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2018-05-29
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With the name meaning pearl in Korean, this contemporary restaurant is located in Lan Kwai Fong, with half being a bar and the other half dining area. Originating from London, it has modern decor, a dimly lit environment, with fairly small tables which are more suitable for serving only one dish at a time. Ordering the tasting menu ($595 each) the first course served is Beetroot-Cured Salmon Tartare. The salmon has an interested reddish color from the beetroot, seasoned well and paired with shal
With the name meaning pearl in Korean, this contemporary restaurant is located in Lan Kwai Fong, with half being a bar and the other half dining area. Originating from London, it has modern decor, a dimly lit environment, with fairly small tables which are more suitable for serving only one dish at a time.
Ordering the tasting menu ($595 each) the first course served is Beetroot-Cured Salmon Tartare. The salmon has an interested reddish color from the beetroot, seasoned well and paired with shallots, capers, crispy barley and chive. Mixed with yuja vinaigrette, with frisee salad and perilla oil, the dish has finesse and is a good start for the meal.
The second course is Mandoo Trio, including steamed pork dumpling, crispy Philly cheesesteak & kimchi dumpling, as well as steamed wild mushroom dumpling. With soy dipping sauce, the dumplings are delicious with different styles, from the original to more modern versions, offering a good contrast on the texture. Another good dish I would recommend.
The third course is Char-Grilled Chicken Stewers, which are from Australian free-range chicken, with a sweet soy ginger glaze, and paired with shallots, pea shoot salad and black garlic aioli. The chicken is juicy, grilled perfectly. The sauce is rich and full of flavor, and surprisingly reminded me of the Malaysian satay dipping sauce. So far all the appetizers are really good and delivering the high expectation.
The fourth course is Banchan Plates, which might not be counted as a course as they are standard Korean side dishes. But there is a twist. While the bean sprout and mushroom are nothing extraordinary, the spinach is prepared hot, with steam still coming up, unlike the common side dishes which are served cold. It has a spicy kick as well, and even though it is not the usual flavor you would expect, still it is a nice attempt in my opinion.
The fifth course is Basirak Kalguksu Hand-Cut Noodles, the spicy Korean clam soup noodle, with crispy barley puffs and ginger, in a piping hot stone bowl. The taste of the soup is nice with the right balance of spicy from the chili paste and the umami from the clams. The noodles are also great in texture, chewy with the bite. However personally I would prefer the spiciness to dial up a notch and the soup served searing hot in temperature, essentially steaming. A good one nevertheless.
The sixth course is one of the two main dishes, with us sharing so able to have both tonight. The Baked Sustainable British Cod has Doenjang herb crusts, on top of a gochujang pancake, along with sauteed silver skin onions, balsamic thyme jus. The fish itself is a bit under-seasoned for me, but fortunately the crust is nicely done. The pancake has a chewy bite, quite nice and filling so if finishing the whole piece it could be a bit too much.
The other main dish is Slow-Braised USDA Prime Beef Short Rib, served with straw potatoes, grilled vegetables and carrots, soy glaze and garlic chips. The meat is nicely done with the flesh soft and tender, but by now we were so full that we could not eat much more. The veggie are good but it is a bit too oily for me. There are some kimchi and pickled radish accompanying which can give a bit of crunchy contrast to the bite. It is a pity that we have to leave half of it behind.
The seventh course is also not in theory a separate dish. The Ssam Plates are fresh red and green lettuce, along with roasted seaweed and ssamjang sauce. A nice way to clear our palate and also to cleanse the oily mouthfeel, the vegetables are fresh, and adding the ssamjang sauce made them even more appealing.
Last is the dessert, which is Gochugaru Chocolate Brownie, infused with Korean chili flakes, peanut praline, cookie and cream ice-cream. The brownie are good in taste, sweet yet not overly so, with the berries providing some tartness to balance. The ice-cream has a rich vanilla and creamy profile, and pairing with the brownie is a signature way to eat. Though it is good but again it is beyond us now to finish them because of our full stomach.
The service is also good with the staff coming to introduce every course, checking in with us on how everything goes and our feedback on the dishes. I also like the way she explained each dish with sufficient details so I know what exactly we were having, along with how some of the dishes were prepared.
With a bottle of water ($70) also, the bill was $1386, quite reasonable considering the environment and setting, and my main criticism is that the environment was too noisy. Seated just behind a curtain to the bar the loud laughter and conversations are constantly affecting our dinner. That might be something the restaurant wants to think long and hard to create the right atmosphere. But still so far it has done a great job in combining Korean dishes with a modern twist.
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