Main photo of a lunch date at Cuisine R in Yeouido

I was looking for a nice Western-style spot in Yeouido for a lunch date with my husband, and ended up at Cuisine R (퀴진 알)!! Yeouido has tons of great office-worker lunch places, but this day I wanted something a little more relaxed!

Cuisine R storefront near Yeouido Station

Cuisine R on the 2nd floor of Baeksang Building

Where is Cuisine R in Yeouido, and what about parking and hours?

Cuisine R is a 5-minute walk from Exit 5 of Yeouido Station, on the 2nd floor of Baeksang Building on Gukjegeumyung-ro 6-gil. It's open from 11 AM to 11 PM (Saturdays 12 PM to 10 PM), with a break time from 2 PM to 5 PM.

Address: 30 Gukjegeumyung-ro 6-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Baeksang Building 2F, Units 202–203
Hours: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM (Saturday 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
Break time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Parking: 2 hours in the building's parking lot
Corkage available (free-corkage coupon for orders of ₩50,000 or more)

Cuisine R is run by an owner-chef with 25 years of experience serving Italian dishes! They say they cook without artificial seasonings, bringing out the natural flavor of the ingredients, and pick their ingredients for freshness and quality.

They also say they use 99%+ pure cheese, so my impression was that they really care about their food 🥰

Bright interior with wood accents at Cuisine R

View from the window-side seats at Cuisine R

Cuisine R's atmosphere and seating

The interior is bright and fresh with touches of natural wood, and one wall is a wide window. I liked the vibe the moment I walked in ✨ There were bits of that wooden feel you find in Italian restaurants here and there!

One side is a huge window, and since the restaurant is on the 2nd floor, your eye level lines up with the trees!!! You see green scenery outside, so it felt like having brunch at lunchtime 💚 There was also a private room on one side!!

Green scenery outside the 2nd-floor windows at Cuisine R

Inside Cuisine R with the private room area

Cuisine R menu page with pasta and risotto

What did we order at Cuisine R?

The menu at Cuisine R has pasta, salads, pizza, risotto and more, and the wine list at the back was impressive too!! Here's what we ordered!!

1 truffle risotto (cream)
1 pollock roe risotto (rose)
2 glasses of wine

Table setting and hand towel at Cuisine R

Table prepared after ordering at Cuisine R

Cuisine R's bread and Earl Grey water

The table was set with a nicely damp hand towel, and the bread came out before the meal started.

Bread served before the meal at Cuisine R

But this bread.. wow... A subtle buttery aroma, and the inside was so moist and soft!!!

Bread with vegetable balsamic sauce at Cuisine R

The sauce served with it was explained as olive oil and balsamic blended with various vegetables, and its fresh tang went really well with the savory bread!!👍 They told us the bread can be refilled up to 2 times, and the water wasn't plain bottled water but Earl Grey tea! Little touches like this left a slightly different impression from other Italian restaurants 🥹

How do the pollock roe and truffle risottos taste at Cuisine R?

The risottos finally arrived! The one on the black plate was the truffle risotto, and the white plate was the pollock roe risotto!

Two plates: truffle risotto and pollock roe risotto

Pollock roe risotto (rose)

Cuisine R's pollock roe risotto has a rose sauce base topped with herring roe! The staff told us the herring roe can make it salty, so to mix everything together well, haha (so kind ❤️ and the staff member was handsome, our little secret 🤣)

Rose pollock roe risotto topped with herring roe

Truffle risotto (cream)

And the one I really enjoyed: Cuisine R's truffle risotto! This one hit my taste exactly 🖤 I usually like truffle, but sometimes a dish with an overpowering aroma gets overwhelming after a few bites!! This truffle risotto had a clear truffle aroma without being over the top!! 👍

Cuisine R menu note on al dente risotto — Al dente explanation

Can you ask for the risotto to be cooked softer at Cuisine R?

The menu says Cuisine R's risotto is cooked al dente by default, and if you ask, they'll make it softer. I learned about al dente from watching Culinary Class Wars! Simply put, it's cooking something not too soft, so there's a slight resistance when you bite!!

I prefer a slightly softer texture, so I asked for it a bit softer when ordering! And it came out exactly the way I wanted! Some places serve one set texture with no explanation, but I liked that Cuisine R explains it on the menu first and cooks to personal preference. The staff were all kind throughout the meal too, so I was very happy with the service 🖤

Softly cooked truffle cream risotto at Cuisine R

Does Cuisine R's glass wine go well with the risotto?

The glass wine we ordered with the risotto was, as the staff explained, a blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, and it was an unexpected huge success!! I'm no wine expert, but it was really delicious!!! 🥂👍

It paired well with rich, creamy dishes like risotto. (I ended up drinking my partner's wine too!!) It's one of the wines that suited my taste best lately 🥹 If I hadn't had somewhere to be next, I might have ordered another glass 🤣

Glass of red wine with risotto at Cuisine R

Is Cuisine R good for a Yeouido Western-style date or a wedding invitation get-together?

With its bright, clean atmosphere, crowd-pleasing food and wine, Cuisine R looked like a good choice for a Yeouido date or a wedding invitation get-together. The next table seemed to be having one! Honestly, I thought while eating that it would be a good spot for one too!

The atmosphere is bright and neat, the food doesn't seem likely to divide opinions, the staff are kind, and you can add wine, so it looked great for a group to chat and eat comfortably 😊

Yeouido Italian restaurant: softer risotto with Shiraz, Cuisine R

Good to know