On Sunday March 17th, a few friends and I decided to head to the Pranzo Domenicale (“Sunday lunch”) offered by Seoul’s Club Italia. When I was doing my internship at WorknPlay, one of the other interns suggested that I check out this weekly luncheon, which is held in the basement of Seoul’s Franciscan School (map below):

Reservations must be made a few days in advance via their facebook group – Club Italia Seoul. They can be reached via email at clubitaliaseul@gmail.com. In addition to the Sunday lunches, Club Italia also has started hosting weekly Italian pizza & movie nights (held Thursdays).

The menu for the Pranzo Domenicale is set, and changes weekly. The charge is 15,000w (about $14 CAD) which is actually quite reasonable.

At most “Italian” restaurants in Seoul, you would pay that amount for one dish; the quality of which being nowhere near the level of Club Italia’s. You really cannot beat home-cooked food, especially when the choice is between authentic Italian vs. “gorogonjola pijja” served with a side of honey. Or – even worse – salad pizza, a highly disturbing phenomenon which is beginning to gain more ground here in Korea.

Anyways, I digress – here was the menu from March 17th:

APERITIVO
Aperitivo del Club

PRIMO (First course)
Spaghetti al pomodorino fresco
(Spaghetti pasta with fresh tomatoes)

SECONDO (Second course)
Petti di pollo ripieni con spinaci, mozzarella e prosciutto
(Chicken breast stuffed with ham, mozzarella cheese and spinach)

CONTORNO
Pure’, bietole e insalata mista
(Mashed potatoes, chard and mixed salad)

DOLCE (dessert)
Macedonia di frutta fresca
(fresh fruit salad)

Caffé espresso
(the best you can find in Seoul!)

The spaghetti

Some friends in line for the self-serve meal.

Seoul’s Italian families convening for a weekly community meal.

Victor (a French student from Paris’s EPITECH school) striking a pose

My plate

The best chicken I’ve EVER had. This was kind of like a cordon bleu – chicken breast stuffed with cheese, prusciotto, spinach, and cooked to perfection. It was so tender and moist that it seemed to just melt in my mouth… Can you believe I was meat-free for six years??

A basket of bread was served to every table. I didn’t get any photos of the dessert, or my espresso – which I spilled, promptly after taking one sip and being momentarily transported to coffee heaven. At least I know it was good for next time!

After the lunch ended, I made my way to Itaewon as I had to meet with a friend to talk about our upcoming trip to BALI! On my way to the cafe, I passed by this sign at la Cigale Montmartre, a popular French restaurant in Seoul’s foreigner district.

Next post: Attacking the crepe/brunch buffet at la Cigale!