Bucheon brunch spot: abalone risotto and bracken pesto pasta at Andrew

Today I'm writing a review of Andrew, a brunch restaurant near Sinjungdong Station. Out of all the places I've been to lately, this one was really delicious and had a lovely atmosphere, so I'd love to go back. It's away from the busy streets around Sinjungdong Station, in an area with lots of houses, so it was quiet and parking was easy too, which I loved :)

Where is Andrew and when is it open?

Andrew is in a residential area less than a 5-minute walk from Exit 6 of Sinjungdong Station in Bucheon, and it's open Monday to Saturday from 10:30 am to 10 pm. On weekdays there's a break time from 3 pm to 5 pm (no break time on weekends), and it's closed on Sundays. There's no dedicated parking lot, but I was able to park around the restaurant.

Andrew is a cozy, warm space, and the interior is gorgeous right from the entrance. The yellow gate catches your eye from far away. Seeing the flower bed set up outside, you can feel the owner's touch everywhere, like a lot of care went into it. It's impressive not only inside but outside too.

What's the atmosphere like at Andrew?

The restaurant is clean yet antique-looking, and the tables are spaced generously, so we could eat comfortably. Pretty, right? The walls are decorated with cute little props, and the view from the window seats was especially lovely. I really liked its warm, distinctive feel.

I visited around 7 pm and plenty of people were already eating. Each seat has a different mood, but the whole space is put together harmoniously, and you can feel the owner's good sense.

You can watch the cooking in the open kitchen, and there are lots of wines at affordable prices, so it's a place you can easily go to for a date without worrying about the bill.

How are the coffee and ricotta salad at Andrew?

I ordered a hot coffee at Andrew, and it was nutty with little acidity, so it went down clean.

Ricotta salad, ₩14,500

Andrew's ricotta salad is ₩14,500, and it comes with seasonal fruit, so the ingredients seem to change a little with the seasons. They say they make the ricotta cheese in the restaurant themselves, and the creamy, soft texture was impressive. They also told me all the vegetables are organic, and I was surprised the salad isn't more expensive, since the ingredients must cost quite a bit.

There was a really generous amount of ricotta, and the bread was lightly toasted, crispy outside and warm, which made it even better. The vegetables and fruit were all fresh, and the nuts inside were nutty and crunchy.

What does Andrew's abalone gamtae risotto taste like?

Andrew's abalone gamtae (a type of seaweed) risotto is a cream risotto with chewy abalone in a rich cream sauce. I loved how soft and creamy it was, and the rich cream sauce was really good. The rice grains were cooked just right, the tender texture went well with the chewy abalone, and you could taste the full flavor of the seafood.

It was honestly so much better than I expected. I'd been torn about ordering a pasta, but I ended up choosing one pasta and one risotto, and I was totally satisfied. I heard the paella here is good too, so I want to try it next time. The table right next to us ordered the paella.

What changed in Andrew's relaunched bracken pasta?

Andrew's bracken pasta was a hugely popular dish, and I picked it because it was relaunched with the menu renewal, with homemade bracken pesto added. They said it didn't have bracken pesto before and they added it this time. Maybe that's why it's incredibly nutty, rich and deep in flavor.

It's an oil pasta, yet it wasn't greasy at all and tasted clean, which amazed me. And even though it has namul (seasoned vegetable side) in it, how does it go so well with pasta? The bracken pasta is Andrew's own signature that you can't find anywhere else, which is probably why it's so loved. They said there were so many requests for it to come back that they relaunched it with the renewal, so if you go to Andrew, definitely try the bracken pasta.

The fragrant, chewy bracken and zucchini made it feel like I'd properly taken care of myself with a really healthy meal.