Italian date in Dongtan: aglio e olio & chuck flap steak, Brick Nojak

My partner and I were out in Dongtan for the day and looking for a Western restaurant with a nice atmosphere, so we tried Brick Nojak, a Dongtan pasta place with really good reviews. It's near Nojak Park, easy to reach and easy to park at, so there was no hassle in visiting. Once we got there, both the pasta and the steak were great and the mood was lovely too, so I'd happily recommend it as a date spot~!

Brick Nojak Dongtan · 4-1 Nojak-ro 2-gil, Dongtan-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do (1st floor) · Tue–Sun 11:00–22:00 / break time 15:00–17:00 · Closed Mondays

Where to park at Brick Nojak

You can park in front of Brick Nojak, but there aren't many spaces, so just use the Nojak Village Public Parking Lot (노작마을공영주차장) right across from it. It's free for a whole 1 hour 30 minutes.

Brick Nojak is an Italian restaurant near Nojak Park in Dongtan! With 1 hour 30 minutes of free parking, it was really easy to get to~!

Is Brick Nojak's dining room good for a date?

The tables inside Brick Nojak are nicely spaced and the lighting is soft, so it's a calm place to eat. It would work for a family meal too, but I felt it's especially good for couples on a date.

Once we got inside, the mood was even better... The tables are spaced generously, so you're not too close to the next table and can eat comfortably, and the lighting is soft, so it felt like a place to enjoy a calm meal rather than a noisy one! It seemed good for a family outing too, but I especially thought it was a great date spot~! There are also sweet little decorative props here and there, which is great for photos, and the whole place is clean and well kept, which I really liked!

What we ordered at Brick Nojak and how much it cost

We ordered a chuck flap steak, aglio e olio, the soup of the day and a cola, and even with all that, the total was only ₩56,000. The menu had a really wide variety.

It's good value, so even after ordering all of this it came to just ₩56,000! The food is tasty and the price is low too... isn't this just perfect for a date?

What's at the Brick Nojak self-serve bar?

Brick Nojak has a self-serve bar, so if you run out of pickles you can grab more right away, and you can use the sauces to suit your taste.

Personally I like restaurants with a self-serve bar, because you can take as much as you need without feeling awkward about it, which was really convenient. It's a small thing, but thoughtful touches like this kept the whole meal feeling relaxed~

How is Brick Nojak's soup of the day, the mushroom soup?

The first thing out at Brick Nojak was the soup of the day, a mushroom soup (yangsongi-seupeu). It had a strong mushroom aroma and was warm, which made it a good starter before the mains.

I really love mushroom soup, so I ordered it, and it looked so good even before the first bite that my mouth was watering.. It was warm, so it was perfect for settling the stomach before the main dishes!

The mushroom aroma was super strong and the flavor filled my whole mouth, so anyone who likes mushroom soup will enjoy this one, no hit-or-miss about it!

Next came the aglio e olio + the steak!! They looked absolutely insane...

Is the aglio e olio at Brick Nojak too oily?

The aglio e olio at Brick Nojak is loaded with garlic and a little spicy, so I never got tired of it right to the end. Adding extra noodles made the portion even more generous.

The noodles were cooked perfectly, and that slight spiciness gave it the best savory depth.. I ate it together with all that generous garlic and the flavor was insane.. They also put a slice of baguette on top, and eating it together gave yet another new taste, so I wolfed down the whole bowl!

Seriously, how good was it.. Aglio e olio can easily turn greasy, but Brick Nojak's has a rich garlic aroma, so I could eat it to the end without getting sick of it!

How is the chuck flap steak at Brick Nojak cooked and how does it taste?

The chuck flap steak (salchi-sal, a tender, marbled cut) at Brick Nojak was cooked perfectly and tender, with no gamey smell. Eaten with the vegetables served alongside, it tasted even cleaner.

The steak, which no date course can do without, was cooked absolutely perfectly~ I ate it with the vegetables that came with it and it was even cleaner and tastier. There's no gamey smell from the meat and it's super tender, and my partner, who loves steak, ate it happily, which made me weirdly proud of this dish!

Cleaned the plate.. haha hahaha we really scraped it clean. I was so full I almost died..

Verdict: is Brick Nojak a good date restaurant near Nojak Park in Dongtan?

If you're looking for a Western restaurant with a nice atmosphere near Dongtan's Nojak Park, I'd recommend Brick Nojak. Parking is easy, the food quality was satisfying and the date-friendly mood is all there.

Parking is easy, the food quality is satisfying and the mood is great for a date, so it was a really pleasant meal! The pasta and steak both scored high with us, so next time I'd like to try the pizza too! If you're looking for a good pasta place in Dongtan or a Western restaurant in Banso-dong, I recommend Brick Nojak~!