Dongtan Station steak restaurant packed at 11am opening: Paol

Today I visited Paol Dongtan Yeoul Park Branch (파올 동탄여울공원점), a restaurant with a big reputation for steak. Rated five stars (★★★★★) as a steak place by 맛집언니, the Korean blog persona.

I'd heard about it all the time as a Dongtan steak and pasta spot, so I went in with high hopes, and once I got there I understood right away why so many people come. I arrived at 11am and the place was already almost full. That meant I couldn't take many photos of the interior, but it also made it clear how popular the place is~

What's the atmosphere at Paol Dongtan Yeoul Park Branch like?

From the outside, Paol looked clean and modern. The huge glass windows let in lots of light, and even from the street you can sense the soft mood inside, so I was excited before I even walked in. The interior was just as tidy and atmospheric.

How to find Paol Dongtan Yeoul Park Branch: location and parking

I recommend searching for "Megabox Dongtan Station" (메가박스 동탄역) in your navigation app rather than "Paol." I loved the place, and if I had to name one drawback, it's that the location can be a little confusing at first.

I first searched "Paol" in the navigation, and Kakao Navi sent me to an officetel (residential-office building) parking lot instead of the restaurant. I went in the wrong way, had to come back out and circle the building once. You want the parking lot of the building where Megabox is clearly visible, like in the photo above. If it's your first visit, don't wander around like I did. Search for Megabox Dongtan Station from the start. It's a small tip, but it saves time and makes arriving much easier.

• Park in the Megabox Dongtan Station parking lot
• Take the elevator at Gate C5 down to B1
• On B1, turn right and exit through the building entrance; the restaurant is immediately on your right

It was a bit hard to find at first, but once I knew the route it wasn't difficult. Still, first-time visitors might get a little confused. I got lost for a bit too.

Even at 11am the restaurant was already full of guests, so I couldn't take photos of the whole interior. If anything, it made me think this is a place many people seek out. The overall mood was calm and tidy, so it was comfortable to talk over a meal, and above all it felt well looked after.

The ₩59,000 steak set: what's included

I ordered the steak set (₩59,000) at Paol Dongtan Yeoul Park Branch. It came with a sous vide flank steak, clam (mosi) vongole pasta, a citrus fruit salad and a drink. Considering restaurant prices these days, a set like this in the ₩50,000 range seems quite reasonable.

Citrus fruit salad

The citrus fruit salad was really refreshing. Fresh greens with cherry tomatoes and orange cleaned up my palate nicely. Eaten in alternation with the steak, it left almost no greasy feeling, and the crunchy texture was satisfying.

Clam vongole pasta

The clam (mosi) vongole pasta was so good too~ The savory depth from the clams soaked well into the noodles, and the seasoning wasn't heavy, so I could eat it all without feeling weighed down. It had the clean, light charm of an oil-based pasta, and a subtle garlic aroma kept me reaching for more. The noodles were cooked just right, and there were plenty of plump clams, which made the texture even better.

Sous vide flank steak

Of everything I ate that day, the sous vide flank steak (buchaesal, a lean cut from the shoulder) is the one I really want to recommend. One bite and I thought, "So this is why people call it a steak place!" The steak was laid over mashed potatoes in easy-to-eat pieces, with shishito peppers (kkwari-gochu), mushrooms and cherry tomatoes alongside, and the plating looked really appetizing.

Maybe because it's sous vide, the meat was incredibly tender. It sliced naturally with just a light press of the knife, and the juices spread through my mouth in one bite. It kept the clean, mild flavor of flank steak without being tough, so I could eat comfortably to the end. The mashed potatoes were smooth and nutty too, and paired really well with the steak.

Overall, the portion was enough for two people.

Eating steak, pasta and salad together gave us a nice variety, so we never got tired of it right to the end.

If the steak is great and the pasta is great too, isn't that kind of cheating? Both dishes were better than I expected.

Dongtan Station Western food: is Paol Dongtan Yeoul Park Branch worth it?

If you're looking for a restaurant with a nice atmosphere in Dongtan, or you want to enjoy good steak and pasta together, Paol Dongtan Yeoul Park Branch should be a very satisfying choice.

I want to try other dishes next time, so I plan to go back. If you were searching for a Dongtan pasta restaurant, a Dongtan steak restaurant or Paol Dongtan Yeoul Park, I hope this review helped at least a little.