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Lots of so-called KOLs are in town for the festivities around
Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, and many restaurants in town are busy hosting 4-, 6-, 8-, and even collabs up to 14-hands. Unlike previous years where these
"50 Best Signature Series" events were by invitation only, this year tickets are available for sale for the many meals. I'm pretty sure most of the events sold out quickly, too, once people were given the opportunity to participate in the fun.
I wasn't planning on going to any of the events at lunch time, since they're happening during my work week, but when the Kitchen Nazi pinged me about his collab event, I figured I could maybe take an extended lunch today. And since Mr. Bongwater had requested that I take him to
Neighborhood while he's in town this week - something that was impossible due to the late timing of his request - I asked permission to bring him along, too.
I'll freely admit that I had not heard of Chef Kang Byungwook or his restaurant
Last Spring (넘은 봄) on Jeju Island. When I first saw the event being advertised on social media, in the back of my mind I noted that the guest chef was "some Korean guy" and that his restaurant is not in Seoul - since the event was referred to as "K-eighborhood in Jeju". Funny thing was that while talking to a few KOLs who were also invited to the event, none of them knew who the guest chef was... In fact, some actually thought the Kitchen Nazi was doing this solo.
As we found out during the meal, Chef Kang actually worked in Hong Kong for a few years - both at my beloved
Ta Vie 旅 and
L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon. Apparently he also spent a month in the kitchen at Neighborhood, which is how he is connected to our host.
One of the reasons I don't go to many of these events is, well... I'm an asshole. I'm picky about who I sit with, even when the meal is free. In fact, I'm MORE picky about my dining companions when it's by invitation, because I really only want to share space and time with people whose company I enjoy (or at least don't object to). So with the restaurant filled with KOLs and wannabes, it's easy to guess how the meal went.
First up was what looked like the
"dry bouillabaisse" that is often served here as the first dish, but the Kitchen Nazi called this
"cold Jeju [seafood] stew". Local spiny lobster, razor clams, shrimp... etc. were poached in a crab broth seasoned with gochujang, then chilled before serving.
The cuttlefish was pretty big and thick, and the wing was very nice and crunchy. The sesame and egg yolk sauce definitely tasted of sesame, and the powder that's sprinkled all over - made of homemade kimchi - imparted a very light and delicate flavor.
I am ssam - well, this is how the Kitchen Nazi introduced it to a neighboring table. What would have normally been
bossam (보쌈) was charcoal-grilled like charsiu, with some kimchi and garlic on top.
One wraps the pork with lettuce or Korean perilla leaves the same way as making a
ssam (쌈), and the "ssamjang (쌈장)" was actually a sauce made with mayo and a
gochujang made with Jeju Island "blue beans (푸른콩)". The pork was very nice and crunchy, especially the skin. And it's got a nice, charred flavor from the charcoal grilling. The sauce was also pretty nice with good acidity as well as creaminess. Aaaand got that spicy kick, too! As much as I love fatty pork, given my feeding schedule this week I decided to be good and just have one
ssam.
Next came a pan with chunks of
giant grouper (龍躉) - a fish the Kitchen Nazi loves to serve up. Definitely looking impressive with how big and thick those pieces were!
I was slightly disappointed in the flavors of the fish itself, as it felt a little lacking compared to how tasty the fish had been in the past. HOWEVER, that condiment on top - which was made with, among others, mashed and shredded Korean perilla leaves - really made the dish with its distnctive flavors. It left the beautiful aroma of the leaves inside one's mouth. In lieu of the usual chunks of roast potatoes (which are
always amazing), we had radish instead.
Next came a special version of the usual
warm vegetables / truffle vinaigrette, with ingredients from Jeju Island. On top of the sweet potato, romanesco broccoli, fennel, baby napa cabbage, and baby cucumber flowers came slices of 4-year-old
jamón made from the famous Jeju black pigs, along with shaved black truffle and a sauce made with sesame and Jeju mandarins. Very nice.
When I walked into the restaurant today, I noticed Shirley was busy placing packs of Nongshim Shin Ramyun at various spots. I knew that they are one of the sponsors of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, so I didn't think too much.
When this following dish was presented, the Kitchen Nazi actually spoke of his "secret project" producing a special version of Shin Ramyun with his recipe. Having known him for more than a decade and a half, we know he can and will joke about anything (see "I am Ssam" above). But maybe he's not joking around this time... and since there ARE potato snacks from Want Want (旺旺) in China with his face on the packaging, one cannot discount this as mere BS...
I did notice that there were some Korean people - who weren't the KOL type - filming our lunch. I guess the project might be real!
Shin Ramyeong with beef and tomato - one of the popular variations of beef noodle soup in East Asia comes with tomatoes, so I guess that's what we had - the "tossed (撈)" version without broth. Always better with sunny side eggs on top, as one does in Hong Kong.
Pretty nice la...
This was served with some green pepper marinated in a mix of
doenjang (된장), gochujang, and sesame paste.
I even got to sip from a small cup of broth of this special Shim Ramyun. There was a nice kick, but unlike the regular version, it was something my palate could handle.
The famous
salt-baked 120-day chicken gets a makeover, with Jeju Island kelp stuffed under the skin in lieu of truffles or other goodies.
Instead of morels and herbs with cream sauce over rice, we have Jeju barley in an abalone liver sauce, along with sliced abalone, Jeju kelp, and lots of kimchi.
Definitely a unique version of the "chicken rice" here. Barley delivers a more interesting texture, and the abalone liver sauce was nicely paired with the acidity and kick from kimchi. I restrained myself and had just one piece of chicken.
Dessert was
poached pear with blueberry sauce and vanilla ice cream. Very nice and refreshing.
I really enjoyed tasting these new takes on classic dishes from Neighborhood, with a Korean twist featuring ingredients from Jeju. Very grateful to the Kitchen Nazi for the kind invitation, and happy to have been able to have Mr. Bongwater tag along so I could spend more time with him. Now I gotta get back to do a little more work before heading out for a fun dinner...
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