Daejeon Western restaurant weekend date, aglio e olio: THE MUA

We went on a weekend date, my husband and I. While looking for somewhere good to eat together, I started searching for Western food restaurants in Daejeon.

So here's my review of THE MUA, said to be a good-atmosphere Western restaurant in Tanbang-dong, Daejeon. If you're looking for a date spot in Tanbang-dong or a nice-atmosphere Western restaurant, take a look :)

THE MUA's exterior and interior, and where to park

THE MUA is a Western restaurant on Munjeong-ro 122beon-gil, tucked inside Tanbang-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon. I parked right beside the building on the street. Even from a distance, the upscale-looking THE MUA sign caught my eye.

Walking in, I saw wine bottles and mirrors, with a fresh, lush kind of interior. There aren't many seats, but the atmosphere is great for a date or a gathering.

Rooms for 2–8 people, groups welcome too

THE MUA can accommodate groups, with rooms for 2 to 8 people. It seems like it would work well for a wedding invitation gathering in Tanbang-dong, and also as a great date spot in Tanbang-dong.

My husband and I were seated by the window together. I expected it to be quiet, being tucked inside Tanbang-dong, but it turned out to be a popular Western restaurant in Tanbang-dong — as some people left, more kept coming in. It's a quiet, atmospheric space, great for a weekend date with my husband, and I thought it would also work well for a gathering with friends or a wedding invitation meetup.

THE MUA's menu board and how to order

I was surprised to see THE MUA's menu had a same-day pre-order reservation system for office workers. If my workplace were nearby, it'd be so convenient to grab a meal, but since it's Tanbang-dong, it was a bit of a shame.

And every Thursday, you can visit with no corkage fee.

You order through a QR code, so my husband and I ordered on our phones.

The lunch set and what we added on

We ordered the THE MUA lunch set with lobster croquette (2p) + pasta + gnocchi, and ordered the risotto separately on top.

First up, the lobster croquette

They boil the lobster themselves, pick out just the meat, and make the croquette using techniques learned from a British chef — this is a special menu item found only at THE MUA!

So I took a bite, and it just melted in my mouth, with a crispy outside — proper crispy-outside, tender-inside enjoyment. I loved that among Western menus, you can taste something special like this lobster croquette.

How was the quattro mushroom gnocchi?

THE MUA's quattro mushroom gnocchi has a smooth cream sauce with a strong mushroom aroma. I always order gnocchi whenever I visit a good Western restaurant. Today I wanted gnocchi bursting with mushroom aroma, so I ordered the quattro mushroom gnocchi.

I scooped up a spoonful of the cream, and it was smooth and full of mushroom aroma, packed with savory flavor.

Eating the gnocchi together with the cream, it was chewy yet soft, melting in the mouth — the quattro mushroom gnocchi was delicious. With its smooth cream sauce and strong mushroom aroma, I think anyone who likes gnocchi would enjoy this.

Sous vide wine pork belly risotto, with onion rapé as the highlight

The sous vide wine pork belly risotto we ordered as an extra features pork belly sous-vided for 24 hours, given a point of interest with onion rapé. This pork belly wine risotto had a special quality unlike anywhere else.

The risotto had a garlicky aroma and a spicy kick that kept me reaching for more, and eating it together with the pork belly and onion rapé — soft against crunchy — kept it from feeling heavy, and was delicious. Especially with the tender pork belly and onion rapé together, the added texture meant I could enjoy the risotto all the way to the end.

Alio olio, true to basics

For the lunch set pasta, I chose alio olio. I wanted an oil-based pasta, so I went with alio olio, and it was true to basics — the noodles were cooked well and the sauce was good, making it a pasta I could enjoy fully.

Overall thoughts

THE MUA, the Western restaurant in Tanbang-dong, Daejeon, that I visited on a weekend date with my husband! Beyond the good atmosphere and interior that made it great for a date, I got to try a variety of Western dishes — from the lobster croquette to the quattro mushroom gnocchi, the sous vide wine pork belly risotto, and the alio olio.

If you're looking for a good-atmosphere date spot in Tanbang-dong, or a place to enjoy Western dishes like pasta, gnocchi and risotto, I recommend THE MUA.