Gangseo Italian restaurant for seaweed risotto: Romaok Magok

It had been ages since my husband and I took Ttareungi public bikes out for a date at Seoul Botanic Park! It had been so long since I was in Magok too, and the lovely weather plus biking around made me so happy. After walking around the botanic park, we were getting hungry and found this great spot: Romaok Magok! It is inside LG Arts Center, and I was curious because it is said to be a Blue Ribbon-selected Italian restaurant.

Romaok Magok location and hours

Romaok Magok is on the third floor of LG Arts Center Seoul. It is easy to reach from Magongnaru Station and close to Seoul Botanic Park, so it is a good location to visit after a botanic-park date.

Best of all, it is inside LG Arts Center, so it would be easy to make it part of your meal plan when coming for a show!

Hours are 11:00–21:30, with a break from 15:00–17:00. Last orders are at 14:00 and 20:30.

An elegant feel before you even walk in

We went up to the third floor of LG Arts Center and found Romaok Magok. Even before going in, it had such an elegant vibe!

Then we opened the door and went in... the atmosphere was sooo nice... ❤️

The whole interior feels very refined. As soon as we sat down, my husband said it would be perfect for a pre-wedding gathering or a blind date, haha.

It was quiet, atmospheric, and clean, so I thought it would work not only for dates but also anniversaries or important meals. I also liked that it did not feel overly formal, so it was not intimidating!

Browsing and ordering from the tablet

Each table has a tablet, so you can browse the menu and order right away. Most dishes were in the ₩20,000–₩30,000 range, while steaks were around ₩60,000.

Since it is an atmospheric restaurant, the prices are not especially low, but I liked that every menu item had a clear description.

When menu names are only in English or Italian, I am always like, “...?” But these explained the ingredients and style of each dish, which was great!

We ordered the abalone geu pasta for ₩26,000 and the seaweed scallop risotto for ₩26,000. Both sounded so intriguing from the names alone, haha.

Even the bread was delicious

After ordering and waiting a little, the bread arrived first. It felt like ciabatta, and it came nicely warmed.

I dipped it into balsamic oil... and wow, the bread was so soft.

Even though it was just pre-meal bread, it was quietly delicious and I kept reaching for it! It really got our appetites going before the mains arrived.

Seaweed scallop risotto with perfectly separate grains

The seaweed scallop risotto came first. It looked pretty, and there was a subtle scent of maesaengi (soft green seaweed) from the start.

After one bite, it was a little different from the risotto I had expected. The grains were wonderfully separate and distinct. How should I put it—almost like the grains were dancing around, haha.

The texture reminded me of risotto I had in Italy before, so I personally loved it. It is a little disappointing when risotto gets too soft, but the rice texture here was really intact. The scallops were quite substantial too.

I wondered whether the strong maesaengi aroma might divide opinions, but the smooth sauce balanced everything nicely. My husband tried it and said we had found a seriously delicious Italian place for the first time in a while, haha.

Abalone geu pasta with abalone-innard cream sauce

And then came the abalone geu pasta I had been waiting for. I wondered what geu was, and it turns out it means abalone innards; this pasta uses them to make a cream sauce.

That meant the sauce had the rich, concentrated flavor of abalone innards in full force. It was much deeper and nuttier than an ordinary cream pasta. That intense abalone-innard flavor with the cream sauce was seriously delicious.

There was abalone in it too, and it was incredibly tender.

It was not chewy, tough abalone; it went down softly and paired so well with the pasta!

A meal we scraped clean between the two of us

We scraped both plates totally clean, you know... haha. My husband kept saying how good it was, which made me weirdly proud, haha.

I hesitated a little at first because of the price, but after eating, I was satisfied considering the food quality and atmosphere.

A great setting for dates and anniversary meals

Romaok Magok has great food, but the atmosphere was just so nice too! So rather than simply going out for a meal, I would recommend it for a day when you want to make things feel special, like a date or anniversary, haha.

• A date with your partner
• A pre-wedding invitation gathering
• A blind date
• An anniversary meal
• An atmospheric meal occasion

It seems like a great fit for occasions like these. While eating, we kept saying it would be nice to have a pre-wedding gathering with our hospital colleagues here, haha.

Also recommended for meals before or after LG Arts Center shows

Another advantage is that it is inside LG Arts Center. If you are coming to LG Arts Center for a musical or performance, it would be perfect for a meal before or after the show!

You could take your time over a meal here before the performance, or come for food after it ends.

If you want atmosphere along with food near Magongnaru Station

If you are looking for a good restaurant near Magongnaru Station and want a nice atmosphere too, I highly recommend Romaok Magok, haha.

The elegant interior makes it a lovely place to visit for a date or anniversary. I recommend it to anyone looking for food in Magongnaru, Magok, or near Seoul Botanic Park too!

And if you are looking for a Blue Ribbon restaurant in Magok, save this one too. If we come back to see a show at LG Arts Center, I would love to visit again!