D. Queens (디 퀸즈)
Review by Kristen O’Brien, ETA 2014-2016 City: Seoul Restaurant Name: D. Queens (디 퀸즈) Food Served: Brunch, Italian Restaurant Address: 1) Coex Mall (1st floor, I-104) 서울시 강남구 삼성동 159 코엑스몰 지하 1층 I-104호 2) Hannam Branch 서울시 용산구 한남동 273-2 View Map Directions: I went to the Coex location! Take the subway to Line 2, Samseong Station exit 5 or 6. The mall is directly connected. Cost: 15,000+ won This restaurant is pricey with meals starting at 15,000 won and up. Salad starts around 11,000 won, and the portion sizes are very small. Despite all that, this restaurant has the most legitimate spaghetti and meatballs I’ve ever tasted in Korea. They are juicy, tender, herby, and meaty. It was served with perfectly al dente pasta in a mini skillet, coated in a warm tomato sauce. I was licking the sauce off the plate once I finished. I also had the ricotta salad, and then carrot cake cheesecake for dessert. The ricotta salad…I can only rave about it. They have mixed nuts, a big helping of creamy ricotta cheese scooped on top, cranberries, and a delicious glaze-like dressing. I’ve had a lot of ricotta salads, and despite being small, this is the best ricotta salad ever. Unlike the other dishes, the cake was a generous slice. It was a large slice of carrot cake, with thin layers of cheese cake in between. Service was average, but the restaurant was also bustling. It was very busy. The restaurant was clean, and had a bistro-like feel to it. If you have some extra money to spend, I highly recommend you check out D.Queens! It also has a cafe section, and the brunch looks really delicious as well (for a much more modest price during regular lunch hours I believe).