Yeouido Italian dinner: aglio olio and truffle risotto at Cuisine R

I love Western food so, so much, so this time I visited Cuisine R (퀴진 알), a Yeouido pasta place with a great atmosphere. It's only about a 5-minute walk from Yeouido Station, so it's easy to reach. The Baeksang Building car park is free for 2 hours, and you can book through Naver Reservation or Catch Table! I booked ahead on Catch Table before going :)

Cuisine R's atmosphere and interior

The moment I walked in, the soft lighting and clean interior made the mood feel really good. It was quiet but lively at the same time, a perfect space for a meal, and the neat table settings made me love it from the first impression!! It's not easy to find a stylish Western restaurant like this in Yeouido, and it was nicely put together, so my expectations went even higher :)

Do you need a reservation on a Wednesday evening?

There seemed to be so many seats that I wondered, do I really need a reservation?? But it was packed, and I would have been in trouble without one. I went on a Wednesday evening, and there were lots of large groups there for company dinners or gatherings. There are private rooms too, so I guess many people come for group meals and work dinners.

The staff brought the menu, explained it kindly, and checked in on us from time to time to see if we needed anything, so we could eat comfortably the whole meal. Little things like this are what make you want to come back to a restaurant!

Cuisine R menu and what we ordered

Cuisine R has a good range of set menus, so ordering a set would be a good option too. I heard it has been running in Yeouido for over 15 years and has firmly established itself as a go-to spot... I wondered how good it would be, and we ordered the aglio olio (garlic and oil pasta) and the truffle risotto.

Bread I wanted refilled

The bread before the meal is seriously amazing. I assumed it was just standard bread, but it was crispy outside, soft inside, with a buttery aroma. It was so good I wanted refill after refill, haha. The sauce served with it is good too.

Finally, the mains we'd been waiting for! I'd had a sloppy lunch and was really hungry, so the generous portions made me happy.

They say Cuisine R builds flavor from cheese and raw ingredients without artificial seasoning. How do they make it taste this good without any?!?

How does the aglio olio taste?

Packed with garlic, and the sauce was nutty, so I kept reaching for more! The noodles were cooked just right, with a really, really nice texture. And even though it's an oil pasta, it wasn't greasy at all, and the sauce soaked into the noodles well, so I enjoyed it to the very end.

Truffle risotto served al dente

This was the one I was most looking forward to: truffle risotto with plenty of sauce. Loaded with mushrooms and a strong truffle aroma, so delicious! The risotto comes out al dente, and it made me think, this is a place that makes traditional risotto. The rice was fluffy and separate, and tasty >_<

Can you see all those mushrooms!! The thick, rich risotto sauce was great too, and I scraped the plate clean T_T Personally I thought the aglio olio and truffle risotto combo was excellent!! Taking a bite of risotto and then going back to the pasta, each had its own charm, so I never got tired of it and enjoyed it to the end. Even after finishing, my friend and I said we could order one more each, it was that good an evening :)

Recommended for Yeouido gatherings and dates

If you're looking for a pasta place with a great atmosphere in Yeouido, I recommend this one! There's a reason it has been loved for so long, and you can feel the care in every dish. Everything we ordered was delicious, so next time I want to try the steak and a set menu too. If you're wondering where to go for a date, anniversary or gathering in Yeouido, it's worth a visit. I plan to come back next time I'm in Yeouido~!~!