Gangnam steak set and vongole at Mano di Chef, Seoul restaurant

I visited Mano di Chef Samsung Branch while looking for somewhere to eat around COEX!

Getting to Mano di Chef Samsung Branch from Samseong Station

I checked the route from Samseong Station. I walked past Hana Bankㅠ, but if you keep going in by Hana Bank, you can take the elevator down to B1.

There are lots of good places to eat inside COEX, but it gets so crowded on weekends that I end up looking for somewhere I can dine a little more leisurely. This time, I tried steak and pasta together at Mano di Chef Samsung Branch near Samseong Station.

Overall, it had a clean atmosphere and the tables were comfortably spaced, so it looked like a nice option for dates, family meals, or get-togethers. It is in fact introduced as a place many people visit for dining gatherings, dates, and family outings.

A calm meal near COEX

Mano di Chef Samsung Branch is at 21 Teheran-ro 87-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It is conveniently located from Samseong Station and COEX, making for an easy route when you want to eat after shopping or seeing an exhibition at COEX.

The restaurant is fairly spacious, with private rooms and group seating, so it looked well suited to everything from a date for two to a meal gathering with several people. Personally, I especially liked that it felt like a place where you could eat and talk in a calm setting rather than somewhere overly noisy.

Ordering the steak set for two

We visited as a pair that day and ordered the steak set for two. With steak, pasta, and salad all included, it was a good setup for two people to enjoy several dishes at once.

Eating only meat can feel a little heavy, but having pasta and salad alongside it meant we could share a variety of flavors, which I liked. Choosing a set menu also seems to make picking dishes a little easier than ordering several separate items for two.

Vongole pasta and red shrimp bisque linguine

The dish I was especially looking forward to in this meal was the vongole pasta. The sauce had that rich, deep seafood flavor, and when you eat it with the noodles, the savoriness really comes through. I think it would suit anyone who likes seafood pasta. The sauce blended so well with the noodles that after one bite, I kept eating every bit of sauce too.

Mano di Chef currently lists red shrimp bisque linguine as one of its signature pastas. It is described as a dish with a rich bisque sauce made from red shrimp, accompanied by wild red shrimp and octopus. The current menu price is listed as ₩33,900. I want to try this one next time.

Bisque pasta has a different appeal from typical oil or tomato pasta, doesn't it? If you want pasta with a richer seafood flavor rather than the usual cream pasta around COEX, bisque pasta would be a good choice.

Why we added a burrata cheese salad

We had the burrata cheese salad alongside the meal because steak and pasta alone can feel a little heavy. The soft, creamy texture of the burrata cheese with the freshness of the salad made it great to have between bites of steak and pasta.

Especially when eating a meat dish, having a salad like this seems to make the meal feel much less heavy. Alternating between a piece of steak, a bite of salad, some pasta, and then salad again meant we could enjoy all the dishes to the end without getting tired of them.

A menu combination that worked well for two

To sum up what we ate this time:

• Steak set for two
• Vongole pasta
• Burrata cheese salad

That was our lineup.

Personally, I thought the steak, pasta, and salad made a really good combination. The steak filled us up, the vongole pasta brought a rich seafood flavor, and the burrata cheese salad refreshed the palate along the way.

More than anything, being able to share several dishes instead of focusing on just one made the meal more fun for two. Mano di Chef Samsung Branch actually sells steak, pasta, gnocchi, and course meals as well, and it also has amenities including free parking and private rooms, so it looks useful not only for dates but also for dining gatherings and family meals.

A COEX date meal candidate

When you are on a date at COEX, you naturally start looking for somewhere to eat, and sometimes the crowds inside COEX make you want a restaurant with a more relaxed atmosphere. In that case, just go a little way toward Samseong Station and you can enjoy steak and pasta together at Mano di Chef Samsung Branch.

It is especially well suited to anyone searching for COEX Mall restaurants or places to eat near Samseong Station who wants steak as well as pasta. This time, we had the steak set for two with bisque pasta and burrata cheese salad, and sharing several dishes made it a satisfying meal for two.

If you want a meal in a slightly calmer atmosphere after shopping or dating at COEX, Mano di Chef Samsung Branch is worth putting on your shortlist. I would especially recommend it as a pasta spot near Samseong Station if you enjoy richly seafood-forward pasta. 🍝🦐