This was the day before the World Food Festival. After we arrived in Seoul, it was about eight pm, and we were hungry as hell. So, my friend looked up some restaurants near the hostel and found an Italian place. Now, usually, pasta in Korea comes in two kinds, super thin white cream sauce and super sweet watery tomato sauce. I had my speculations about going, but I didn't want to have basic Korean food when we are coming all the way up to Seoul. On top of this, she showed me some photos of the place that was more pleasing to the eye than what I generally think of Korean Italian food. You can check out their Trip advisor page linked below.

Urban Garden

!steemitworldmap 37.567385 lat 126.969135 long Urban Garden d3scr

When we walked into the place, I felt underdressed, to be honest. I had on shorts and a t-shirt while my friend was wearing a dress. I'm sure the wait staff thought we were on a date, which we weren't of course, but if we were, I should have dressed better lol They were couples on dates, some people having business dinners, and women having a wine night together. It had a vibe to it that reminded me of my restaurant back home, I little upscale but still a very chill place. All it was missing was some soft live jazz in the background to set the mood.

Does anyone else agree that it feels a bit upscale?

We ordered our entrees and asked for a wine menu. I thought it was kinda weird that they didn't give us a wine menu right away, but then again, I was in shorts and a t-shirt. They probably expected me to get a German beer or something in that vein. However; my restaurant back home had wine tastings, so I learned a thing or two about pairing my booze lol

I said before we got to the place that if they have a rose pasta, that is what I am getting. Sure as shit, top of the menu salmon rose pasta with broccoli. Ordered that right up and a glass of their house chardonnay after the appetizer of bread came out.

This bread was freaking awesome, it seemed as though they had heated it back up in an oven before cutting it to serve. And the balsamic vinegarette sauce to dip it in was spot on. The veggies on the side there are just pickled radishes, slightly pickled cucumbers, and some peppers. After that, I thought I had time for a quick smoke, but as soon as I came back, the wine and pasta were served. The cooking time was quite fast, even for pasta and fish!

The presentation is beautiful (it practically always is in Korea), proper nesting of the noodles, the meat evenly placed out, the plate is not broken and garnished nicely. The only this that really matters though, does it taste good? The answer to that is yes, obviously I have been kissing this places ass since I started writing this post. If I were to order a rose pasta back home, this would be up my alley of what I would expect. The rose sauce is creamy, and with a sweetness to it, that is brought out more by the chardonnay. Everything, from the noodles to the broccoli and salmon was cooked just right to be done but not mush.

This place was impressive to me. I usually avoid 'Italian' restaurants like the plague in Korea, because I am met with disappointment. This place, on the other hand, is doing it right from my perspective. It may not be legit Italian food, it is way more on the end of American-Italian food, but it is a step better than what I usually get here. If you come to Seoul looking for some pasta or want to impress a date, I recommend this place to satisfy your needs.

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