Hwaseong Italian restaurant with peeled shrimp pasta: Got Dongtan

My husband comes home, but with overtime almost every day, the days we actually eat together have become fewer. Recently, on the day I hurt my foot and had to go to the ER, he took leave so we could rest, haha. Since it was hard for me to stand with my injured foot, we decided to go out for lunch—and wow, there was a restaurant with this kind of atmosphere near our home!! The food was delicious, needless to say, and the atmosphere was so nice that if our son had not been there, we could have made it even more of a date. It also has private rooms, so it looked great for gatherings too. Let me introduce it!

Got Dongtan Main Branch visit information

Got Dongtan Main Branch (곧 동탄 본점)

11:00–23:30 Sunday closing: 22:00 Break time: 15:00–17:00 Last order: 22:30 / Sunday 21:00 6 Wangbaesan 3-gil, Dongtan-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do Got Dongtan Main Branch

There is a private parking lot right in front of the restaurant. There is another private lot as well, and Mok-dong Public Parking Lot is a 3-minute walk away, so this is a place with no parking stress.

Luckily, one space right in front of the restaurant was open, so we parked and went straight inside. There was also information at the entrance about the Got Western-style lunch offering, limited to 20 a day and available only at lunch. We enjoyed the food so much that I am thinking of going back for the lunch special next time, haha.

A water-like interior and private seating

Along with regular tables, Got Dongtan has group seating and a premium lounge. It seems like a lovely place to reserve for an anniversary or a cozy family meal.

There is also a cute photo spot where you can take pretty, mood-filled photos.

Coming in through the back entrance, you find a long corridor-style table accompanied by the cool sound of water. I thought it would have felt even cooler to dine here in the height of summer.

Then, when we entered the spacious main hall, I could not help but gasp. Water ran down the walls and trickled across the floor, to the point that I wondered, am I really in a restaurant right now? haha. The atmosphere made it feel even more like we were on a trip.

They operate straight through dinner too, so I was curious about how the restaurant feels after dark.

On top of that, it had won an award from the Korea Consumer Industry Evaluation, so I was getting more and more excited even before tasting the food, haha.

A lunch set with a child

We made a Naver reservation before visiting, so the table was already set. I had mentioned that we had a child and would need tableware when booking, and they thoughtfully provided adorable tableware too! They said they always pay close attention to cleanliness for children, so we could use it without worry, haha.

The three of us ordered a lunch set plus one pasta, and the aperitif came first. They explained it kindly, but my memory is getting worse and worse, so all I remember is that it was a nonalcoholic omija (five-flavor berry) cocktail... haha. It was sweet and tangy, which was great for waking up the appetite.

Next came the salad. It looked a little different from the leafy greens I usually eat; perhaps they use baby greens, because it was tender.

The cheese was neither too firm nor too soft—exactly the texture I like—and the dressing was delicious without question. They explained that the little round yellow pieces in the photo were really sweet. I wondered how sweet they could possibly be for them to mention it separately, but when I tried one, it really was sweet. So interesting, haha.

Two Americanos came with the salad. I love coffee and tend to savor its flavor and aroma; this one was not especially heavy-bodied, and the acidity was not overly strong either. You can let that coffee assessment go in one ear and out the other, though—the food was so delicious that I was focused on it, and the coffee was just... something I drank instead of water... haha.

How we ate the nurungji ragu pasta

This was the nurungji ragu pasta we ordered for our son. Nurungji is scorched rice, and it looked quite different from what I had imagined. I thought they would usually put a shaped piece of nurungji on top, but here each grain was fried, so it almost looked like cheese.

They said that mixing the nurungji with the sauce makes the nutty flavor blend beautifully with it, so I mixed only half for a comparison.

The conclusion: it was delicious grain by grain, and the sauce-soaked nurungji was delicious too. First, eat the crisp nurungji over the pasta; after finishing the noodles, scrape up every bit of the sauce-soaked nurungji for one fantastic bowl.

Margherita topped with basil sauce

We ordered a Margherita pizza, and there were cute little rounds of green sauce on top! They said it added flavor with basil sauce, and as a basil fanatic who keeps a stash at home, it made me want to do a happy dance, haha.

The crust was thin and the cheese was just right. Even with that thin crust, can you see that stretchy cheese? Our son has only recently started eating some pizza, but he said this pizza was delicious and inhaled it instead of the pasta, haha.

He asked for pieces without basil pesto, so my husband and I happily ate the slices piled high with basil sauce, haha.

Gamberi Aglio e Olio, our number-one pick

This is the Gamberi Aglio e Olio, topped with two huge tiger prawns. So kindly, every bit of shell except the tail and head had been peeled off!!! You only need to pop off the head and eat, so if you have worried about eating shrimp on a date, this is the place for you!

I waited a moment while taking photos, since it is easier to mix once the vegetables soften slightly.

Besides the black tiger prawns, there was the amount of garlic that any Korean would say is necessary! You can see plenty of garlic and tomatoes too.

Two black tiger prawns would have felt a little lacking, no matter how big they are, so I loved the thoughtful addition of cocktail shrimp too!

First of all, the oil seasoning was a work of art. It was neither bland nor overpowering, with just a little spicy kick, so it kept going down without any greasiness. My husband and I both picked the Gamberi Aglio e Olio as our number one. Afterward, I was the one who dipped and ate every last garlic piece... haha.

It was a satisfying amount even for three adults, and our son did his part too. Every single dish felt carefully made, and the flavor was pure art, so we cleaned every plate!

I have decided all by myself that this is the place for when friends visit Dongtan or for anniversaries—but then I would not get to go very often, right? I want to try the lunch special and eat the Gamberi Aglio e Olio again, so I should ask whether they welcome solo diners too, haha.