Magok pork omakase dinner course with wine, 58,000 won: Don Tamguso

This weekend I went on a dinner date with N to Don Tamguso, a pork omakase restaurant in Magok. Here's a detailed review of the fusion Korean-style ₩58,000 dinner course I had.

How to get to Don Tamguso in Magok: hours and parking

Don Tamguso is located at 128, 11 Magokjungang 6-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, just a 3-minute walk from Magok Station Exit 3, so it was really easy to find. Hours are weekdays 11:30–21:10 (break time 14:00–17:30) and weekends 15:00–21:10. Parking is free, and corkage is charged.

Just a note — you need to book your preferred time in advance through Naver or Catch Table. I went for the weekend second seating at 5pm.

Inside Don Tamguso: the open-kitchen bar table

There's a long bar table for seats, plus group tables further inside, so it looked like a good spot for larger groups too. Nice casual vibe, right? N and I sat at the bar table, and I liked it even more because it's an open-kitchen setup where you can watch the cooking happen right in front of you.

At our assigned seat there was a menu sheet with today's course written on it. They'd even carefully written our reservation name on it — this kind of small touch really gets you, right? 🤍

There was info about today's dinner course along with various notices — they're running a review event, and if it's your birthday they'll prepare a lettering service, so don't miss it! Corkage is ₩20,000 per bottle under 25% ABV and ₩40,000 per bottle at 25% ABV or above.

Don Tamguso drink menu: Heineken and the wine of the day

It felt like a waste to just have food, so we ordered drinks too. Heineken (bottle) ₩8,000, wine of the day ₩10,000.

N had just come from playing soccer and wanted a refreshingly cold beer, so he ordered the Heineken. I stole a sip — so refreshing, haha, stolen sips always taste better!

I picked the wine of the day! It was a dry, not-sweet wine, so I enjoyed it a lot.

What comes in the 58,000 won dinner course at Don Tamguso

Soup: celeriac, bacon, fresh cream

The dinner course opened with soup. They told us to mix in the nuts sprinkled on top well, and it was a good soup — smooth and rich-tasting.

Salad: dried persimmon, orange, apple, basil, prosciutto

Next came a salad with a molecular-gastronomy-style foam sauce. The fruit was fresh and the basil scent was nice. The bits of salty prosciutto you'd catch here and there made it a memorable salad.

Lasagna: shiitake mushroom, white ragu, mozzarella, smoky sauce

Next dish — a flourless lasagna! Shiitake mushroom stood in for the flour, and it had a deep mushroom aroma with a healthy sort of flavor. Cutting it in half revealed mozzarella cheese, tomato, and white ragu sauce, all moist inside.

Main 1: shio koji pork tenderloin, button mushroom, sun-dried tomato

Finally the main — grilled tenderloin arrived. It came with a tomato and sauerkraut salad that was great for cleansing the palate in between. Can you see the pink cross-section of the tenderloin? Clean, tender, everything.

The tenderloin was grilled moist and well, and eating it with broccoli and mushrooms made it even better.

Main 2: pork belly, minari, Sichuan pepper, cumin, fennel

The second main was ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly) served with minari (water dropwort). It had a bit of a bacon-like feel and you could really taste the chewy texture of the pork belly — a fun dish.

With all the spices used, it even had an exotic feel to it. The pairing with the fresh minari was great too!

Signature risotto: Wando abalone, barley, bangpung greens, Grana Padano

Next was a choice course between risotto and burger. We wanted to try both, so N and I each picked one.

The risotto was made with barley, so the texture was really good. The Wando abalone was tender and soft, and the pile of crispy fried glasswort on top made it a real treat.

Signature burger: jambon, arugula, fennel

Next up, a burger loaded with jambon (ham). You can see the jambon, cheese, carrot rapée, and arugula. Gloves were set out at every table so you could eat it with your hands.

The accompanying dijon aioli sauce soaked nicely into the ingredients — delicious. A familiar taste done well. N said he could probably put away five of these, haha.

Dessert: the dessert of the day

Finally, dessert was panna cotta. It came topped with blueberry compote, and eating it together with the panna cotta was refreshing and soft, all mixed together perfectly. A clean, satisfying finish.

Is Don Tamguso worth booking for a date or anniversary?

Don Tamguso let us have a really different kind of meal thanks to its varied cooking methods. It's a great place to visit on a date when you want to set the mood, or for an anniversary.