Hyanggyo-ro, Suwon Friday course: Charlie Puth CD & carbonara at Hado

Last Friday evening I wanted to try a course meal in Suwon, so I went to a place that stuck with me for its lovely atmosphere and the way the staff explained every single dish. Let me introduce Hado, a casual dining restaurant that I'd happily call one of Suwon's best course meals.

Where is Hado in Suwon, and what about hours and parking?

Hado is at 138 Hyanggyo-ro, Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi, on the ground floor. From Tuesday to Sunday it is open 11:00 - 21:30 with a break from 14:20 to 16:00 and last order at 20:00. On Mondays it only serves dinner, 16:00 - 21:30.

There is a public car park right next to the restaurant, so driving was easy. It's free for the first hour, and after that it's ₩300 every 10 minutes, they told us.

Hado has a dark exterior with arched windows and red wooden shutters, so it stood out even from far away. There's a 'HADO' standing sign by the entrance, so it isn't hard to find.

What is the atmosphere like inside Hado?

When you open the door, empty wine bottles line a rough plaster wall. Down below, a stone arch holds a potted plant and wine bottles together, which was pretty cute.

The interior is calmly decorated with black-toned walls, gray tables and black chairs. Lights hang down over the tables, giving it a soft, subdued mood.

The kitchen is open, so you can watch the chefs cook. There are also bar seats in front of the kitchen, so I think it would be fine to come alone too.

Each seat was set with a menu card and cutlery, and the little squirrel decoration tied around the napkin was so cute.

Hado's special touches: CD player, couple jack and mouthwash

Hado has quite a few features of its own, so I listed them separately.

• CD player: A CD player hangs on the wall, so while you wait for food you can pick any CD you like and listen. There's even a handwritten instruction sheet.
• Earphones / couple jack: Earphones and a couple jack (a splitter so two people can listen at once) are provided, so two of you can listen together. We picked a Charlie Puth album.
• Menu explanations: Every time a dish arrives, the staff explain what it is.
• Pay at your seat: No need to go to the counter. They came to our table to take payment.
• Mouthwash: Before we left, they handed us a mouthwash each, a thoughtful touch.

How much is Hado's basic course, and what's in it?

We ordered the Hado basic course (₩45,000) for two. Here's what it includes.

• Starter: pea tart, sweet shrimp apple tart
• Main: pasta (can be changed)
• Protein: sous vide chicken breast steak / sous vide top blade steak (+₩21,000)
• Dessert: Earl Grey ice cream

The pasta can be swapped, so we changed one to carbonara and one to vongole. For the protein, one of us kept the chicken breast and the other switched to top blade, so we got to taste both.

Starter: sweet shrimp apple tart and pea tart

The first course was two tarts on a wooden plate.

The sweet shrimp apple tart had sweet shrimp on top of diced apple. The apple was crisp, and eating it with the shrimp felt fresh and light.

The pea tart was piled with whole peas and sprouts on top of pea purée. Popping the peas in one bite was a fun texture.

Pasta: guanciale carbonara and vongole

Next came the pasta. Hado's carbonara arrived with the noodles twirled in a yolk sauce. The guanciale (cured pork jowl) and pepper on top went really well with the sauce.

The vongole had plenty of clams. The broth was clean, so it was nice to alternate with the carbonara.

Protein: sous vide chicken breast steak and sous vide top blade steak

For the main protein course, we received two plates together.

The sous vide chicken breast steak came topped with crispy quinoa, resting on an orange purée. It's chicken breast but so tender I was genuinely surprised. There was no dryness at all.

The top blade was cooked to a nice pink inside. It came with roasted carrot and mashed potatoes, and we dipped everything in the sauce and ate it together.

Dessert: Earl Grey ice cream on crumble

The last dessert of the Hado course was Earl Grey ice cream. There was crumble underneath, and scooping the tea-scented ice cream together with the crumble gave a great texture.

Is Hado's course in Suwon worth going back for?

At Hado we ate while hearing an explanation of each dish, and listening to songs on CD while waiting made time fly. The chicken breast steak in particular was something I'd want to eat again. If you want a relaxed, easygoing course meal and a quiet evening in Suwon, I highly recommend it!