Nolita, Snug and Affordable

By April Choi

Korea Times Intern

Located in a secluded area of Ewha, Nolita (an acronym for North of Little Italy) boasts a wide selection of Italian cuisine. Nolita divides its menu by the type of dish: appetizers, pizza, pasta, risotto etc., making it easier to choose once one selects a category. Choices are plentiful with 65 dishes. There's something for everyone, whether vegetarian, meat lover or just a picky eater.

The interior is charming with the feel of a cafe. Not too elaborate, little touches like star-shaped fixtures add a bit of whimsy. Mellow music in various languages flows from the speakers, contributing to a peaceful atmosphere. Especially snug on a rainy day, the clientele seemed to consist of couples out on a date or women out shopping.

It was hard to get the waiter's attention due to the lunch rush but once we did the service was prompt. Obligingly, they warned us about the large portions, offered to ``stagger’’ our dishes and changed our order after we discovered a mistake. The dishes came out rapidly, one after the other, shortly after we ordered.

Piccolo Pollo (8,000 won), an appetizer consisting of chicken dipped in herb flour and fried along with seasonal vegetables was ideal. The greens were fresh, and the chicken had a pleasant flavor that went well with the sweet and sour sauce.

The maschera pizza (11,000 won) was probably the least-agreeable dish. A half cream base, half tomato base pizza with bacon on the tomato side and shrimp on the other, it was simply bland. The shrimp was barely there and the bacon flavor was drowned. For those who like their pizza with a thick crust, be warned that Nolita has a very thin crust, almost cracker-like.

The spaghetti pescatore (14,000 won) is a dish that has pasta inside a boat-shaped pizza loaf. Filled with pasta and seasonal seafood, it contained shrimp, shellfish, crab etc. There's a choice of tomato or cream sauce. The noodles were perfectly cooked, and the tomato sauce just on the side of spicy. The seafood was the crowning jewel, especially the crab, which was moist and soft.

Cannelloni di Formaggi (9,000 won) had an abundance of cheese with a balance between bland and spicy. Slightly undercooked, the cannelloni with chicken bits and cream cheese stuffing and tomato mozzarella sauce had no other glaring faults beside the chicken being unobtrusive.

All in all, Nolita isn't necessarily the best Italian place but its variety of dishes, the cozy interior, and the service make it a good place to get your fill of hearty Italian fare.

Park Hyatt Seoul’s bar, presents its low fat, high protein seafood abalone promotion until Aug. 18.