- Overall 5
- Food 4
- Service 5
- Ambience 5
What a spectacular experience! We felt truly blessed to have the opportunity to dine and experience Chef Edward Lee's culinary innovation and vision.
From the interior to the food itself, every detail felt very intentional. Service was impeccable and attentive, immediately the host asked for our coats and we sat at the bar for the first course. I believe it was mentioned that this is a new item, a play on hotteok with grilled eel on top. This was my husband's favorite and we thought the presentation was so adorable and dainty as it was really made to look like a little plant on a bed of what appeared to be roasted barley seeds.
We were then moved to the dining area where our second course was at the kitchen and there we were briefly introduced to the chefs and staff. We really appreciated the vision and goal of the restaurant, a non-profit focused on sustainability, zero waste, and innovation. We enjoyed the ssam with the perilla leaf which was a clever way to cut the fried oyster.
The rest of the courses were at the table. Another notable mention was the soondubu apple juk. This felt so homey and humble! I really felt a surge of nostalgia of my mother in law making pine nut porridge for us for breakfast :) The only dish that didn't resonate with us as much was the iconic bibimbap. Though we knew the vision, we felt that it strayed too far away from the traditional dish, but it was still very delicious! We also wished that the (well fermented) kimchi banchan of the braised short rib had a wee bit more of "엄마손맛."
Overall, highly recommend, 7 courses later we left STUFFED. We also got the beverage pairing and felt the price was worth it, though it would be fine to skip it. We are excited for the addition of Drinks and Bites at the bar and look forward to coming back (hopefully) soon!