Jeonpo Italian restaurant brunch date for two: Odd Bird Oliver

Our little Yuha is growing well every day. We just had her first birthday party (doljanchi), so she's officially completed one year of touring this planet and showing off all kinds of new skills. Living with her every single day is happy and wonderful. Still, every now and then I get flashes of the old days when it was just me and my partner hanging out together — so today, thanks to a grandma assist, my partner and I headed out to Jeonpo just the two of us. Of course it's even better with Yuha around, but this let us hit up a bunch of restaurants that are hard to enjoy with a baby in tow. Hehe.

What kind of place is Odd Bird Oliver?

Odd Bird Oliver, which we visited this time, is a brunch Italian restaurant near Jeonpo Station. The menu is quite varied, ranging from brunch to pasta to salads.

The vibe inside is really nice. My partner found it while searching for a good-atmosphere brunch café in Jeonpo and had bookmarked it to try sometime — so we used this free husband-and-wife time to finally visit. Jeonpo is fun to explore nook by nook once you've parked, so — sorry, Yuha — it was a great neighborhood for the two of us to wander around. The name was pretty unusual too: Odd Bird Oliver. I wondered if it meant they use a lot of olive oil.

Jeonpo-style interior: is Odd Bird Oliver good for a date?

The interior really captures that distinct Jeonpo vibe. Rather than feeling like a typical Western pasta joint, it feels more like an atmospheric brunch restaurant.

The space has great atmosphere. The rows of wine bottles lining the interior were nice too, and it doesn't feel heavy or overly formal — it's an easy place to pop in for a casual brunch. It's pretty enough that photos come out great, so it seemed like a popular date-course spot. Even before the food arrived, there were so many photo-worthy corners that my partner was thrilled.

What we ordered: bottarga pasta and the Bismarck sandwich

We ordered the bottarga pasta and a sandwich. The egg in the sandwich was a real kicker — it was almost like eating it as a sauce along with everything else. The plating looked like it got some real thought put into it, right? It had this egg-waterfall kind of look, which suited the Jeonpo vibe perfectly. For brunch or pasta, taste matters but visuals can't be ignored either, and on that front it was extremely satisfying.

How the bottarga pasta tastes

Odd Bird Oliver's bottarga pasta had plump shrimp tucked in between bites, giving it great texture. The bottarga and pasta oil bring a salty umami that pairs really well with the shrimp — delicious. For an oil pasta, the oil itself matters a lot, and everything here came together well, with rich flavor from the bottarga and shrimp making it a satisfying dish. There were so many wine bottles around the interior — I'm not sure if they actually cook with them, though.

The Bismarck focaccia sandwich

The Bismarck focaccia sandwich layers jambon, ricotta cheese, and poached egg between house-baked focaccia. The jambon and ricotta cheese sit between the focaccia, and you can dip into the poached egg yolk like a sauce for extra moisture. The salty jambon, savory ricotta, and soft yolk all go together nicely. Eating it, it almost felt like a healthy option — surely eating something delicious can't make you gain weight, right? Honestly, the ingredients are pretty diet-friendly, so it could work as a diet-conscious pick too. Did you know pasta can actually be a decent diet food too? But don't overdo it just because it's tasty.

House-baked focaccia: can you order extra?

There was house-baked focaccia right by the entrance. It's really appealing that the bread is made in-house rather than sourced elsewhere. It's also nice that you can order more from the menu. Focaccia is a great bread for pairing with saucy dishes, and the satisfying chew and just-right fullness were really charming.

The menu combo we'd recommend for two

Pasta alone would've felt a bit lacking. The sandwich-and-pasta combo works well — pasta noodles can leave you hungry again quickly, but the sandwich filled us up properly. If you're visiting as a couple on a date, I'd recommend ordering a few different dishes to share.

Odd Bird Oliver stood out for its personality in ingredients and combinations, more than your typical brunch menu. The bottarga pasta instead of a plain pasta, the poached egg spilling out of the sandwich, the house-made focaccia — all of it felt like something only possible in Jeonpo. If you're looking for a café or brunch spot worth checking out in Jeonpo, I'd recommend this one!