Oh yeah, and some other clown had something to say about how blogging has influenced food culture in Korea. Hmmm.

]]> http://www.fatmanseoul.com/2010/06/17/zen-kimchis-tedxseoul-talk/feed/ 1 http://www.fatmanseoul.com/2009/10/12/congratulations-%ec%b6%95%ed%95%98%ed%95%a9%eb%8b%88%eb%8b%a4/ http://www.fatmanseoul.com/2009/10/12/congratulations-%ec%b6%95%ed%95%98%ed%95%a9%eb%8b%88%eb%8b%a4/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:00:13 +0000 fatmanseoul http://www.fatmanseoul.com/?p=1336 축하합니다 to Joe McPhearson and Eun-Jeong, the Zen Kimchi pair:  They go together like 신라면 and 소주!  Peanut butter and jelly!  오징어 and 땅콩! Cheese and crackers!  빈대떡 and 막걸리!  Congrats to you both!

축하합니다! Congrats!

Executive Chef Ciaran Hickey and his staff not only served us the X Burger, he took the time to sit down and discuss his kitchen philosophy, the state of the business worldwide, his feelings on Korean food, and give a personal tour of the hotel.  Of course, Fatman knows what you’re really all here for:  Food Porn.

Well, ask and ye shall receive:

Yes, you get fries with that. Crispy on the outside, soft and floury on the inside, perfectly seasoned fries.

Watercress and shaved fennel salad brings fresh, bright notes to lighten things up.

sweet, buttery lobster tail sits stacked on fragrant pine mushrooms, tender asparagus shoots, grilled red onion, and a brightening slice of tomato.

Let’s have another look at that, shall we?

But let’s face it, you’re here for the burger.

It wasn’t enough to have a fresh brioche bun, pleasantly egg-y and the perfect texture for soaking up all those delicious drippings without ever becoming sodden. And they couldn’t just be content with making a fabulous burger patty out of Australian wagyu beef. Fatman has always been skeptical of turning quality marbled cuts of meat into hamburger, but this changed our mind: the beef had a rich and meaty flavor while also having an amazing, almost creamy texture.

No, they had to go all the way, step over the line and top it all off with a thick slice of foie gras and then sprinkle it all with truffles. Oh, the humanity! As Zen Kimchi might have mentioned, Fatman is a big fan of foie gras, which along with the truffles adds a significant amount to the production costs of this burger – importing this kind of stuff ain’t cheap! Nor did they stint; the beautiful, buttery foie gras came in a thick, generous slab, and the truffle fragrance permeated it all.
That wasn’t the only place truffles were showing up.

The burger comes with three sauces for dipping, dunking, or just pouring straight into your waiting mouth: a sprightly tomato salsa, a sinfully decadent red wine truffle sauce, and a creamy truffle aioli to die for.
Zen Kimchi went whole hog, stacking all the offerings together into a burger for which we fear a single “X” is not enough. It should be re-christened the “XXX Burger” and footage of its consumption restricted. Fatman agrees with Chef Hickey that all told, the X Burger is so rich that it’s almost too much for one person, let alone one mouthful. Besides, we like our taste buds undistracted from the glorious foie gras and truffles.
Besides, you don’t want to miss out on dessert.

From left to right: chocolate sea-salt caramel ice cream, a shot of pure liquid chocolate, and a chocolate mousse. The ice cream is hands down the best thing Fatman has ever tasted. No, really.
In addition to the ala carte menu, there’s a dessert buffet that simply cannot be believed.

Moist carrot cake with the most amazing frosting you’ll ever put in your mouth, topped with the most luscious frosting that you’ll ever smack your lips on.

Treacle pudding like you’ve never had it before – sweet and charming.

This lemon souffle is perfection – bright citrus is balanced by the light creamy texture of the souffle.
The W Hotel has paid a lot of attention to their desserts, paring down the sweetness that overpowers too many of the desserts here in Korea. The offerings are beautifully balanced, well conceived, and elegantly executed. If you need more convincing, check out The Pantry’s rendition of peanut butter cups:

The space in which you can consume these delectables is one of the best in Seoul. Architecturally innovate without being overwhelming, the designers behind the W put a lot of thought into The Kitchen.

The long family-style table has hosted some fun events, from wine tastings to food tastings to anti-valentine’s day parties.
The good design extends throughout the whole hotel, including the lobby and Woobar.

Listen, Fatman cannot tell a lie: This burger is going to set you back a bundle. 180,000 won, after vat tax and all else comes together. But more than 100 people have found it worth their while in the three months since the X Burger debuted. If Fatman had a spare 180,000 won lying around in our back pocket, we’d be there chowing down again right now. It may be an indulgence, but the burger, like everything else we tasted at the W, had the quality to back it up. Go get yourself a part-time job delivering papers.

For even more food porn, check out our flickr account: www.flickr.com/fatmanseoul

Many, many, many thanks to Zen Kimchi, Executive Chef Ciaran Hickey, and the W Seoul-Walkerhill for the fabulous indulgence!

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!