Yeongdeungpo café date with minari vongole pasta: Mela

Friday evening, off to Times Square

After wrapping up a fiercely busy week at work, happy Friday evening had finally arrived. My wife and I headed to Yeongdeungpo Times Square to wash away the week's fatigue. Wanting to enjoy delicious Italian food and a relaxed atmosphere before the weekend, we visited Mela Times Square (멜라 타임스퀘어점), an Italian restaurant already well known around Yeongdeungpo for both its ambiance and food.

The restaurant is on the first floor of Times Square's main building, making it very easy to find from the underground passage at Yeongdeungpo Station or from street level. With the comfortable parking and accessibility typical of a shopping mall, it was simply perfect for a Friday-after-work date.

It is opposite H&M, near the far end of the first floor.

A European garden atmosphere of flowers and vines

The moment we arrived at the entrance, the plant-filled exterior, brightly decorated with green trailing plants and red roses, immediately caught my eye.

The polished interior felt as though an exotic European garden or stylish outdoor café had been transplanted right here, and I was already excited before even stepping inside.

The lavish flower decorations around the arched windows would make a perfectly good photo spot, and through the floor-to-ceiling glass, people enjoying intimate meals beneath warm lighting looked so peaceful. We had booked for 7 p.m., so we were given a window table.

Once inside, the dining hall was much larger and more comfortable than it had looked from outside. Other bloggers commonly praised Mela for its spacious, relaxed setting, high chairs, and group seating, saying it was popular not only for couples' dates but also for family gatherings. Seeing it for myself, the high ceiling and generously spaced tables really did make for a very comfortable meal.

Pasta and gnocchi: what we ordered

After settling in, we looked over the menu displayed in front of the counter and kitchen.

There was a satisfying range of tempting Italian home-style dishes, from all-day brunch to pasta, risotto, gnocchi, and pastry pizza. After some deliberation, we ordered Mela's fragrant minari (water dropwort) vongole pasta (₩23,000), one of its signature dishes; rosé corn gnocchi (₩22,000), topped with a whole ear of sweet-and-savory corn; and a house-made apple ade (₩7,500) to refresh the palate.

House-made apple ade

Not long after we ordered, the chilled apple ade arrived first.

Beautifully topped with dried apple chips and rosemary, the apple ade did not have an artificial syrupy taste. Instead, its subtle, refined apple juice flavor and refreshing fizz came together wonderfully to awaken the appetite before the meal.

Minari vongole and rosé corn gnocchi

Then the evening's main dishes, minari vongole pasta and rosé corn gnocchi, arrived at the table on neat ceramic plates. As soon as the two plates were placed side by side, the nutty aroma of oil, the rich scent of rosé sauce, and the colorful presentation filling the table were truly a work of art.

Minari vongole pasta

First, we tried the minari vongole pasta, generously topped with fresh minari.

Loaded with Manila clams and shellfish, the broth was wonderfully clean and deeply savory, while the linguine had perfectly absorbed the briny clam flavor and garlic oil. In particular, the fragrant, crisp minari freshened up the vongole oil pasta, which could otherwise have been a little plain, so I kept reaching for it without getting tired of it. The clams had been thoroughly purged, with no grit at all, and were deliciously chewy. A gentle pepperoncino heat rounded it out, and I savored every last strand in admiration.

Rosé corn gnocchi

The rosé corn gnocchi we tried next was so moving that a "wow" slipped out the moment I took a bite.

A large piece of golden grilled Chodang corn sat atop the thick orange-pink rosé sauce, with snow-like cheese melting appetizingly over it. The carefully shaped potato-dough gnocchi was chewy on the outside and fluffy-soft within, while the gently spicy, sweet, and creamy rosé sauce warmly enveloped the mouth. The nutty sweetness of the popping grilled corn kernels made an incredible match with the gnocchi.

The romantic, bright European garden-inspired interior, the staff's kind service without losing their smiles despite the busy Friday evening, and the flawless, high-quality Italian home-style cooking all came together for a truly happy dinner.

If you want a feel-good date or gathering with reliably delicious Italian food and brunch inside Yeongdeungpo Times Square, I wholeheartedly recommend Mela Times Square, a café and brunch spot that does not disappoint.