Daejeon pasta spot with mom: squid-ink vongole & ragù risotto, Plate

My mom suddenly said she wanted Western food, so this time we went to Dunsan-dong, Daejeon for pasta together haha. Usually when we go out to eat we lean toward Korean food or meat, but that day mom wanted pasta and pizza, so after looking around we ended up at Plate Dunsan Branch, right next to Galleria Timeworld. With everything from fresh pasta to risotto, steak and pizza on the menu, it seemed like a great spot for two people to share a bunch of dishes.

Where is Plate Dunsan Branch, and is there parking?

Plate Dunsan Branch is on the 2nd floor at Dunsan-dong 1008-1, Seo-gu, Daejeon, about a 1-minute walk from Galleria Timeworld. You can use the building's basement parking, which is free for 1 hour, and it's also an easy spot to reach from Jeongbu Cheongsa Station or City Hall Station.

Being right next to Galleria Timeworld made it a great spot to stop for a meal after shopping. We drove, and having basement parking was convenient — we could head straight up to the restaurant without worrying about where to park.

A spacious Dunsan-dong restaurant with a nice atmosphere

Once inside, the space at Plate Dunsan Branch turned out to be bigger and more pleasant than I expected. There are large window seats and group seating further in! It would work well for a date or blind date, but also for a family meal.

I could tell that sitting by the window in the evening would have a pretty great atmosphere, so anyone looking for a Dunsan-dong date spot would probably love it too. I just came for a relaxed meal with my mom lol, but I imagine it feels totally different on a date! Definitely worth keeping in mind if you're searching for a Daejeon date restaurant.

How do you order at Plate Dunsan Branch?

At Plate Dunsan Branch, once you sit down, they bring you an order sheet and a pencil — you pick your dish, then also choose your pasta noodle and write down the number. Beyond regular spaghetti, there's squid ink, spinach, tagliatelle, pappardelle and more, so it's fun being able to pick whichever noodle suits the sauce you want. I love this kind of thing, so I spent a while agonizing over the menu lol.

The set menu: 4,000 won extra for soup, bread and salad

Menu items at Plate Dunsan Branch can be ordered à la carte, or you can add ₩4,000 to upgrade to a set.

The set comes with soup + bread + salad. We only upgraded one dish to a set, and it turned out you don't have to set every dish — you can just add one set depending on your group size or appetite. Mom especially loved the soup and bread and said they were delicious, which made me quietly proud haha. If two of you are visiting, I'd recommend setting at least one dish.

Mom's pick: one pasta and one risotto

The two dishes we ordered that day were the Steak Cream Ragù Risotto and White Vongole with squid-ink pasta noodles. Normally protein + carb is the unspoken rule..(?) but mom said she wanted one pasta and one risotto lol, so I figured we'd go with what she wanted and picked two dishes with toppings. The Steak Cream Ragù is normally a pasta dish, but we ordered it changed to risotto.

How does the steak cream ragù risotto taste?

First up, the Steak Cream Ragù Risotto!

The Steak Cream Ragù Risotto at Plate Dunsan Branch wasn't overly mushy — the rice had a nice, slightly firm bite, which I liked. The soft ragù cream sauce coated the grains well, and with steak garnish on top, each bite that included the meat was even tastier.

The steak was cooked just right too, and the pairing with the risotto worked well. Personally, when a cream sauce is too heavy I sometimes get tired of it after a few bites, but this wasn't overwhelming even shared between the two of us. And most importantly, mom really liked this dish haha.

White vongole with squid-ink noodles

Second up, the White Vongole!

I was really happy with my noodle choice for the White Vongole lol — I went with the White Vongole + squid-ink pasta combo. The broth from the clams and the squid-ink noodles blended together better than I expected. The savory umami of the clam broth mixed with the distinct flavor of the squid-ink noodles, and I thought, good call on the noodle choice! ><

We shared it between us, and the White Vongole was so good we ended up polishing it off completely... Turns out the noodle choice really matters for pasta. So if you're looking for Daejeon pasta and want to try something a bit different, switching to a noodle that suits the sauce could be a fun move.

Pizza at Plate Dunsan Branch can sell out after lunch

We visited Plate Dunsan Branch a bit after lunchtime that day, and the pizza had already sold out ㅠㅠ Actually, one of the reasons mom wanted Western food that day was because she wanted pizza too.

Mom loves pizza, so I felt a little bad about it too. Next time I'm thinking of coming specifically for pizza and visiting a bit earlier. Plate apparently also has menus like Grilled Chop Steak Pizza, Beef Cheddar Pizza, and Lobster Shrimp Pizza, which I definitely want to try next time. The Grilled Chop Steak Pizza especially caught my eye, with its smoky steak topping and cheese combo. So if you're hunting for a Daejeon pizza spot, it might be worth visiting a bit earlier with the sellout risk in mind.

Plate Dunsan Branch with mom: final verdict

This time mom wanted Western food, so we came here, and in the end, letting her pick the dishes and eating together made me happy too. What I especially liked was being able to choose your own noodle when ordering! Since the same pasta can feel completely different depending on the noodle, I want to try a different one next time.

And since mom loves pizza but we missed out because it sold out, I'm a little sad about that — next time I'll make sure to properly get the pizza too lol. Apparently they run a Steak '10,000 Won Happiness' event every 2nd Thursday, so next time I'd like to time my visit for that event and try the steak too!

• Great accessibility right next to Galleria Timeworld
• Convenient basement parking in the building
• Spacious with window seats and private rooms, good for family meals
• Recommended for anyone looking for a Daejeon Western restaurant or Dunsan-dong restaurant that cares about atmosphere

That relaxed day out with mom ended with us leaving full after two dishes of pasta and risotto haha. Next visit, I'm determined to finally get the pizza too...🍕