Haebangchon restaurant, Grade 1 hanwoo pepper steak: Villa de Blue

A date with mom, just the two of us, in Haebangchon

It had been a while since I went on a date with just my mom, and we headed to Haebangchon. Namsan Tower in view, great weather — perfect for a date these days! Since I spend so much time moving around with my kid, this kind of leisurely meal with just my mom felt extra special.

I wanted somewhere that matched the Haebangchon mood while serving good food, and I'd had my eye on Villa de Blue since it usually has a weekend wait — so that's where we went.

The space matched the exotic feel of the Haebangchon alleys, and the food was satisfying too, which made the rare date with my mom even more enjoyable. We ordered Sicilian puttanesca pasta and a pepper steak that day. Both felt a little different from what I usually eat, so I was excited from the moment we picked the menu. Dishes like these are genuinely hard to make at home, so I get curious and end up ordering them.

The atmosphere and bar seats at Villa de Blue

Villa de Blue isn't a huge restaurant inside. Instead, it has quite a few bar seats, which gave it a different feel from a typical table-centered restaurant. Haebangchon itself has that exotic, alleyway feel, and stepping into Villa de Blue continued that mood — personally it felt like a tiny slice of Europe inside Haebangchon. There were also solo diners enjoying wine, and that kind of scene fit the space well.

Coming to eat with someone is nice, but it also looked like a great spot to sit alone at the bar with a glass of wine and some food. It's not a lavishly spacious place, but the cozy atmosphere actually made it easy to focus on the food while talking. The music selection was great too~~ Il Mondo came on and I couldn't help but feel happy about it 🥹👰🏻🤵🏻‍♂️🤍

What does the Sicilian puttanesca pasta taste like?

The first thing we tried was the Sicilian puttanesca pasta. Even the name was different from the pasta I usually eat, so I was curious, and it really did taste distinctive. It felt familiar yet different in flavor from the usual tomato pasta — every bite felt new.

With all the ingredients coming together, there was a distinct savory depth, so it wasn't just an average pasta — it was memorable. If you like pasta, this is worth trying once for a different style. Personally, of the dishes we ordered that day, this was the one that gave me the most unusual, satisfying flavor experience. My mom also enjoyed the olives inside and ate well.

1++ hanwoo pepper steak

And the dish I was really satisfied with that day was the pepper steak. Satisfaction with steak really depends on what meat is used, and Villa de Blue's pepper steak used 1++ hanwoo (Korean beef), which made me even happier. As always, with good meat you don't really need a lot of extras — you can taste the meat's own flavor clearly.

The first bite really delivered the flavor of the meat, and the peppery aroma added to it made it delicious. The sauce was great too, and the potatoes and cheese on the side, good,, eating it together with the pasta made for a great combination. One dish had a distinctive pasta flavor, the other let you enjoy the pure taste of meat — different charms, which made them great to share between two people.

Why it's good to go as a pair

That day, the food was delicious, but what I loved most was simply having a leisurely meal with just my mom after so long. 🥹😭 Since I'm usually out and about with my kid, chances to sit down slowly and talk with just my mom don't come as often as I'd like, but that day we ate slowly and talked about all sorts of things, spending a relaxed time together. 💙💙💙 With the Haebangchon neighborhood mood added on top, it felt a bit more special than an ordinary meal.

Especially with so many bar seats, even though it's a restaurant, it didn't feel overly formal — it was easy to just relax and spend time there.

If you're looking for a restaurant with a good atmosphere in Haebangchon, Villa de Blue is the spot for a different kind of pasta and hanwoo steak. Next time, I want to try other dishes and wine there too. 🍝🥩🍷