FatManSeoul

The Korean blogosphere is buzzing about Chef Kim Hu-nam (김후남) and his bistro, Star Chef.  Chef Kim, whose training as chef included time working in Conneticut, has brought a new and vibrant touch to the bistro scene here in Seoul.  While the Japanese-French style of bistro food has dominated the Korean scene with its obsession with beautiful presentation, Kim favors the American-French style with a focus on bright, interesting flavors.  For more information on Chef Kim and his cooking, check out Zen Kimchi’s interview and article here.

Located near Maebong Station (line 3) in southeast Seoul, Star Chef may be a bit off the beaten foodie paths, but well rewards the traveler who makes the trek.  Located on the ground floor, the low-key interior opens up to a wide, welcoming patio while the open kitchen gives glimpses into the normally secret world of chefs.

Chef Kim has twenty-some odd years of experience as chef, on two continents that shows in not just his knife skills, but also in an adventurous and playful interpretation of a wide range of cuisines. While fusion food has a tendency to rely on crutches and props, Chef Kim’s experiences have translated a real understanding of the tastes of a variety of cuisines and how they can be combined and merged into something new and exciting.

Some of the simplest food combinations are the best, and this appetizer of broccoli with garlic oil has the perfect balance between the mild crunch and bitterness of the broccoli with a deep and luxurious garlic oil, enhanced by tiny shards of deep-fried garlic.

This beef and mushroom salad nearly stole the show. Tender slices of marinated beef and whole cloves of roasted garlic added a sweet note to pungent, bitter greens which were in turn balanced by the mild meatiness of  lightly broiled mushrooms. The slight creaminess of the dressing was offset with a bit of  spicy kick that works along with the acidic sweetness of the tomato wedges, the crunch of the salad, smoothness of the dressing, and chew of the meat and mushrooms made it a dance of different flavors and textures. Many of the greens and vegetables come from the chef’s own organic farm in Jeolla-do. Hands down one of the best salads out there, anywhere.

Tangsuyuk is a Korean-style Chinese food favorite, but it would be hard to match Star Chef’s rendition. Most places have heavily battered pork floating in a one-note sauce more sweet than sour. Rest assured, this version is the best in Korea: Tender slices of beef are encased in a shatteringly crisp batter (Chef Kim uses potato starch instead of a heavier flour) that holds that crispiness even after being tossed with a deeply-flavored sauce that sits just between sweet and sour, without either side of the equation dominating. Combined with the vinegar-soy tang of the dipping sauce, this is the way tangsuyuk should be.

Kim’s kitchen does a few variations on traditional Korean pork dishes like samgyeopsal and bossam. His XO samgyeopsal has rich, fatty slices of pork in a special xo sauce, served topped with cilantro and atop a bed of baby bok choi that add a vegetal bitterness that keeps the dish from being overwhelmingly rich.

Some people might find the dish a bit heavy, but it matches well with many of the beers, liquors, and wines on Kim’s extensive menu.

In an even more Korean vein, this glorious take on kimchi pork stir fry takes a humble dish and reinvents it. The rich earthiness of the kimchi and fattiness of the pork could, in lesser hands, combine for one of those overwhelming, gut-busting bits of pub grub you can find anywhere. Here, the heaviness and pungency of the base ingredients are lightened by a delicate, playful sauce as well as the deeply green and refreshing leeks and bits of cilantro hiding under the pork so that the whole dish practically sparkles.

A whole, fried mullet becomes the building block of this dish that dances across the tongue. The humble bottom-feeding mullet is elevated to a new level of cool by perfect preparation that uses the moist, mild white flesh as a base to experiment with a pan-Asian collection of seasonings. Hints of South East Asia spring forth with the cilantro, while Japan takes a bow with a pickled ginger slaw, and a piquant soy-based dressing keeps it all lively. The staff expertly dresses and de-bones the fish tableside, giving you a bit of free entertainment.

Dishes begin at 10,000 won and go up from there. While it might seem like a bit of a splash for some of the items, the quality here is exceptional and well worth it. Besides, all of them come in generous portions that will easily feed an army - or your company mates when you head out for 회식.

Star Chef:  서울시 강남구 도곡동 417-2/ Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Dogok-dong 417-2 (click here for the map - Korean only)

02-529-8248

hat tip to superlocal for the map!