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Hi all! Long time no see. I hope everyone is eating well in Daegu still. I started a new job this year and have been struggling to keep up with all my side hobbies ( I won’t talk about how I also got VERY into Dungeons and Dragons AND sing in a popular rock band…) but anyway, unfotunately the blog has been on the back burner for a while. However, don’t despair! I have loaaaads of exciting new places to show you and I’m determined to start posting regularly again. So please keep checking back over the next few weeks!
I’ll start today off with a foreigner favourite that you may have all heard of, but maybe (like me) have put off going to for a long time. Today’s restaurant is… *drummroll please* Zione Kitchen in Apsan! Zione has a had a presence in Daegu for many years, they had restaurants open back in 2016 when I first came here. Despite this it took me until last year to actually visit the Apsan location. And boy, was I annoyed that I hadn’t bothered to come before then. Read on to find out why….
First, the location is excellent, slap bang in the middle of the Apsan cafe street area. This makes it a great little spot for a night out with friends, or a lovely date location, as you have plenty of options for a second round of coffee and dessert right on your doorstep. Maybe not a good spot for a post hike though as the interior is verrrry fancy and you might not feel comfy if you have a post hike sweat on haha.
The building has a very classy vibe, with a greenhouse type building on the side and rustic style traditional furniture. The lighting sets a very intimate mood, and my coworker told me it is the best place for first dates as the lighting is very complimentary on your skin (if this is important to you haha), but it also makes for good selfies! The restaurant is decorated with plants and other bits of lovely furniture, and the tables are set nicely with flowers. There are two floors so plenty of seating too, but you can also call ahead for reservations.
Now for the main event, the food. I ordered a mushroom and bacon cream risotto, and my coworkers ordered a napoli seafood oil pasta, mushroom and bacon salad, grilled chicken salad, a quatro formagi pizza, and a grana padano cheese pasta. I think for the last menu item it only appears on the Korean menu and is a special so call in advance if you want it. They also do a lasagna, I didn’t try it this time as you need to advance order but I’ve heard excellent things.
We didn’t wait long for the food, and when it came appearance wise it was beautiful. A perfect spot if you like to Instagram your food. However, you do want the taste to match the looks right??? Well, no worries there too! Everything was AMAZING. My risotto was rich and creamy and very filling, which would have been great however my coworkers wanted me to sample all theirs… oh no what a shame. The salads were fresh and tasty, the pizza was very traditional style and absolutely yummy. But for me the icing on the cake was the grana padano pasta.
It came served in the cheese wheel and they prepare it at the table. The pasta is mixed in with the cheese wheel and then served up. Despite this being my coworkers order I ended up eating most of it. The cheese was specially brought back by the owner from Northern Italy, and it has a very rich, umami, salty taste. It was much too strong for my coworker but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely worth the price as a one off special meal in my opion.
So overall verdict? If you haven’t been to Zione yet get a jiggle on and hop right over! Admittedly I’m no expert in Italian food, so do correct me if I’m wrong, but to the untrained tastebuds this was the closest I’ve had in Korea to a true Italian meal. Let me know if I’m wrong! I love to hear from you! Happy eating~
Dig In Daegu 