Jeonpo risotto restaurant with no weekday lunch wait: Brassway

Brassway

Brassway sits in a small alley on the Jeonpo café street. On a nice Friday, I worked out and then headed to Jeonpo with some friends I hadn't seen in a while, haha. This is a Jeonpo pasta spot run by a chef who graduated from the Diplôme program at Le Cordon Bleu — one of the world's three great culinary schools — and worked at overseas restaurants, bistros, and 5-star hotels. It was one of those days I wanted to eat something pretty, hahaha.

What Brassway looks like: a mint-green European facade in a Jeonpo alley

Brassway flaunts such a European-looking exterior right here in Jeonpo. The mint-colored bench and the mint accent paint on the facade catch your eye instantly. And that chalkboard sign listing pasta, pizza, wine, steak — so full of that certain feeling~~~ Cozy and comfortable, that's Brassway's vibe.

The plants are placed as accents everywhere so well, hahaha.

How to find Brassway in the Jeonpo café street alleys

I was hungry so let's stop taking exterior shots and go in already. Brassway is near where Ijaemo Pizza does takeout, haha. It's a bit tucked into the alley, so just pull up Naver Maps and follow it, haha.

Walking into the store, the vibe got even better. Every single little prop is so pretty.

Is there a wait at Brassway at noon on a weekday?

I was so excited for this long-awaited visit to a Jeonpo pasta spot~~ We arrived around noon and we were the first customers. Weekdays in Jeonpo are a relaxed, no-wait time to come, hahaha.

There are so many little prop shops popping up in Jeonpo lately, so it's great to eat pasta or risotto, then hit dessert and coffee, then loop in a prop-shop course too, haha. We also went to over 4-5 prop shops to help digest since the weather was so nice, haha.

It has a vintage yet comfortable vibe, so it's great to come with friends or a partner! You can reserve too, so I'd recommend booking ahead, haha.

I think it'd be amazing to come in the evening with a glass of wine! You can see into the kitchen, and honestly the wok and frying pan just looked like they had years of skill behind them — I could tell this place would be good! Haha.

Brassway menu: galbi pasta and what comes in the set

Let's actually read the menu first~ A galvanized pot that the father-in-law simmered galbi jjim (braised short ribs) in every day for 20 years... ah, so that's where that skilled feel came from, hahaha. Apparently their signature dish is the galbi pasta, a reinvention of the father-in-law's 20-year galbi jjim recipe done Brassway-style, haha. Next visit I definitely have to order the signature galbi pasta, haha.

You can enjoy the best menu items as a value set: galbi pasta + risotto + fried baby potatoes + ade + 2 pieces of bread. Seems like it's meant for two people, and looks filling enough. I'd love to come here with my boyfriend next time... just the two of us... feels like it's been hundreds of years since we've had a date like this, hahaha.

Anyway, we ordered three things: whole garlic confit aglio olio, roast chicken cream risotto, and pepperoni pizza, haha. Three dishes for three women — just right.

The nearby Jeonpo café Downt Coffee also has two options, cold brew and Vienna coffee. There's glass wine too, so it might be nice to pair it with the food.

This little seashell decoration is so cute...haha.

The space is so pretty that while waiting for our food I sat down and took more photos, haha. The European-style plaster wall is so pretty. One side is also a bit orange-and-brick colored, and you can tell they put real thought into the interior. When they do that, the food usually turns out delicious too, right? Haha.

Is that a Le Cordon Bleu certificate or something? Haha, wow.

Best dish of the three: roast chicken cream risotto

The dish we all gave a thumbs-up as the best menu item, number one: roast chicken cream risotto... it's really, really good, hahaha. The rice was cooked to an even doneness too. And the cream flavor was absolutely amazing. Slightly spicy, maybe? Anyway, it wasn't heavy at all and my hand just kept reaching for more..... The deep umami of mushrooms plus a rich, sticky cream sauce, with a special doenjang (fermented soybean paste) sauce mixed in and roasted chicken on top — an unbeatable combo. You absolutely must order this....I'm drooling just thinking about it.

Whole garlic confit aglio olio, a very close second

The menu describes it as an oil pasta of tears, made with deep-flavored confit whole garlic after 30 rounds of recipe redevelopment. And no wonder it was so incredibly delicious. You eat it with lemon squeezed on top, and the sauce clings to the noodles so perfectly, like, cling cling. The seasoning was perfect too, and please make sure to eat the whole garlic. It was genuinely so good, I'm tearing up. This one and the cream risotto were neck and neck... actually the two together are such a great combo, oil pasta plus cream risotto.

The pickles were house-made too, haha.

How was the pepperoni pizza at Brassway?

The signature pizza tops pepperoni with a house-made gochujang (red chili paste) ranch sauce and pangrattato (white crumbs) for texture, haha. This too was super delicious, but it got a little overshadowed since the two dishes above were just so good, hahaha. Still, we cleaned the whole plate.

I really have to go back and eat again... soon... I'll tell my boyfriend to go into work late and go straight at opening time to eat again, hahaha. That cream risotto is insane, hahahahaha. It's genuinely delicious. The best risotto I've had recently. I wonder just how good the galbi pasta must be...

Everything was delicious.... Honestly the pizza was really good too, but it can't help but get a bit overshadowed by the other two, haha. The friends who came with me also gave it a thumbs up while eating.

But please make sure to try this one... If you're looking for a Jeonpo pasta and risotto spot, definitely go to Brassway Jeonpo, which has both great vibes and friendly service. Go twice, three times, hahaha. I'll come back for a re-visit and bring you a galbi pasta review too.