After removing ourselves from the bar to the restaurant, we were treated to a multi-course meal of some of the most elegant food we’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. The meal was ambitious in that it sought to present Korean food as high class dining. Can we move beyond 5,000won 됀장찌개 without resorting to the stale cliches of half than 한정식 places in town? What kind of preparation and presentation would work to elevate Korean food into something that can be not just internationalized, but take the world in the same way that haute French cuisine has? Is it even possible?
Ask Fatman. We tasted the future of Korean cuisine that night at the W, and it is delicious!

Fatman’s love of 육회 is well documented, and this rendition was superlative. “Beef tartare” it may be on the menu, but this particular combination of flavors was all Korean. It was paired with Fatman’s favorite tipple of the evening, a sparkling “Opere Brut” from NV Villa Santi. While we never would have thought to pair a spumante with steak tartare, we loved the combination of the silky meat with this wine ~ it was both soft and crisp at the same time, like a tutu.

From there on, the menu turned into a guessing game, matching the W’s version against more traditional renditions of Korean dishes. Any guesses what this was?

Need a closer look? This was one of the most visually stunning dishes of the evening, with a beautiful structural element to the presentation.

Fried ginseng, chestnut, ginko nuts, jujube, wrapped in chicken . . . one dip in the gloriously rich, medicinal broth leaves its provenance as samgyetang in no doubt. Other elements of the traditional meal were brought in, but in exceedingly clever ways, like the black garlic paste on the side of the soup plate that lent the dish a little extra something.

The flavor profile is exactly that of the traditional stuffed spring chicken, but refined and tailored to a much more modern, sophisticated palate.

The next plate brought abalone risotto and chili marinated black cod, for a hot-and-mild combination. On its own, the risotto was creamy and nice, but a little underwhelming and mild. However, paired with the marvelous zing of the chili marinated cod, it worked as great soothing counter. The black cod may well have been the highlight of the evening, with a riveting sweet smokey note underneath the spice of the marinade.


The next course could serve as an object lesson for those who feel that Korean food lacks the potential for sophistication and refinement. It doesn’t get much more refined than this gorgeous seafood soup. It took a few moments to register as a variation on 매운탕, but once made, the connection was unmistakeable.

The broth had a magnificent layered seafood taste, and the seafood itself had a fresh, clean taste that really put the dish into the category of extraordinary. The individual elements all held their own, distinctive, but worked together in a way that trademarks Korean fish stews. Between the fish, the shellfish, the greens, and the little bits of ddeok tucked away underneath, it covered a whole range of textures, as well. It also had the most wonderfully fragrant wine of the evening, a 2006 Daniel Rion & Fils Bourgogne. It was a stronger wine than the bouquet suggested, and stood up to the spice, but we don’t want to drink it so much as bathe in it.

Having turned up the heat with the last few dishes, Hickey and co. cooled things off with a palate refreshing sorbet that took inspiration from sujeonggwa, the ginger, cinnamon, and persimmon punch of yore. With just a hint of rice wine underneath, this did the trick perfectly, bringing the tastebuds back to readiness with the switch in flavors, temperature, and texture. Now that we’d had a bit of a break, it was time to get down to business: Beefy business.

Let the reign of 한우 begin! Bring on the Korean beef!

The hanwoo appeared three different ways on a single plate: As a meltingly soft sirloin, slow cooked short-rib, and a stuffed zucchini. Of the three, the rich sirloin was the most western of the three in taste and presentation, but let that not dissuade you ~ it was like eating beef flavored butter, a hunk of pure meat. Stuffed vegetables of any kind offer a challenge, but the zucchini offered a nice touch of freshness and helped keep things from being to heavily meat-oriented. Finally, the slow cooked short ribs were a decadent, wonderful version of the traditional 갈비찜: soft, tender, and richly flavored.

But on to dessert . . . Chef Hickey and his team really showed their committment to and knowledge of local ingredients here at the end, starting with their pepper poached Naju pears and black sesame ice cream.

The pear was beautiful, offset by just a hint of spice from the peppercorns, but the real star was the glorious black sesame ice cream. Cool, creamy ice cream was the perfect showpiece for the rich nuttiness of the sesame, enhanced by a crisp sesame cookie. Uniting both the ice cream and the pear in a single bite made for a particularly fruitful pearing, with the slightly spicy pear working as an exciting foil for the creamy, nutty ice cream.

The evening concluded with tea, coffee, and some surprising petite fours. While petite four conjurs up images of grandma-esque miniature cakes with bad frosting, these were gorgeous Jeju hallabong jellies, these were like condensed sunshine.

Fatman would like to thank the W Hotel and the staff of the Kitchen and Woo Bar again for an amazing dining experience. Seoul offers many delicious things to eat, but few so comprehensive, so elegant, or so beautifully prepared and served. We very much hope that this evening was a token of things to come, a promissory note of more Korean notes from the W Hotel and Korean food as a whole.

To read a Korean review of the evening, let us point you to the fine food blogging of 김범수 of 팟투바하의 ‘맛있는’ 라이프 스타일. Bon appetite!

For even more pictures of the meal (what?  are you saying you don’t take hundreds of pictures of what you eat?) visit our flickr page.
(we’d also like to apologize for the unforgivable delay in getting this up! mea culpa!)

Although banchan are part of the meal, the modern, western take on Korean food extends to the menu, where you’ll have to look to find most starters.  A selection of seasonal jeon is delicately prepared and seasoned, but both portions and service are westernized.  Those used to more generous Korean serving sizes will come away surprised (and hungry)

Moving on to the main courses, Bamboo House offers a range of cuts of beef, but the most popular are the 꽃등심 (ggeotdeungshim:  sirloin) and 왕갈비 (wanggalbi:  short rib).

The sirloin is exceptionally mild and well marbled, while the short rib is so well marbled as to border on decadent.  There’s so much fat that it maintains a luxurious richness even after grilling, nearly melting in your mouth.

Unlike most grilled meat restaurants in Korea where you handle your own meat, the attentive staff will do all the grilling and turning for you, placing the finished meat on cool spots on the grill or on your plate. The service here is almost entirely western style, with staff handling just about everything on your behalf.

There’s also a short menu of non-meat dishes, including upper-crust favorites like crab preserved in soy sauce over rice, bibimbap, and grilled fish, and there’s even a short dessert list that touches on both east and west. The 홍시 (hongsi: frozen persimmon) makes a sweet, refreshing end to a meat heavy meal. Bamboo House also has an extensive wine list, and a shorter but well-selected list of Korean alcohols.

Bamboo House is long on quality and ambiance and also on price. Prices start at 45,000 won, and a meal for two with drinks, appetizers, sides, and dessert will easily run to the hundreds of thousands of won. This is a place that will impress you with its lovely mood, beautiful garden, exceptional food, excellent service, and the deep dent it will make in your wallet.  Hey, if you want to dine in the same rarefied atmosphere as Ban Gi-mun, Mariah Carey, Koizumi, Rain, and Jackie Chan, you pay for the privilege.  And really, if our dear leader beloved president Lee Myeong-bak has eaten there, don’t you want to, too?

And, as befiting a trendy spot, it’s hard to get to from public transportation.  From Yeoksam Station (역삼역) head to Chabyeongwon Intersection (차병원사거리)/Dongho Bridge (동호대교) and make a right at Cha Hospital (차병원).  At Catholic Orthapedics (카틀릭 정형외과) turn right again, and Bamboo House is straight ahead, two blocks in.  If you get lost or need reservations, call the front desk staff (who speak Korean, English, and Japanese) at 02-566-0870.

image from wikipedia commons

Speaking of the fortress, near the north gate is one of the most famous examples of Suwon’s premier product.  Suwon was home to a large cattle market which in turn meant Suwon had some of the best beef eatin’ in Korea.  한우, 한우 . . . as far as the eye could see!  And thus Suwon became the place for wang galbi.  Wang galbi is a slightly different cut than standard galbi – a large, single segment of rib is sliced, and the rib meat itself flows off like a streamer.  Grilled plain or with just a little bit of salt, this meat is usually tender and delicious enough to just eat plain.

But what fun would that be?  Suwon wang galbi has a slightly sweet marinade with a suprisingly subtle garlic kick.  Ginger, soy, and myriad spices play around with the normally assertive vampire repellant, but instead of becoming forward and assertive, the whole mix becomes a mellow companion to richly marbled shortribs.  There’s plenty of Suwon galbi restaurants all over town, but the most famous of these is Yeonpo Galbi/ 연포갈비.

This venerable institution starts things off right with high quality charcoal. Koreans have a bit of an obsession with charcoal for grilling, but what a glorious obsession to have. The kind of flame used to cook has a great influence on the flavor of food, and there’s many a fellow who will turn up their noses at the mediocre char of gas grilled galbi. True connoisseurs will always go for the burning black coals, but even then there’s a hierarchy. Big briquettes are common, but here they use only high quality sticks of oak.


In addition to the marinated Suwon wang galbi, Yeonpo also serves unmarinated cuts, like this marbled beauty.

Although not of uniformly high standard, the banchan here show more variety and attention to detail than many places in Seoul. Standouts included a bright, vinegary jellyfish salad and marinated seaweed. The wait staff here are unusually dedicated, and will take over the entire process of grilling the meat for you if only you’ll yield the scissors.

If you still have energy gorging on both meat and the view of the fortress right outside the window, Suwon has other delights. Soccer fans should head to the Suwon World Cup Stadium where you can catch a Samseong Bluewings game. Right next to Ajou University, the stadium itself is a pleasant place to while away the time, with prettily groomed park-like grounds.
Remember poor Prince Sado? King Yeongjo spiffed up Yongju Temple (용주사) for just that purpose. Right next door are the tombs of Sado and his long-suffering wife, Lady Hong, whose memoirs still form one of the most complete pictures we have not just of the Eulmi Incident, but also of Korean court life of the time. (get your own copy in English or in Korean) The temple also houses some outstanding paintings and a massive bronze bell decorated with dragons.

image courtesy buddhapia

Finally, we should also mention the immense pride that Suwon takes in its beautiful restrooms.

Suwon can be easily reached from Seoul by express bus(Gangnam, Sadang, Nambu Terminal, or Guro Industrial Complex Stations), train, or by subway (line 1 to Suwon Station).  Fatman suggests starting your tour of the fortress at Paldalmun, but if you’re lazy or like really cute trams, try taking a ride on the Hwaseong trolley. Prices for Suwon galbi run about 20-30,000 won per person.

Fatman hates this translation. While the use of the term varies slightly worldwide, in its home country, America, barbecue has a very specific meaning. Barbecue is a method of cooking using indirect heat. Whether the heat source is burning charcoal, wood, or a gas flame, the meat is cooked slowly and not on top of the flame.

The problem is that lots of people associate “barbecue” with another kind of cooking: grilling. Grilling is a fast cooking method where foods are placed on a grill directly on top of a flame.

So, for the record:

• barbecue = slow cooking time, indirect heat

• grilling = fast cooking time, direct heat

Some confusion is probably because of the American tradition of barbecue parties. While these parties often have traditional barbecue, other foods like hamburgers and hot dogs which are usually grilled are also served. The equipment used to make both outdoor grilled foods and barbecue is commonly called a “barbecue grill”. There’s also a broad variety of sauces called barbecue sauce, with its own controversies (Fatman is not yet ready to wade into the vinegar vs. mustard, dry rub vs. wet right now. Shudder!)

What is the advantage of barbecuing? Simple: cooking for a long time at low heat breaks down the collagen in meat, making cuts that are normally very tough and unappetizing into soft, tender morsels. It was a way to make even the worst, most jaw-numbing cuts delicious.

Fatman has seen some real barbecue in Korea – think of those lovely hogs roasted for hours on a spit. Mmmmm. But bulgogi and galbi are definitely not barbecue, no matter how they’re sauced.