Mangwon-dong Italian dining bar lunch with sesame oil arancini: Noju

Hi, this is Hami. I had a dinner plan in Mangwon-dong, so I headed out a bit early to shop around and wander. By lunchtime I started looking for good restaurants nearby, and it turns out Mangwon-dong has a lot of great pasta spots. As you know, I'm a Western-food person haha~ I found a place where you could enjoy good-value fine dining, so I paid it a visit.

How to get to Noju from Mangwon Station, and opening hours

Noju is maybe a 2-minute walk from Mangwon Station, so it was really easy to find. Come out the back alley from Exit 2, turn right at the first alley, and it's on the 2nd floor of the Mangwon-dong makguksu (buckwheat noodle) building.

Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday 11:30-23:00, break time 15:00-17:00, last order 21:30. Saturday and holidays 11:30-24:00, break time 15:00-17:30. Closed Mondays! No separate parking lot.

They say Naver picked it as a popular restaurant in Mapo-gu. Reservations are possible through Naver and Catch Table.

Inside Noju: 2nd-floor dining room and seating

Being on the 2nd floor, sunlight streams in and it feels like a casual spot to enjoy wine and dining. There's a mix of 2-top and 4-top tables arranged around the space.

There's also a bar table for those who want to quietly enjoy their time. The wood tables were neatly set with tableware, giving it a clean, comfortable feel.

True to an Italian dining bar, you can spot exotic ingredients and props scattered around.

I don't know much about wine, but there were wine bottles and glasses displayed here and there, so it was fun just to look around.

Noju lunch course prices: Chef's Choice 38,000 won, Signature 55,000 won

The menu briefly lays out the course composition. There are two lunch courses, Chef's Choice Lunch and Signature Lunch, which differ in the arancini, Caesar salad, and pork tenderloin. I ordered the Signature Lunch course, which lets you enjoy 8 dishes. Chef's Choice Lunch is ₩38,000 and Signature Lunch is ₩55,000 — prices that feel totally reasonable for lunch.

Noju's wine list and open kitchen

The wine list is quite varied, so it could be a good option for anyone looking for a wine bar in Mangwon-dong. They cover a wide range, from glass wines to wines by country. They said there are many more wines not on the list, so asking for a recommendation on something different might be worth it too.

Since it's an open kitchen, I could watch the chef cook, which was fun to see. The cooking area was clean and you could tell they cared about hygiene. His hands moved fast and the cooking process was tidy, which made it even nicer to watch.

The 55,000-won Signature Lunch 8-course, dish by dish

1. Focaccia with fig butter

The first dish was focaccia with fig butter. Warm, freshly baked focaccia paired with soft fig butter. The combination of the crisp focaccia with a slight tang and the sweet fig butter was really good. Don't be this good at bread when you're a fine dining spot, come on..

2. Beetroot and endive

The second dish was beet and endive. The beet tart was refreshing and did a great job of waking up the appetite, and the one-bite salad, with endive's crisp texture and fresh ingredients, was light and clean.

3. Popo al chanmi rice, white ragu and sesame oil arancini

The third dish was popo al chanmi, white ragu, sesame oil arancini. The well-fried arancini had a great crispy-outside-soft-inside texture, and the powder made from sesame oil left a real impression. It had so much umami I wanted to pretend I hadn't eaten it and eat it again..

4. Baby romaine, Caesar and bacon salad

The fourth dish was mini romaine, Caesar, bacon salad. Grilled mini romaine topped with croutons and bacon, finished with olive sauce. It was my first time eating grilled mini romaine, and it went really well with the salty, savory ingredients.

5. Mullet roe and anchovy fresh pasta

The fifth dish was eoran (salted fish roe) and anchovy pasta. The sauce was on the buttery, rich side, and the salty eoran added really good umami. The house-made fresh noodles were on the thicker side, so they had a nice bite, and the sauce seemed to cling to them even more. I wanted an encore of this one too…

6. Truffle and potato gnocchi

The sixth dish was truffle and potato gnocchi. They said they use Italian summer truffle, and its aroma spreads subtly through the soft potato gnocchi. The sauce was also thick and nutty, so I really enjoyed it.

7. Iberico pork with jalapeño and zucchini

The seventh dish was iberico pork, jalapeño, zucchini. The rich, meaty iberico blended with the subtle sweetness of the zucchini for a full flavor, and the spicy kick of jalapeño gave it a clean finish.

Side dishes (contorno) at Noju

Sweet tomatoes with crisp cauliflower, celery, and pickles. Having this between the main dishes was great for resetting the palate.

8. Walnut ice cream

The last dish was walnut ice cream. A soft ice cream with a nutty walnut flavor. It wasn't artificial-tasting at all, and was a light, clean way to finish the meal.

Is Noju worth it for good-value fine dining in Mangwon-dong?

The Signature Lunch course stood out for how each combination shined without over-loading the ingredients. Experiencing a well-put-together course meal in such a calm atmosphere left me in a good mood all day. If you're looking for good-value Italian dining in Mangwon-dong, Noju is close to Mangwon Station and easy to get to, so I think it's worth a visit 🙂