Western restaurant in Cheomdan, Gwangju: shrimp rosé pasta at MooDoo

Sometimes you just want delicious pasta and risotto in a nice setting, right? This time I was looking for a Western restaurant in Cheomdan, Gwangju that's good for a date or a special meal, and I ended up at MooDoo (무두) Cheomdan branch!

MooDoo serves everything from brunch to pasta, risotto and wood-fired pizza! It has a stylish interior and plenty of space, so it works for a date, a get-together with friends, or a family meal. This time I ordered the shrimp rosé pasta, the steak galbi cream risotto and french fries! They looked so appetizing that I started eating wondering how they'd taste, haha

Where is MooDoo Cheomdan and how does parking work?

MooDoo Cheomdan is on the 2nd floor of Yastek Tower in the Cheomdan district, at 5 Cheomdangangbyeon-ro 87beon-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. Hours are 11:00–22:00 (the original notes 15:00–17:00 as last order), and it's open every day.

You can use the Yastek Tower basement parking, and up to 3 hours of parking is supported with a meal, so it's convenient by car! Parking always nags at you when you're meeting friends or on a date in Cheomdan, right? Time flies when you're eating and chatting, so I liked that the parking allowance leaves room to stay a bit longer!

After parking, take the elevator to the 2nd floor, turn right when you get out, and MooDoo is right there!!

MooDoo Cheomdan interior and seating

Stepping inside, the whole place felt modern and stylish! It felt less like somewhere you just eat and leave and more like a restaurant where you enjoy the atmosphere too! The space is large and the tables are spaced out comfortably, so it didn't feel cramped at all!

There are window seats too, so you could eat while looking out at the view! Not just the tables and chairs but even the tableware and bowls suit the overall mood, so the food looked even nicer when it arrived!

If you like pretty tableware and plating, you'll probably notice these little details too, haha Another thing that stood out at MooDoo was the open kitchen!

The cooking area is open, so you can watch the food being prepared, which I found impressive! Seeing how your order is made keeps the wait from getting boring! For pasta and risotto, where sauce and ingredients have to work together, the ingredients matter a lot for flavor, right? MooDoo selects good ingredients and makes the pasta sauces in-house, and you can feel the care they put into the food!

MooDoo Cheomdan menu and prices of what I ordered

MooDoo Cheomdan has not only pasta and risotto but also pizza, steak, salads and brunch! There are brunch items like soufflé pancakes and French toast, so you can have anything from a light meal to a proper Western dinner!

Choices range from brunch dishes made with homemade jam and fresh ingredients to wood-fired pizza made with dough aged for 24 hours! I heard the handmade bread, with dough made from scratch, is only available at the main branch, so if you're curious how the main branch and Cheomdan menus differ, it may be worth checking before you go! What I found especially appealing is that the pasta uses homemade sauces made with carefully sourced ingredients rather than ready-made sauces!

• Shrimp rosé pasta ₩18,000
• Steak galbi cream risotto ₩19,500
• French fries ₩9,000

The tableware was so clean and pretty too!!

After sitting and waiting a little, they brought out everything we ordered at once!!

The dishes came in elegant, pretty tableware with beautiful plating, so

it looked delicious just to look at!! Sitting in a nice place with such pretty food in front of me put me in a great mood, haha Let's dig in again today!!

How is MooDoo's shrimp rosé pasta (₩18,000)?

The first dish to introduce from MooDoo is the ₩18,000 shrimp rosé pasta! The tang of tomato and the richness of cream blended together without feeling heavy, and the shrimp added a springy bite.

Rosé pasta is one of my favorites because you get the fresh flavor of tomato sauce and the smoothness of cream together! MooDoo's shrimp rosé pasta had shrimp on top of an appetizing sauce, and it whetted my appetite just by looking at it!

The sauce coated the noodles well, and twirling them on a fork let me taste the soft flavor of the rosé sauce! The tomato tang mixed with the creaminess so it was easy to enjoy without feeling too heavy! Eating it with the shrimp added a springy texture and that seafood savoriness, which really lifted the pasta!

Since the sauce clung so well to the noodles, they tasted good even on their own, and with the shrimp the texture got even richer! Rosé pasta can get tiring fast if the sauce is too heavy or greasy, but the tomato-and-cream balance here was appealing, so I enjoyed it to the last bite, haha I think it would suit people who can never decide between cream pasta and tomato pasta, too!

How is the steak galbi cream risotto (₩19,500)?

MooDoo Cheomdan's steak galbi cream risotto is ₩19,500, with a steak made with galbi (Korean marinated short rib) sauce on top of creamy risotto, hearty enough as a single plate. The name alone felt different from an ordinary cream risotto, so I was looking forward to it!

With steak on top of smooth cream risotto, this was a dish you could happily fill up on with just one plate!

The cream sauce blended in between the grains of rice for a rich, savory flavor, and eating it with the steak added the meaty flavor, which was even more satisfying! Because the steak is made with galbi sauce, the flavor felt deeper than an ordinary cream risotto! Cream risotto can feel heavy, but eating it with the meat added a chew so it never felt monotonous!

Scoop up a spoonful of risotto with a piece of steak on top and you get the creamy richness and the meaty savoriness in one bite! Ordering pasta and risotto together also made a good combination, since you get the appeal of noodles on one side and the heartiness of a rice dish on the other, haha

Are the french fries (₩9,000) worth adding as a side?

MooDoo Cheomdan's french fries are ₩9,000, crispy outside and fluffy inside, and good to nibble between bites of pasta and risotto. We couldn't skip the fries we ordered along with the mains!

Fries are such a good side for pasta or risotto, aren't they!

Picking up the crispy fries one by one was a nice light snack between the main dishes!

You get the crunchy outside and the fluffy potato taste together, so they were easy to keep reaching for!

Especially when I ate them between bites of the cream risotto, the change in texture made the meal more fun! If you're visiting with a group and feel ordering only mains is a bit lacking, I'd recommend adding a side like this to share!

My thoughts after visiting MooDoo Cheomdan

What I liked about MooDoo Cheomdan is that it doesn't just sell a wide variety of dishes but also cares about ingredients and sauces! In pasta, the sauce often decides how good the whole dish is, right? Using homemade sauces instead of ready-made ones and cooking with carefully selected ingredients felt like MooDoo's own charm!

The shrimp rosé pasta had a lovely combination of smooth sauce and shrimp, and the steak galbi cream risotto added meaty flavor to the creamy richness, making it a filling meal! Adding the fries gave us a range of textures, which was even more satisfying! The roomy, stylish interior with an open kitchen also made the meal itself enjoyable!

If you're looking for a date spot in Cheomdan or want to eat at a restaurant with a nice atmosphere, keep MooDoo Cheomdan, a pasta favorite in the area, in mind, haha With homemade sauces, a wide range of brunch dishes, an open kitchen and up to 3 hours of parking support, it's a place I'd recommend for dates or group meals, haha