Namyangju late dinner with truffle ragu pasta: Romaok Riverside

It wasn't a special anniversary or anything, but I wanted a date that felt a bit more special than usual. While looking for somewhere with good food and a pretty space, I found Romaok Riverside.

It's an Italian restaurant right next to the Han River, and even the photos had a great atmosphere. So for this dinner, I booked Romaok Riverside, a Namyangju restaurant worth the trip.

Romaok Riverside entrance and where to park

Romaok Riverside is built around a hanok (traditional Korean house) motif, with a nicely styled outdoor space too. I parked at the Namyangju Hangang Sports Park public parking lot right in front — the first hour is free, so it wasn't a burden.

My first thought after arriving was, "I want to come back here in the daytime." The hanok-motif building was pretty from the start, and the outdoor space was well put together too.

Since I visited at night, I couldn't fully enjoy the Han River view or the outdoor space. I imagine the atmosphere would be completely different on a nice day. Parking was easy at the sports park lot right out front — the first hour free made it an easy stop even as a Namyangju drive destination.

What do you get with a late dinner reservation?

Romaok Riverside offers reservation perks for both early dinner and late dinner time slots. My late dinner booking came with a dessert, so I got to finish with Hallabong (a Korean citrus fruit) sorbet at the end.

If you can flex your dinner timing, it seems worth booking with these perks in mind.

When I went, the meal time was set to about 1 hour 30 minutes — worth keeping in mind when you reserve.

Ciabatta starter bread and its sauces

Romaok Riverside's pre-meal bread was a warm ciabatta. The bread itself was good, but as I ate more, I noticed the sauces with each dish were really excellent.

I didn't want to waste the sauce, so I kept dipping bits of ciabatta into it — and that was delicious too.

It was a good start even before the main dishes arrived.

Kelp-aged flounder carpaccio: the sauce pairing worked

The kelp-aged flounder carpaccio had a little caviar on top. There wasn't a lot of caviar, so its flavor wasn't overwhelming.

What stuck with me more was the fruit, the flounder, and the wasabi sauce around it.

Eating all three together brought a bright, tangy kick with a bit of a bite, and they went really well together. It was much tastier with the sauce than eating the flounder on its own.

Fresh truffle Korean beef white ragu pasta, the first truffle dish I loved

Romaok Riverside's fresh truffle Korean beef white ragu pasta comes topped with fresh truffle. This was the first time I actually enjoyed eating truffle.

Honestly, up until now, whenever I ate truffle oil or truffle-topped dishes, all I got was a strong smell without much sense of the actual flavor.

So I never went out of my way to eat it. But here, with fresh truffle on top, I was a little more excited. Trying it myself, the texture was similar to eating thinly sliced mushroom, and the truffle aroma came through gently rather than overpoweringly.

I thought, "Ah, so this is what truffle is actually supposed to taste like." Personally, this was the first time I truly enjoyed truffle.

Spinach mornay gnocchi was the fun plate

The spinach mornay gnocchi came with a sauce that had a noticeable spinach flavor.

Eating it together with arugula was fun, since the soft gnocchi and the crisp texture of the greens contrasted nicely.

Trying all three dishes together, I felt like Romaok isn't just about food that looks good — a lot of the menu really comes together when you eat the sauce and ingredients as intended.

Is Romaok Riverside worth it for an atmospheric dinner date?

At the end, I finished cleanly with the Hallabong sorbet included as a late dinner perk.

Overall the food was great, but what I loved most was the atmosphere of the space itself. It wasn't too casual, but it wasn't stiffly formal either — a good fit for a slow, relaxed date meal.

It would work well for a special occasion like an anniversary or birthday, but it's also just right for a day like ours, when you simply want a bit of atmosphere after a while. If you're after a slightly special Italian meal in a great space, I'd recommend Romaok Riverside.

Next time, I'd love to visit during the day and enjoy the Han River view and outdoor space too.