fun. I love pasta, so I visited Hôtel de Couture (오뗄드꾸뜨), which looked really good.

Shall we start with some delicious-looking photos? 😳

Hôtel de Couture location, hours and parking

Hôtel de Couture is at 7 Donggyo-ro 46-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, and it's open 11:00-20:00. There's no parking at the restaurant, so if you're driving, you'll need to use a nearby public car park.

• Location: 7 Donggyo-ro 46-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• Hours: 11:00-20:00
• Parking: ❌ (use a nearby public car park)

There's a wait at Hôtel de Couture, so I'd recommend allowing some extra time if you visit on a weekend.

Getting to Hôtel de Couture from Hongik Univ. Station, and the atmosphere

Hôtel de Couture is hidden away in the Yeonnam-dong alleys. I got off at Hongik Univ. Station and walked through Yeontral Park, and with so many pretty cafés and clothing shops around, it was a perfect route for wandering before or after a meal.

From the outside, the place has that exotic yet sentimental Yeonnam-dong mood. The spacing between tables and the lighting tone aren't overdone either, so it's a calm space for chatting over a meal.

Hôtel de Couture menu and prices

What impressed me most was that the menu is just pasta, steak and a few sides. Unlike places that sell a bit of everything, it felt like they focus on the core dishes they're confident in, so it gave off a specialist-restaurant vibe.

After some agonizing, this is what I picked.

• Honey bacon rosé pasta ₩17,000
• Jambon truffle cream risotto ₩17,000
• Zero Cola ₩3,000

How does the jambon truffle cream risotto at Hôtel de Couture taste?

A cold cola came out before the food. It's been so hot lately that iced water or a drink is a must, so I wet my whistle before the main event.

The jambon truffle risotto (jambon is a French-style dry-cured ham) came topped with jambon, cherry tomatoes and arugula. Both dishes were set down together, and from the looks of it I thought, "Oh, this is going to be really good."

Even breaking the yolk and mixing it in looked beautiful... 🫧 Maybe there's oat in it? It was on another level from the clumpy, rice-cake-like risotto at ordinary Western restaurants. It was Italian-style risotto where you can feel every single grain in your mouth.

The soft, salty jambon and the fragrant truffle filling my mouth worked together so wonderfully. My mom didn't hold back, saying it was the most to-her-taste risotto she'd had in a long time. Savoring each grain in that rich sauce, I felt like I was right there in Italy~¿

How big and how good is the honey bacon rosé pasta at Hôtel de Couture?

I gasped the moment the honey bacon rosé pasta arrived. The portion was exactly what I like. Doesn't it look like you could eat your fill with no shortage? Yeonnam-dong pasta places have a talent for plating that makes you drool.

The star of the honey bacon rosé was the thick, creamy sauce (kkudeok in Korean) that clung heavily to the noodles instead of sliding off. Thick means it isn't moist? Not at all! Getting that thick-yet-moist balance isn't easy, and I'm still thinking about this taste.

Above all, the kicker of this pasta was the chunky whole bacon instead of thin slices. Every bite was salty and blended well with the sauce, boosting the flavor several times over.

Is Hôtel de Couture worth the wait?

The moment I started eating, I understood why there's a wait at Hôtel de Couture even at a late weekend lunch. The moist pasta filling my mouth and the texture-genius risotto are still on my mind, so if you're on a date in Yeonnam-dong, give it a visit.