Wedding anniversary dinner in Jamsil, Seoul: Mano di Chef fresh pasta

Why we chose Mano di Chef Jamsil for our 2nd wedding anniversary

Second wedding anniversary date ❤️ We went to Mano di Chef Jamsil Branch. My husband and I have already been married two years, haha.

When we were dating we used to search hard for where to go on every anniversary, but once we got married, going out for a good meal became the easiest and nicest option, lol.

For this anniversary too, we went back and forth on "what should we eat?" and ended up returning to Mano di Chef Jamsil Branch, which we'd been to once before. My husband and I had eaten there before and the food was good and the atmosphere nice, so this time we chose it as our anniversary date spot on purpose.

To cut to the conclusion — it was a great place for the two of us to sit, eat well, and talk, haha.

How to get to Mano di Chef from Jamsil Station

Mano di Chef Jamsil Branch is about a 1-minute walk from Exit 7 of Jamsil Station, so it's quite convenient as a meeting spot too. We booked ahead through Naver Reservation.

We drove that day, and parking is available in the Tower730 building — 2 hours free. I hate wasting time on parking during a date, so it was nice being able to park and just head straight up.

It's also a good location if you're shopping or catching a movie in Jamsil and moving on to dinner, so it could work well as part of a Jamsil date course.

Is Mano di Chef Jamsil a good anniversary atmosphere?

Walking into Mano di Chef Jamsil Branch, the space was bigger than I expected. There are large tables, and also a small private room you can use separately.

Maybe that's why — there were couples there, and also families having a meal. Since it was our anniversary, we preferred this kind of quiet atmosphere where we could talk over one that's too loud.

Now that we're a couple in our 30s, lol, we find ourselves looking for places where we can talk over a meal rather than loud, lively spots like before. That day too we sat and talked with my husband, saying things like "we've already been married two years," while eating.

It sounds like nothing much, but I really enjoy this kind of time 🤍 The private space also looked good for wedding invitation meetups or family gatherings in Jamsil.

Mano di Chef Jamsil set menu prices

Looking at the menu, there were several set options.

Premium Hanwoo Steak Set ₩149,900 Bastecca Set ₩219,900 Special Set ₩89,900

If you're visiting as two, going with a set depending on what you're craving would work fine too. We had specific dishes we wanted that day, so we just went à la carte.

The total came out a bit higher than a set would've, but we figured "it's our anniversary, let's eat what we want," lol.

Blueberry & rocket pizza on black dough, 33,900 won

There was one dish we'd had before and specifically wanted again this time — the blueberry & rocket pizza (black dough), ₩33,900!

At first glance you might think, "wait, blueberries on a pizza?" lol. We thought it was a bit unusual the first time too, but once you try it, it works surprisingly well together.

With the rocket (arugula) in there, it's not overly sweet — the blueberries' gentle sweetness plus walnuts wrapped in house-made cheese give it a nutty, fresh feel. My husband tried it and said, "this is actually pretty good," lol.

I remembered liking it from before, so I ordered it again this time and it was just as good. Rather than always going for steak on an anniversary, it's fun to order something you don't usually eat.

Nutty black sesame & mushroom risotto, 27,900 won

Next up was the black sesame & mushroom risotto, ₩27,900. It's a creamy risotto with black sesame mixed in, and the black sesame flavor worked better with it than I expected.

The characteristic softness of the cream combined with the nutty taste of black sesame made it smooth and nutty all around. I like this kind of nutty dish, so I enjoyed it, haha.

Eating it alongside the pizza, the flavors were different enough from dish to dish that we didn't get tired of it.

Fresh pasta: burrata cheese & bolognese rigatoni, 32,900 won

The dish I was most looking forward to that day was the burrata cheese & bolognese rigatoni, ₩32,900, lol.

Honestly, I'd seen chef Sam Kim making fresh pasta on TV recently and suddenly got a craving for it. I looked around near my place for somewhere serving fresh pasta but didn't find much. Then I noticed Mano di Chef served fresh pasta, so I tried it this time.

It's tomato bolognese sauce with chewy fresh pasta, topped with burrata cheese. The noodles are chewier than regular pasta, and mixing the burrata into the sauce made it even softer and creamier. I really enjoyed this one, haha.

I know a lot of people search for Jamsil bisque pasta spots looking for a nice-atmosphere pasta place in the area. If you're a pasta lover like me, it's worth checking out Mano di Chef Jamsil Branch too.

Especially for an anniversary, having pasta with a glass of wine would be a good date idea. Next time, we want to try a seafood-forward pasta from the list of Jamsil bisque pasta spots we've been looking into.

Two years married: why this small dinner felt right

This anniversary wasn't anything super special, honestly. All we did was eat well, talk about this and that with my husband, and head home.

Two years into marriage, these low-key dates feel even better somehow, haha. Chatting about "this is good" or "let's try that next time" while eating is its own kind of fun.

Mano di Chef Jamsil Branch is close to Jamsil Station and easy to park at, so it might be worth checking out if you're looking for an anniversary date spot in Jamsil.

You can eat in a quiet atmosphere, and there's a good range from pasta, risotto, and pizza to steak, so you can pick based on what you're in the mood for. We didn't get to have steak this time, so we told each other, "let's come back for steak next time!" lol.

We came for our 2nd wedding anniversary and enjoyed the food more than expected, so we'll probably be back again. You don't have to go far for an anniversary, haha — eating good food and talking a lot with someone you love is really the best kind of date.