Dangha-dong bar in Geomdan, Incheon with a ragu pasta course: Matgim

If you're looking for a good restaurant or bar in Geomdan new town, I have a place for you! I went yesterday to Matgim (맡김) in Dangha-dong. It's a great spot for a date, but also worked really well for a cozy chat with a friend.

At first I thought, "Isn't ₩35,000 for a course a bit small?" But six plates came out one by one, from salad all the way to steak and dessert...! Here's the full breakdown of the September course along with the basic info.

Matgim in Dangha-dong, Geomdan: location, hours and parking

Matgim is a dining bar serving Korean-style cooking. True to its name — 'matgim' means 'leaving it to them' — there's a set course, so you don't have to agonize over the menu; it's basically an omakase structure where you just leave it to the kitchen. Among the omakase-style bars in Incheon's Seo-gu, this one's easier on the wallet at around ₩30,000-something.

• Location: 788 Seogot-ro, Unit 129, Geomdan-gu, Incheon, South Korea
• Hours: 18:00–24:00
• Last order: 23:00
• Closed: Tuesdays
• Parking: Dangha-dong Holyland parking lot, free for 2 hours
• September course: ₩35,000 or ₩50,000 per person
• Reservations: I booked through Catch Table!

Why Matgim works for two friends: bar seats and one table for four

We lived together and were inseparable back in college, so whenever we meet up we always have so much to talk about!! haha. We figured somewhere quieter than a loud beer hall or restaurant, where dishes come out one at a time, would be perfect, so we picked this place. There are bar seats as the base seating, plus just one table for four. So if you're coming with four or more people, you must reserve!

We ordered the ₩35,000 September course; apparently the ₩50,000 version adds one or two more dishes. We went with the 3.5 course and highballs.

What comes in Matgim's 35,000-won September course

• ① Fig and tofu cream cheese salad — the first plate, opening with in-season figs
• ② Grilled napa cabbage — grilling brings out the sweetness
• ③ Tripe tacos — the most unexpected dish of the course
• ④ Daily pasta (ragu pasta) — a hearty midpoint dish
• ⑤ Pork tenderloin steak — the main
• ⑥ Plum granita — a refreshing dessert finish

1. Fig and tofu cream cheese salad

From the very first plate, I thought, ah, it really is September. Figs are exactly in season right now. The tofu cream cheese was lighter and nuttier than regular cream cheese.

Scooping it up together with the sweet figs made for a great appetite-opener...!

2. Grilled baby napa cabbage

I didn't expect grilled cabbage to be this sweet. The outside was lightly charred with a smoky flavor, while the inside cooked through moist and brought out the sweetness. It seemed like it might be a bland dish, but it was better than expected, and it went surprisingly well as a drinking snack too.

The sauce had a bit of a pasta-like flavor to it, and my friend said this was her favorite dish of the course. It's also one of Matgim's signature dishes.

3. Tripe tacos (gopchang tacos)

Tacos at a Korean-style dining bar...! This was the dish I was most curious about from the moment I saw the menu...! They served tripe with various ingredients piled onto a tortilla. The plating was so cute it was fun just to look at. Even though it's a taco, it somehow tasted like eating a Korean drinking snack.

It's such a unique dish, I don't think you could get it anywhere else! I don't usually enjoy tripe, tacos, or cilantro all that much, but the combination worked really well here!

4. Daily pasta: ragu pasta

True to the name 'daily,' the pasta changes day to day. On the day we went, it was ragu pasta. The meat sauce clung well to the noodles, so each bite felt hearty and filling. We scraped up every last bit of sauce...haha.

Having a carb dish come in the middle of the course, I started to feel my stomach filling up...haha.

5. Pork tenderloin steak

The main was pork tenderloin steak. Being tenderloin, it was lean and light, and cutting into it, the inside was tender rather than dry.

You get to enjoy it with whole grain mustard and garlic scapes. They cut through any richness perfectly, and the meat was so tender...! This dish stuck with me too. I never expected a steak to show up in a ₩35,000 course...!

6. Plum granita

Last up was plum granita. It's a scrape-with-a-spoon icy dessert, and the tartness of the plum cleaned my palate right up, making it a perfect finish after the meat course. It also paired really well with the shine muscat grapes and lime jelly. The sweet muscat and jelly balanced out the plum's sourness nicely.

It felt like a dessert that fit perfectly with September, the transition from summer into fall.

The two highballs we drank with the course

Since the course is food-focused, the restaurant offers highballs, wine, beer and more to drink alongside it. We ordered highballs.

One drawback at Matgim

The September course is only available in September. Since it's built around in-season ingredients like figs and plums, the menu will change by October. If you want to eat exactly what's described in this post, I'd recommend visiting within this month. Also, drinks like highballs aren't included in the course price and are billed separately.

Is Matgim's course worth it?

Catching up with a college friend I hadn't seen in a while, there was something fun about wondering "what's coming next?" every time a new plate arrived. Next time I'd love to come with my husband and try the October course too...haha. If you're in Dangha-dong, Geomdan and want a quiet drink with proper cooking, give the Matgim course a try. This is a light recommendation for anyone looking for an omakase-style bar in Incheon's Seo-gu.