Pangyo Western restaurant for a Friday lunch: smoky risotto, Andover

What kind of Western restaurant is Andover in Pangyo?

Andover is a Western restaurant on Baekhyeon-dong Café Street in Pangyo, and I went last Friday for a lunch date with my wife. I think it's the first Western restaurant I've visited on Baekhyeon-dong Café Street.

The owner (who is studying abroad and raising kids) saw how people in Andover, a small town near Boston, Massachusetts, share everyday food and keep the conversation going over wine, and that shaped his idea of what a good table is. Wow, a place with a story like that, and I really like the name. The food wasn't harsh or heavily seasoned at all and felt very homemade. The atmosphere was comfortable and calm, great for talking.

Andover location, parking and opening hours

• Location: 1F, 10-7 Pangyoyeok-ro 10beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, South Korea
• Parking: Baekhyeon-dong Café Street public parking lot (1 hour) and street parking in the alley
• Hours: 11:00–22:00, break time 15:30–17:00
• Closed: Mondays
• Wi-Fi available
• Baby high chairs and children's tableware available
• Restroom: inside the building, separate men's and women's (shared)

Andover's exterior and terrace seating

The exterior was unusual: the side of the building is a different color from the entrance side! I liked it right from the outside, and it had a real foreign feel.

Andover also has terrace seats, on both the left and right of the entrance (the photo is the right side). It was starting to get a bit warm, and some people were eating out on the lovely terrace.

Is Andover's indoor seating good for dates and family meals?

Inside, black-and-white photo frames hang from the ceiling and give a sense of the shop's history, and being black and white makes the mood even better. I heard the owner did the interior himself.

The tables aren't all one type either: there are round tables, square tables and long wooden tables, so Andover works for dates, small gatherings and family meals alike, a Pangyo Western restaurant for any of them.

This is the seating at the back of the shop. There's an impressive phrase on the wall, something about change, it seems.

The restroom is inside too, but as you can see it's hidden behind a curtain, so you don't feel self-conscious going in and out, and it feels private. Nice.

For Wi-Fi, you can connect quickly with a QR code at the self bar near the entrance.

Andover's menu and how to order by QR code

Andover has no printed menu; you scan a QR code, check the menu and order. This is the system I like best, honestly.

I was surprised by how varied the menu is, from brunch dishes to signatures.

There are salads, pasta and risotto. They said they plan to sell various sauces online through Andover Market, and you can already buy sauces in the shop!

They also sell a good range of wine and champagne.

We had a reservation, and look, there's a RESERVATION sign on the bottle! I didn't notice at first, but when I saw it later it was such a welcome sight. It went nicely with the vase, I thought!

Whole tomato marinade with ricotta: a good summer starter?

Andover's whole tomato marinade with ricotta cheese was recommended in a lot of reviews, so I ordered it. It was a cool, refreshing dish that opens up the appetite in summer.

It grabbed my attention the moment it arrived! The tomato was really big. And it looks peeled, doesn't it?

They hand you scissors, so I snipped it open (it cut so easily, I thought they were medical scissors). Marinated whole tomato with ricotta, basil pesto, and the oil served alongside! Suddenly I can't remember what kind of oil it was.

On a summer day it was wonderfully cool and refreshing. Starting with this instead of a salad is perfect. It felt really fresh!!

How does Andover's mushroom cream risotto taste?

With Andover's mushroom cream risotto, the first thing you notice is the smoky, fire-grilled aroma on the mushrooms. Wow, this one looks neat too, right? The moment it arrived, the smoky char on the mushrooms smelled great.

It felt like the mushrooms were cooked with real care. Good food is enjoyed first with the eyes, then the nose, and finally the mouth, and with this risotto the strongest hit came through the nose first.

The seasoning was just right for me too. Usually food tastes good when it's salty and punchy, but this mushroom cream risotto isn't heavily seasoned and feels truly homemade, the kind of taste I'd happily let my kids eat as much as they want, and it's still delicious! Not bland, but you could say it brings out the flavor of the ingredients.

How to eat Andover's signature cod gratin with grilled vegetables

I also ordered Andover's signature cod gratin & grilled vegetables. I realized how good grilled vegetables can be.

I don't know exactly what the difference is between just stir-frying in oil and grilling, but the grilled vegetables felt full of health. You could say I tasted real cooking in a single vegetable.

You eat the cod gratin by putting it on bread like this. I'm more of a meat person, but fish eaten this way was a nice change. I always thought raw fish was the best way to eat fish, but it turns out fish can be cooked in many ways. I only knew grilled or raw, so I'm a clueless eater, haha.

Making Andover-style tomato marinade at home

This is why going to good restaurants with my wife makes me happy! After we visited Andover, she made me tomato marinade. No ricotta, but marinated tomatoes with homemade yogurt and a hard-boiled egg from the morning, and how happy that made me before heading out! I should keep asking her to make various dishes we eat together. Last time, she made me open sandwiches after we enjoyed them at a restaurant, and that was great too.

We enjoyed an unhurried meal and conversation at Andover, a Pangyo Western restaurant. Next time I'm thinking of going for an anniversary (after filling up on meat, of course).