Ansan blind-date restaurant with corn cream soup: That Man's Italian

That Man's Italian Restaurant & Lounge: a blind-date restaurant in Ansan's Jungang-dong

That Man's Italian Restaurant & Lounge is an Italian restaurant on the 6th floor of Dongwon Building on Gojan 1-gil in Ansan's Jungang-dong. It's honestly kind of hard to find a restaurant in Ansan Jungang-dong with the right mood for a date, right? So instead of the usual noisy pub or plain diner, I went looking for somewhere a little more special for occasions.

I had no idea such a romantic spot existed right in the middle of busy Jungang-dong haha. I'm highly recommending That Man's Italian Restaurant & Lounge for anniversaries or date nights. Even the name gives off serious 'I take my cooking seriously' craftsman energy, doesn't it? ㅎ

As soon as you arrive at the entrance, a gorgeous chandelier catches your eye. Great atmosphere aside, this place has actually been selected as one of Ansan's top restaurants.

Interior and seating: bar table, wine cellar and private group room

Step inside That Man's Italian Restaurant & Lounge and you're greeted by a toned-down dark interior with soft, warm lighting spread throughout. Overall it feels calm and sophisticated — perfect for a blind date, but also great for a regular date or hanging out with friends.

Past the open bar table, you can catch glimpses of the chefs busily cooking away. On one side sits a huge wine cellar. Perfect for pairing with a glass of wine, right??

There's also a private group room for 6 or more people, neatly separated by an opaque sliding door. It seems great for wedding invitation gatherings, family meals out, or year-end parties. The restroom is inside the restaurant too, and it's kept very hygienic and tidy.

The outdoor terrace that sparkles at night

And the real highlight here is the outdoor terrace. At night, it glitters all along the railing — pure romance. The vibe is seriously insane ㅠㅠ It's a great spot to step out before or after your meal for some life shots. If the weather's nice, you can probably even eat out on the terrace. You can tell a lot of care went into every corner of this place.

Once you sit down, the crystal lamps and neatly arranged tableware really ramp up the anticipation ㅋㅋㅋ Gorgeous, right?

Menu and how to order: main course line-up and tablet ordering

Above is the menu. You can also order a main course separately. The main course is made up of bread before the meal, two appetizers, cream soup, pasta or risotto, sorbet, steak, dessert of the day, and coffee or tea.

Ordering is simple — just tap through the tablet set up at every table! They're also currently running a Naver receipt review event, so of course you should grab a sweet perk like that. You can get a Häagen-Dazs egg tart~ For balance, we ordered the lamb chop steak (medium-rare), pescatore, and today's cream soup (corn cream soup).

Bread basket and corn cream soup

First, warm, fluffy bread arrives with balsamic oil. Just the thing to gently ease a hungry stomach.

Next up, the corn cream soup of the day! Soft foam and croutons are prettily arranged in the middle of a wide, upscale plate. It felt like receiving a course from a fine dining restaurant! The corn's naturally sweet, nutty flavor was so good... it went down so smoothly that I scraped the bowl clean to the bottom hahaha.

What does the pescatore pasta taste like?

Next up, a tomato-based pescatore pasta loaded with seafood! Clams, plump shrimp, cherry tomatoes, and other fresh ingredients were generously piled in. This was my first time trying pescatore — it's a style with a thin, brothy sauce.

Twirl the noodles, take a spoonful of the broth, and — wow, you can't help but let out a sound. The deep umami of the seafood comes through fully, slightly spicy but really refreshing. It's not greasy at all, so it pairs well with the steak too.

Medium-rare lamb chop steak: how was it?

Finally, today's main star — the lamb chop steak. Two thick lamb chops come out. Around them are plated various sauces like mint jelly, whole grain mustard, and salt, and underneath the steak are garnishes like grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini. The doneness can be customized — I asked for medium-rare!

Cutting in with the knife, you can feel the tenderness right from your fingertips. Looking at the cross-section, it's exactly the pink of perfect medium-rare I wanted! The moment it hits your mouth, the juices burst and it melts right away. There's absolutely none of that unpleasant gamey smell lamb can have, just full nutty flavor. It tastes even better with a bit of whole grain mustard on top.

I officially declare this a steak spot worth its salt! Case closed.

I can't believe there was such a high-quality Western restaurant in Ansan Jungang-dong this whole time... how did I not know ㅠ The atmosphere is so upscale it seems perfect for dates, blind dates, meeting the in-laws, or wedding invitation get-togethers ㅎㅎ

Parking and reservation details

• Address: 6th floor, Dongwon Building, 40 Gojan 1-gil, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 12:00-22:00, break time 15:00-17:00, last order 21:00
• Closed: Every Monday
• 1 hour of free parking available at the public lot across from Dongwon Building
• ₩2,000 off your meal when parking at Daedong Joy World's parking lot
• Reservations available via Naver Reservation