When you read a book or appreciate art, you will see styles and pictures unique to the artist. A work that incorporates the artist's individuality and creativity creates a taste for people and makes them follow it. The same goes for cooking. Cooking contains the philosophy and individuality of the creator other than simply following a fixed recipe.
Some may have doubts about what kind of cuisine is art. However, cooking, which combines the creativity and aesthetic sense of a person who makes it into “eating,†which is a human instinct, may be a “comprehensive art†that is at a higher level than any other art. Even after reading this far, I recommend reading this post to those who still think that cooking is simply the most important art, that taste is the most important thing. Maybe I'll change my mind a little bit.
1. Chef Kang Min-goo's Asian creative cuisine, Cheongdam 'Mingles'
Mingles, meaning “harmoniously blending different things,†is a name that captures the cooking philosophy of Chef Kang Min-gu, who is praised for drawing new flavors from the most Korean things. The interior of the modern interior is decorated with Korean accessories such as janggu and tea utensils.
Mingles' menu varies from season to season, and both lunch and dinner consist of a single course. The course meal consists of a bite-sized dish made with seasonal ingredients: Seasonality – Seasonal root vegetable salad – Today's fish dish – Main menu – Dessert – Refreshment and tea. There are many options, so you can choose a different dish for an additional fee. In the case of some dishes, you can also order a single item. The menu changes every season, but Mingles' signature dessert “Jang Trio†is an ice cream that uses 3 types of ingredients from Korea, and shows a luxurious balance of sweetness and saltiness with a strange blend of miso creme, soy sauce pecans, black rice with red pepper paste, vanilla ice cream, and whiskey foam. Although it is a combination of disparate ingredients, Mingles' unique appeal is that it presents mysterious and complex flavors that “go well with each other†while adhering to their own flavors.
A tasting guide is prepared so that you can choose according to your preferences, and it is said that after receiving 1 Michelin star, it is essential to make a reservation for lunch on weekdays.
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â–²Location: 1F, The Chapel Wedding Hall, 94-9 Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul â–²Opening hours: 12:00-22:00 (BREAK TIME 14:00-18:00), closed on Sundays â–²Price: 85,000 won for lunch course, 138,000 won â–²Review (Food Explorer): Soy sauce, a unique fermented food unique to Korean food, was boldly applied to Western food. However, the flavor is not unusual or strange; it harmonizes and stimulates the flavors of the palate. If you are in Seoul, this is a place you must try.
2. As if you were looking at a work of art, 'Lunique' in Sinsa-dong
Located on Garosu-gil, Ryu Nik is a French restaurant with a ring underground structure where you can see the bustling chefs moving in the glass. Occasionally, the owner-chef, Chef Ryu Tae-hwan, personally greets visitors to the restaurant. Ryu Nik is a compound word of Chef Ryu Tae-hwan's surname 'Ryu' and Unique.
There is no separate à la carte menu; it consists only of a course menu and a tasting menu. The reason why Ryunik's cuisine is called a work of art can be found in the unique plating. As Chef Ryu Tae-hwan says that directing is half the cooking, each dish is plated according to the concept, making it a pleasure to appreciate before eating. A steak on a slab, a grapefruit sorbet in a test glass tube, and a dessert on a framed plate are like concept art created on a single theme. Chef Ryu Tae-hwan, who was close to the sea and had 5 years of sushi experience in Japan due to his father who was an oceanographer, stands out above all else in fish cuisine. “Raw Fish_Mullet Sasimi, Herring, Soy Marinated Shrimp†uses tweezers to eat mullet at 11:00, followed by herring and shrimp. The yuzu sauce sprinkled all over refreshes the mouth and cleans the mouth so that the mango and garlic clove stay fresh even after eating the fish.
Note that the tasting menu varies depending on the season and takes two and a half hours.
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▲ Location: 1F, 520-1, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul ▲Opening hours: 12:00-15:00, 18:00-22:30 every day ▲Price: Lunch course 120,000 won, dinner course 230,000 won ▲Review (Shikigin Narcisist): This restaurant ranked 4th in 2016 Seoul's 50 Best Restaurants selected by Shikishin. Swaniye, Mingles, Jeongsik, and Lunique are proud restaurants representing Korea. In particular, “Ryunik†is a French restaurant run by owner and chef Ryu Tae-hwan. You can enjoy unique dishes using smoking utensils and frames. As the name suggests, which combines the words Ryu Tae-hwan and unique, it stands out for its originality. Ryu Nik, who made his home on Garosu-gil in 2011, was selected 27th in the '2015 Asia's 50 Best Restaurants. ' Another story about the chef of this place that everyone who knows knows is that the main character of the popular cooking-based webcomic “Michelin Star†is Chef Ryu Tae-hwan.
3. Creative food and special experiences, Seorae Village 'Suwaniye'
If you walk away from the hustle and bustle of Seorae Village and walk to a quiet residential area, there is a contemporary restaurant “Swaniye†that you might just pass by. Here, cooking exists as an “episode†created with a specific theme. Based on the philosophy of Swaniye, which pursues communication between people through cooking, the story of cooking brings people a special experience.
The menu consists of an episodic menu of Idea Tasting, which always presents a different dish every 3 months, and the Tasting of Swaniye, which consists only of the most popular ones. At the beginning of the course, the one-bite food “Good Goob†has gyoza made from radish, onion pudding, and Big Mac made from grains and herbs. Big Mac doesn't just look the same; it has a crispy texture, and the unique salad flavor that you feel when eating a hamburger is very appetizing. “Seorae snails,†which have never been missing on any tasting menu since the opening of Swaniye, are steamed eggs covered with green onion oil, topped with snails and spinach, and topped with parmesan, and have an excellent soft texture and savory flavor. At the end of the Swaniye course, the sweet and clean finish is “koduram,†a dessert the size of a fingernail, offering a variety of varieties, such as pumpkin cinnamon, caramelized macaroons, and peach jelly.
Children are not allowed to enter, and the Tasting of Swaniye course is only offered in the evening.
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▲Location: B1F, 549-17, Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul ▲Opening hours: 12:00-23:00 (BREAK TIME 15:00-18:00) ▲Price: Lunch menu: 65,000 won, dinner menu 125,000 won to 180,000 won ▲Review (I'll give you shikigin gyoza): Satisfied no matter when I go there, and now it's a comfortable place, Suwaniye, which is a comfortable place to visit after a long time, hehe, I always come back satisfied because of the very kind staff and delicious food ^0^ ♥ And it's my hot spot hehehe
“Give a minimal touch to good ingredients.†This is Chef Lee Chung-hoo's cardinal rule. Zero Complex, located in Seorae Village, has a simple interior, just like the taste of minimally processed food. The unique metallic atmosphere is dark yet strangely cozy
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It is said that the lunch here changes every month or two with a fixed menu with no menu choices. Lunch is 55,000 won, and dinner is 95,000 won, which is cheaper than other Michelin 1-star restaurants. The menu changes regularly, but I don't miss the food that uses ink every time. “Ink tartar†is made by rolling cabbage and putting tartar sauce and truffles on top of deep-fried cuttlefish. The crispy deep-fried cuttlefish goes well with the subtle acidity of tartar sauce. Zero Complex is a bold attempt by Chef Lee Chung-hoo with a youthful sense, and you can also find unusual combinations such as mackerel, strawberries, and dried roses.
Since last year, sommelier Clément joined, and wine pairings centered around natural wines have also been introduced. Recommended for those who want to experience 100% natural wine.
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â–²Location: 1-138 Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul â–²Opening hours: 12:00-23:00 every day (break time 15:00-18:00), closed on Sundays â–²Price range: Lunch course 55,000 won, dinner course 100,000 won â–²Review (Shikigin Lake): A place that offers unique experimental cuisine full of value for money! You can enjoy food that exceeds your expectations that you haven't eaten before. It's far more shocking, more formally disruptive, more experimental than the Swaniye Mingles restaurant Ala Prima, but it's harmonious.
5. Cheongdam-dong 'Jeongdongdong', a great place to go with parents
The Cheongdam-dong 'Jeong Diner, 'which consists of a bar on the 1st floor, a restaurant on the 2nd floor, and a private space on the 3rd floor, was named after Chef Lim Jeong-sik, who is regarded as pioneering a new era of modern Korean fine dining. It is leading the way in globalizing new and creative Korean food by opening a branch in Seoul and an official branch in New York.
The official restaurant's menu is divided into a choice menu and a tasting menu, and you can choose and order dishes that suit your taste. The popular menu item “Tasty Gujeolpan†is an appetizer that is eaten by putting various toppings, mainly tuna belly fat, on kimbugak and dipping it in homemade flavored soy sauce. The types of fish change from season to season, and the rich flavors of tender tuna, toppings, and flavored soy sauce blend well under the crisp, crunchy texture of kimbugak. The signature dessert, dolharbang, is filled with black sesame sponge, chocolate crumble, vanilla ice cream, green tea, and peanut mousse. The chocolate crumble, which reminds me of the hard stone texture of Dolharbang, and the rich green tea mousse inside the fluffy black sesame sponge evoke the feeling of Jeju Island.
Lunch and dinner have almost the same menu, but there is a difference in price, so I recommend using them for lunch. The “Tasty Verse Edition†can be ordered for 2 or more people.
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â–²Location: 83-24 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul â–²Opening hours: 12:00-22:00 every day (BREAK TIME 15:00-17:30) â–²Price: Lunch: 60,000-150,000 won, dinner 100,000-180,000 won â–²Review (Dr. Joe Shikigin): I liked the potato stew and beef tempura before the meal, and the octopus and gochujang sauce were delicious. If you prefer a sea-side dish, I recommend bibimbap using sea urchin eggs. I don't even like abalone, but the best day I ate abalone dishes. The passages are also clean. I liked the tofu miso in the hangjeongsal wrap, and although the amount of pork sirloin was small, the meat was quite good. The scaly version of the Japanese persimmon dish is crunchy. Dolharbang, the signature dessert of a formal restaurant, is perfect from the visual to the taste. Not only the taste and visual appearance of the food, but also the attitude of the servers, it seems that the New York store did not receive 2 Michelin stars in a short time. Overall, it was great.