When you read a book or appreciate a work of 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. In addition to simply following a fixed recipe, cooking contains the philosophy and personality of the person
making it. Today, I would like to introduce 5
modern Korean dining places that are offering completely new Korean food closest to us.
1. NEW KOREAN FINE DINING, 'RESTAURANT RESTAURAN'
“Jeongdang Restaurant†in Cheongdam-dong named after Chef Lim Jeong-sik, who is regarded as the pioneer of a new era of modern Korean fine dining. It offers original Korean cuisine based in Seoul and New York. The menu consists of light appetizers such as yukhoe and scallops , rice such as sea urchin bibimbap and mushroom gukbap , fish dishes using golden tae and croaker, pork tenderloin, meat dishes using duck, and desserts. “Tugong Tenderloin †uses deok as a garnish instead of asparagus to add a Korean feel. The restaurant's signature dessert, “Dolharbang,†exudes the feeling of Jeju Island with a chocolate crumble reminiscent of a hard stone texture, rich green tea mousse, and a fluffy black sesame sponge. While lunch and dinner have almost the same menu, there is a difference in price, so I recommend using it for lunch.
* Source: Official website of the restaurant
* Source: Official website of the restaurant
â–²Business hours: Lunch 12:00 to 15:00 (last
order 14:00), dinner 17.30~ 22:00 (last order 21:00), New Year's, Lunar New Year, Chuseok (closed on the same day ) â–²Price: 4
COURSE (lunch) 60,000 won, 5 COURSE (lunch) 80,000 won, 4 COURSE (lunch) Dinner) 100,000 won, 5 COURSE (dinner) 120,000 won â–²Review (Shikigin Dr. Joe): I liked the stewed potatoes and deep-fried beef before the meal, and the octopus and gochujang sauce were also delicious. If you prefer sea urchin, I recommend sea urchin bibimbap.
I don't really like abalone, but the abalone dish was the best of the day. 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 part of the octopus dish is crunchy. The restaurant's signature dessert, Dolharbang, is perfect
from the visual to the taste. Not only the taste and visuals of the food, but also the attitude of the servers, it doesn't seem like the New York branch received 2 Michelin stars in a short time. Overall, it was great.
2. 'Swaniye, 'the proud taste of Seoul
Swaniye's menu changes every 3 months with a specific theme. Here,
cooking exists as an “episode.†Based on the philosophy of Swaniye, which pursues communication between people through cooking, the story of “cooking †brings people a special experience. The
sixteenth episode currently being showcased is “The Old Cookbookâ€, which is a modern expression of food from Korean cooking
books. The booklet that can be consulted details the original and translated versions of each menu
and how they intended to interpret and express this food in Swaniye. In particular, the impressive menu in this
episode is “pork wrapped in batter (or
Korean beef tenderloin),†where the seasoning is made of flour like paste, spread it on the meat, and grilling it, which has an excellent
moist and soft texture.
* Source: Suwaniye official website
â–² Business hours: Lunch 12:00 to 15:00 (last
order 13:30), dinner 18:00 to 22:30 (last order 20:00), closed on New Year's Day, Chuseok, and Christmas Eve â–² Price: 65,000 won for lunch, 135,000 won for dinner â–² Testimonial (I want shikigin gyoza): I am satisfied no matter when I go there. And now Suwaniye is a comfortable place! Even after visiting after a long time, I always come back with a sense of satisfaction thanks to the
very kind staff and delicious food ♥ It's
close to home and it's a hot spot for me ~
3. 'Mingles', the true food of Seoul
Mingles means “harmoniously blending different
things.†The name embodies the cooking philosophy of Chef Kang Min-gu, who draws new flavors
from the most Korean things. Course dishes start with 'Seasonality', a bite-sized dish prepared with seasonal
ingredients, and consist of fish dishes , main dishes, desserts, refreshments,
and tea, and the tasting course includes a more diverse menu.
Mingles offers a different menu depending on the season, but the signature dessert “Jang
Trioâ€, which is served on a fixed basis, is an ice cream using 3 types of ingredients from Korea. Miso
creme, soy sauce pecans, gochujang grains, vanilla ice cream, and whiskey foam are strangely combined to show a luxurious
balance of sweetness and saltiness. Although it is a combination of disparate ingredients, the appeal is that it presents mysterious and complex flavors that are “separate and match†while
adhering to each other's own flavors.
â–²Business hours: Monday to Saturday 12:00 to 15:00 (last
order 13:30), Monday to Friday dinner 18:00 to 22:30 (Last
order 20:30), Saturday dinner 18:00 to 22:00 (Last
order 20:00),
closed on Sundays â–²Price: Lunch 60,000 won /85,000 won, dinner 145,000 won
â–²Review (Food Explorer): I boldly applied
soy sauce, a unique fermented food that only Korean food has, to Western food. However, the flavor is not unusual or strange; it harmonizes and stimulates
the taste buds. If you are in Seoul, this is a place you must try.
4. 'Kwon Sook Soo, 'a beautiful feast of Korean food
“Kwon Sook Soo†is a Korean
restaurant named after combining the performance of Chef Kwon Woo-joong with the old word “suksu†which means professional
chef.
Kwon Sook Soo, which pursues the best high-end Korean restaurant in Korea, presents dishes with ingredients that are difficult to taste without production, such as Seomjin river crab, East Coast
dohwa shrimp, bonghwa sweetfish, white dandelion, and Gapyeong perilla oil through a network of ingredients accumulated over several years of traveling around the country. With the
exception of the stock freezer, there is no separate freezer, so they use fresh ingredients from production areas every day. Also, all the ingredients used
in cooking, as well as vinegar and salted fish, are soaked directly to the top, and the care is amazing.
Every course meal of Kwon Sook Soo starts with a drink and a small snack, and it is popular because you can enjoy it casually and you can enjoy the characteristics of the ingredients.
* Source: Kwon Sook Soo's official website
â–²Business hours: 12:00 to 15:00 for lunch
(last order 13:30), dinner 18:00 to 22:30 (last order 20:00), closed on Sundays
and holidays ▲Price: 66,000 won for lunch , 135,000 won for dinner ▲Testimonial (Night Food Chef): Appropriate combination of Korean food ingredients and Western ingredients. It was a “perfect
fusion†because they focused on cooking without being biased towards any one part. The way of eating and the atmosphere incorporated Korean
culture, and I felt a different kind of fun.
5. 'DOSA by Baek Seung-wook, 'the beauty of elegant Korean cuisine
Chef Akira Baek (Baek Seung-wook), who is active in
Las Vegas in the US and Singapore, opened “Dosa
by Baek Seung-wook†to create a space for communication based on Korean food in her
home country. “Innovative Cuisine†is presented by combining fresh Korean ingredients with Chef Akira Baek's creative cooking world. The course is divided into A and B for both lunch and dinner according to the number of dishes
served. Among the main dishes, Iberico, called
“bosam,†is served with endive kimchi and aged samjang, and is popular because the soft Iberico and the crunchy
texture of the endive go well with the contrast. I am particularly impressed by the Iberian flavor and
texture, which is well imbued with the smoky aroma of oak. The dessert is popular for
its sweet vanilla mousse, the white egg, and the fresh mango for the yolk , and the ice cream with a subtle
jujube flavor is appealing.
* Source: DOSA by Baek Seung-wook's official website
* Source: DOSA by Baek Seung-wook's official website
â–² Business hours: Lunch 12:00 to 15:00 (Last
Order 13:00), Dinner 18:00 to 22:00 (Last Order 20:30),
closed on Sundays â–² Price: 50,000 won /70,000 won for lunch, 80,000 won /130,000 won for dinner â–² Review (Shikigami
River): I think it was a new attempt at a variety of Korean cuisines.
It has an American bass, so there are things that don't go well together sometimes, but overall it's fine.