[Pasta, Risotto] Napoli Kitchen near Sookmyung University
Shrimp Rosé Pasta (Seafood rose pasta)
★ Taste
They say that Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, would head to the finest restaurant in town and order the best meal available every time he lost an election, rather than drown in sorrow — because that way, no one would see him as a loser. Rosé pasta is that kind of dish for me. In my book, the "rosé pasta + steak" combo is hands-down tier-one among restaurant meals.
This dish captures the true essence of rosé sauce well enough to serve as a benchmark. That said, there are a few letdowns. What I love most about rosé sauce among pasta options is the balance between the tanginess of tomato and the smoothness of cream — but on this occasion, the tomato's tartness pushed a bit too hard. Granted, keeping that balance in check isn't easy, so I'll let it slide a little. A bigger disappointment is that you can't add pane (bread bowl) as an option. Rather than being an add-on, pane pasta exists as its own separate menu item, and the filling inside is cream pasta. It's a bit like an agency debuting an idol group but leaving one member out — that's how it feels. Since I believe a rosé pasta is only complete when paired with pane, this is a real drawback. So, taking into account that it nails the basics along with these minor letdowns, I'll certify this as a 1.0 Napoli Pasta. Given the lingering disappointments, there's a good chance this score could shift.
★ Price 13,000 KRW
★ Atmosphere
- Good
Manzo Cream Risotto (Manzo cream risotto)
★ Taste
Personally, I prefer pilaf over risotto — I'm not a huge fan of that baby-food-like texture risotto tends to have. But the chef here seems to have real flair. They nailed the pairing of mushroom and beef. What could easily turn mushy and greasy instead kept a satisfying bite thanks to the mushrooms and meat, and the flavor was deepened too. The chef pulled this dish off with real cleverness.
It broke through the genre limitations of risotto and was simply delicious, so I'll certify it as a 1.0 Napoli Risotto and set it as the benchmark.
★ Price 13,000 KRW
★ Atmosphere
- Good
📍 Napoli Kitchen — 29 Cheongpa-ro 45-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (0507-1400-3428)
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