Magok pork dining: nacho rigatoni and a named pamphlet, Don Tamguso

I went to Don Tamguso, a Magok date-spot restaurant I want to strongly recommend for a special occasion or a romantic date 🫧💗 It's a fusion tasting-menu restaurant that reimagines the familiar ingredient of pork with creative recipes! Every course felt so carefully made that I kept marveling all through the meal.. Let me share the order of Don Tamguso's dinner course along with visuals and taste notes for each dish~~

Inside Don Tamguso: the room and the reservation table setting

Don Tamguso is a pork dining restaurant located at 11 Magokjungang 6-ro, Unit 128, with bar-style seating around an open kitchen as the main seating. The moment I walked in, the elegant bar table wrapping around the open kitchen greeted me, and I really felt a private, romantic mood haha

Since I'd made a reservation ahead, there was a neatly set table with a pamphlet engraved with my name on it! Feeling pampered before the meal even started put me in such a great mood..💗

Don Tamguso's dinner course is a substantial 8-step lineup from soup to dessert!! It uses pork as the main ingredient but moves through a varied Western-fusion style with lasagna, a handmade burger, risotto, and more~

A separate drinks menu is set on the table. The lineup is great too — highballs, ades, and a chef's-pick pairing wine that goes perfectly with the course — just right for maximizing the flavors of the food!!

What the 8-course dinner at Don Tamguso includes

Course 1: soup with chestnut, cremini mushroom and fresh cream

A savory, smooth chestnut and mushroom soup opening the meal! A seasonal dish that suits the weather these days so well~~ The subtle sweetness of chestnut blending with the smoothness of fresh cream made this a soup I enjoyed a lot🩷

Course 2: salad with dried persimmon, orange, apple, basil and prosciutto

A salad with an appealing balance of tartness and saltiness! The foam wraps around your mouth while the fruit's tartness rises up, freshening the palate right before the main dishes — my appetite really picked up. Fresh and sweet ><,,,

Course 3: lasagna with shiitake, white ragu, mozzarella and smoky sauce

A lasagna made not with pasta sheets but shiitake mushroom!! One bite and your mouth fills with the deep flavor of shiitake and the savoriness of a long-simmered white ragu..

On top of that, the stretchy cheese and the subtle smokiness of the sauce added real depth.. Since the base is mushroom, it wasn't heavy at all, but the flavor was never light either.

Course 4: first main, shio koji pork tenderloin with cremini and sun-dried tomato

Grilled pork tenderloin aged with koji for maximum tenderness! The knife slid through so smoothly!! One bite in and it was hard to believe it was pork.. so good. The pickled altari radish served alongside was refreshing too — perfect paired with the meat.

The meat was so moist, with clean juices bursting out, and eating it alongside the grilled mushrooms and sun-dried tomato made the flavor even richer. My heart hurt a little every time a piece disappeared.. haha

Course 5: rigatoni with con carne and nachos

A dish of plump, chewy rigatoni short pasta soaked in a spicy, salty Mexican-style con carne sauce.

The addition of savory, crunchy nacho chips made for a really fun texture — crispy and chewy at once — and I thought it would go perfectly with beer too..🍻

Course 6: second main, pork belly with minari (water dropwort), huajiao, cumin and fennel

A second main that carries both exotic and Korean charm at once! The pork belly is crisp outside and tender inside, infused with a spicy, tingling aroma for a special flavor. Eaten together with fragrant, crunchy minari, it blended perfectly with the savory fat of the meat.

Especially the minari here was such a kick.. Chef.. how did you even come up with this idea… My mom, who isn't usually a fan of minari, said the tartness of it made her want to eat a whole bunch this way — and she really dug in lol

Course 7: signature burger or abalone risotto — which to pick?

Don Tamguso's 7th course lets you pick between a Signature Burger (jambon, arugula, fennel) and a Signature Risotto (Wando abalone, barley, glasswort, Grana Padano). Since I wanted to try both, we ordered one of each haha. On the chef's recommendation we tried the risotto first!

Signature Risotto — the richness, the fragrance, and the popping texture of the barley grains were a work of art!!! The fried glasswort especially was so fragrant, and I still can't forget that crisp texture and flavor,,😵‍💫😵‍💫

Signature Burger — the burger has house-made jambon, carrot slaw, cheese, and arugula. It really felt like a luxurious brunch burger..!!! The saltiness of the jambon and the freshness of the carrot slaw went so well together. If they ever sold this burger separately, I'd want to buy one for lunch.. If two of you visit, I really recommend each picking a different choice course and sharing. Both of the choice-course dishes were so good ❤️❤️❤️

Course 8: blueberry panna cotta

A soft, pudding-style panna cotta that closed out the meal!! On top of the silky, milk-forward pudding sat a sweet-tart blueberry compote that popped in the mouth, cleaning up the palate perfectly after the meal🫐

Is Don Tamguso a good anniversary restaurant in Magok?

Don Tamguso was delicious all the way to the final dessert, and I could feel the chef's care and philosophy in every single dish — such a thoughtful experience...👏🏻 Thanks to the interior, the attentive service, and the high-quality food, I don't think there's a better place to visit with a partner for an anniversary or a special occasion!!! If you want to experience a special pork fine-dining course, I recommend Don Tamguso, a great Magok date-spot restaurant! 🤍