By Bahk Eun-ji

For those who are stressed out while looking for an adequate space for a corporate dinner, Ola is highly recommended. Despite being Seoul’s major financial district, Yeouido does not have many fancy restaurants for business meetings. Ola’s seven private rooms with sophisticated interiors in muted dark brown color makes it a convenient choice.

Ola is, in fact, a successful franchise with several branches across Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. That’s an achievement because it is not run by large catering companies. Ola’s expansion is pretty much based on its traditional Italian cuisines made of fresh ingredients. Its popular sea food pasta cooked in either tomato sauce or white wine sauce is known to have helped Ola open five more branches in Seoul.

Food at Ola is great. The chef put the most emphasis on fresh ingredients. Abalone and lobster cooked in white wine sauce retain their natural tastes well. The seafood pasta sizzling in the earthen pot that keeps from the spaghetti getting cold is the most favored menu among customers.

For dessert, ice cream and sorbet would be the best choice for this hot summer. Three to five selections of ice cream and sorbet nicely decorated on a large plat make is just enough to refresh two to three people.

“We use the least amount of artificial seasoning in order to not spoil the natural taste of fresh ingredients. I cook every dish as if my family would eat them.” said Hwang Jung-ho, the chef at Ola.

The taste of food, not the visual delight, is so important at Ola that the kitchen isn’t opened to customers.

The service could have been much nice if the waiters served proactively and reacted more promptly. They were, however, as friendly as the food.