Pangyo pasta restaurant for a Friday date: fresh basil salad, Andover

It had been a while, so on a Friday my partner and I planned a date somewhere with a nice atmosphere! My partner lives in Pangyo and picked out this pasta place, Andover, after a lot of thought. It wasn't the usual harsh, overseasoned stuff but homemade Western food I could happily eat for ages, so I was really satisfied with the meal.

Where is Andover in Pangyo, and what are the hours and parking?

Andover is at 1st floor, 10-7 Pangyoyeok-ro 10beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi. It is open 11:00–22:00, with a break from 15:30 to 17:00.

For parking, there are about two spots in front of the shop, and a building lot behind it. It was a Friday evening when we went, so everything was full. In that case you can park on a nearby side street or use the public parking lot just 3 minutes away.

What is the atmosphere at Andover, and is it good for a date?

Outside the shop there is an outdoor terrace, so on a nice day you can enjoy a different kind of mood.

Inside it's cozy and stylish, a bit like a café and a bit like a restaurant abroad. It isn't too noisy but feels comfortable, so I thought it was a perfect space for a date, a blind date, or a meal with friends.

Water, extra cutlery, napkins and wet wipes are on the shelf right as you walk in!

What does the Andover Market sell?

Andover isn't just a restaurant: it also has the Andover Market, which sells house-made sauces, meal kits and more.

Personally, a place that sells ingredients it makes itself, rather than just serving meals, tends to stick in my memory, and I trust that the food will be made with care too! Andover is known for its house-made basil pesto, and I was amazed to hear they even make their jambon (Korean-style cured ham) in-house. So if you visit, you have to try a dish with the basil pesto or the jambon.

Andover menu and prices: what did two people order?

The two of us ordered three dishes: Andover's fresh basil salad, shrimp bisque pasta and mushroom cream risotto. There aren't many posts showing the full menu, so I photographed every page of it for you.

• Fresh basil salad ₩24,000
• Shrimp bisque pasta ₩21,000
• Mushroom cream risotto ₩22,000

Andover's fresh basil salad: is it as fresh as a signature dish should be?

The fresh basil salad, Andover's signature, comes with Andover's fresh basil pesto, marinated cherry tomatoes, burrata cheese, salad greens and three pieces of baguette. It was freshness itself, so much so that if I come back on my own dime, I'd order this salad again for sure.

Each ingredient's own flavor comes through, and nothing stands out or tastes strong. If you're used to modern, punchy sweet-salty or tangy salad dressings, you might think it's a bit plain or bland, but I think a salad like this, where the taste of fresh ingredients shines, is a true salad haha.

The burrata was so springy... it tasted freshly made, with a gentle, mild milky aroma and flavor that I loved.

Andover's basil pesto really feels homemade. Even the most famous brand's basil pesto can't match one freshly made at home! I loved the fresh, fragrant basil and the pine nuts ground to just the right texture.

Andover's shrimp bisque pasta: is there any fishy taste?

The shrimp bisque pasta (₩21,000) comes with three big shrimp, and the bisque was clean-tasting with no fishiness. I love bisque pasta so much that I ordered it lol. Bisque is a sauce made from crustacean innards, and I was curious how Andover would do it.

First, there were three really big shrimp and the pasta portion wasn't small, so I felt totally at ease.

The bisque was very homemade-tasting too! By that I mean it wasn't salty or intense, but had a gentle, wholesome flavor. You can taste the characteristic richness of a bisque sauce, yet with no fishiness at all, and so mild that I thought I could eat this bisque pasta every day.

Peeling the shrimp is a bit of a hassle, but

with shrimp this big, it's worth the effort. Hahaha. Many pasta places don't even have bisque pasta, so I recommend ordering it at Andover once.

Andover's mushroom cream risotto: is it too heavy?

The mushroom cream risotto (₩22,000) had a thickness that was neither runny nor stiff, and even though it's cream-based, it wasn't heavy. We'd ordered pasta, so we thought we should try a risotto too, and since there was no cream dish yet, we went with cream.

The risotto was neither too runny nor too stiff, just the right creamy thickness, exactly the delicious cream risotto you'd picture. The surprising part was that it wasn't heavy at all. Personally I get sick of cream dishes after a few spoonfuls, but Andover's ingredients felt pure, so nothing got cloying, which surprised me.

The mushroom aroma is subtle, so it doesn't spoil the rich flavor of the cream, which is a plus too.

Who I'd recommend Andover in Pangyo to

Overall, Andover's food quality is high, and every dish had a healthy, homemade taste, so it was a satisfying meal. If you're tired of heavily seasoned restaurant food, or looking for a no-fail pasta place in Pangyo, I recommend Andover and its fresh ingredients!