Gangseo Seoul Korean restaurant pork dinner with minari: Don Tamguso

I went back to Don Tamguso (돈탐구소), a great date-night spot near Magok Station that I was quite happy with after its lunch omakase last time. I had the ₩26,000 lunch course per person then, and the lineup was so good for the price that I even wrote a separate review. I enjoyed it so much that this time, I took on the dinner course with my family.

Since I’ve now had both lunch and dinner, I’ll compare the food and which course I found more satisfying :) I recommend trying lunch first, haha.

So many food photos, and such a casual atmosphere :)

The atmosphere at Don Tamguso near Magok Station

Don Tamguso is near Magok Station, where you can enjoy pork omakase—also called donmakase, a pork-focused tasting course.

Rather than grilling meat yourself as you would at a typical Korean barbecue restaurant, the pork is prepared in different ways and served one course at a time.

The interior feels like a cozy dining spot rather than a typical barbecue restaurant, so it also suits anyone looking for a Magok date-night restaurant.

It has an open kitchen, so you can see the chefs at work. There are lots of bar seats right in front, too! We were a party of six including Ppomul, so we sat at a table. Since we had reserved, they gave us menus with our names written on them like this.

Dinner course compared with lunch

• Soup
• Salad
• Lasagna
• Pork tenderloin
• Pork belly with minari salad
• Signature house-made burger or risotto
• Dessert

Because I had enjoyed the lunch course so much last time, I had high hopes for dinner, too. Dinner is ₩58,000 per person, more than double the ₩26,000 lunch price. When I visited, though, the overall flow and lineup did not feel hugely different from lunch, aside from the added dessert, so the price difference felt a little disappointing.

The food itself was delicious again, but having tried both courses, I would vote for lunch when considering both value and satisfaction. If it’s your first visit to Don Tamguso, I recommend starting with the lunch course :)

What I had for dinner

Chestnut and button mushroom soup

This soup was made with chestnuts, button mushrooms, and fresh cream. It was a small portion, perfect for waking up the appetite.

I think the topping was chestnut or pecan, and it was delicious with its sweet coating :)

Dried persimmon and prosciutto salad

With dried persimmon and prosciutto, it had a bright tartness that made it a nice appetizer.

I think that foam was meringue. Sweet, tart, and delicious :)

Everyone was enjoying it :) The portions are small, which makes you look forward to the next dish, haha.

Shiitake mushroom white ragù lasagna

This was shiitake mushroom white ragù lasagna.

My family had quite the debate over whether the mushrooms were shiitake or abalone, but the menu clearly said “shiitake mushroom,” haha.

The pork tenderloin steak I had been looking forward to

This was the one I was really looking forward to, but it was less tender than last timeㅠㅠ Such a shame... Still, my family members trying it for the first time enjoyed it :)

My favorite: pork belly with minari salad

This was the tastiest! The combination of pork belly and tangy minari (water dropwort) salad was so good. And that red pepper! The aroma was amazing :)

Burger or abalone risotto

Since there were five of us, we got to try both the burger and risotto. Four chose the burger, though, haha. I tackled the burger properly with the disposable gloves provided beside it >_<

Last time, it was burger versus Bolognese pasta, and the burger won by a landslide. This time, though, it was hard to choose between it and the risotto, haha.

The abalone risotto was so delicious. I loved the texture of the barley.

A dessert that changes daily—panna cotta on this day

Dessert changes every day, and today they served panna cotta. They even prepared a separate one for Ppomul :] Thank you, haha.

It was sweet and delicious! The kind owner, who is also the chef, brought out an extra dessert for Ppomul :) It was like coconut mochi, and that was delicious too, haha.

Which course I recommend: lunch or dinner

I liked lunch so much last time that I tried dinner at Don Tamguso this time, too. The fun of experiencing pork through various cooking methods, which is unique to Don Tamguso, was still there, and I enjoyed the food overall. It is a good Magok date-night restaurant when you want a slightly more special course meal than a standard Korean barbecue place.

Taste and experience → both satisfying / Value → lunch wins! Hahaha

If, like me, you try lunch first and love it, it could be fun to compare it with dinner yourself. But if Don Tamguso is new to you, I recommend starting with the ₩26,000 lunch course :)