Ansan steak and squid ink risotto: That Man's Italian Restaurant

I visited That Man's Italian Restaurant & Lounge (그남자의이태리식당&라운지) in Jungang-dong, Ansan. It is an Italian restaurant on the sixth floor of Dongwon Building, and this time the two of us shared its signature lamb rack steak and squid ink risotto, along with truffle fries.

Is the space suited to family gatherings or dates?

The restaurant displayed a plaque for “Ansan's Great Restaurants,” designated by Ansan City.

I visited a little late on a weekend evening. Many reservation guests had already left, and I took interior photos once the crowd had thinned out. I liked the spacious room and lighting, and thought it would suit a blind date or a meal for hosting guests.

There were high chairs and separate private rooms with group seating for six or more. I could not photograph the rooms because guests were inside, but they looked useful for family or group gatherings.

The restrooms were clean and well maintained. You can dine on the outdoor terrace as well as indoors, and at night it looked like a pleasant place to spend time with wine once the lights were on.

What did we order for two, and how much was it?

We chose mainly from the best-selling and signature Western dishes. There were course menus too, but we ordered à la carte. The prices below were current when the original post was written.

• Lamb rack steak, 220 g: ₩43,900
• Squid ink risotto: ₩23,900
• Truffle fries: ₩10,900

Wine options ranged from by-the-glass wine to red, white, sparkling, and Champagne.

Even though we ordered à la carte, bread was served before the meal. It was pleasantly warm and soft, making it nice to eat before the main dishes.

What did the truffle fries taste like?

The truffle fries were more aromatic than strongly truffle-flavored. They were neither overly oily nor salty, with a clean taste, and the portion felt generous. I especially liked the garlic arugula sauce served alongside them.

For the mains, we ate the lamb rack steak and squid ink risotto together.

How were the textures of the whole squid and squid ink risotto?

The squid ink risotto was topped with a whole grilled squid from Ulleungdo. As someone who likes squid, I was happy to see it served whole, and ₩23,900 felt like a reasonable price.

The squid was not salty, so it was easy to eat.

I cut the whole squid with scissors before eating it. It was tender rather than chewy, so it cut easily with the scissors.

Squid ink risotto can sometimes feel chalky or excessively thick, but the consistency here was moderate, so I enjoyed it without issue.

How were the lamb rack steak's doneness and accompaniments?

The lamb rack steak came as two pieces of Australian French rack. We requested medium doneness.

To me, it seemed like medium leaning toward medium-rare. Since I usually prefer medium-rare, it suited my taste, and the meat was not tough. However, the backlighting made the lamb photos come out a little dark.

Whole-grain mustard sauce and mint jelly were served alongside it, so I could pair them to my taste. There were also grilled zucchini and cherry tomatoes, which helped cut the richness. Lamb can sometimes not suit my taste because of its smell, but this time it was not bothersome and I enjoyed it.

What kind of meal would I return for?

The two of us had a filling dinner and said we would like to return when we had guests to host. It felt like a somewhat formal dining occasion to me, while the menu prices did not feel overly burdensome by comparison. It is a place I might think of when I want lamb while meeting up or going on a date.