Michelin Starred Kimchi, With Wine Pairing

Well, no, not really.  I didn’t have kimchi during my meal, and I didn’t order wine. “Wait, what the hell are you talking about?” you ask.  Jungsik is what I’m talking about.  The Michelin starred Korean restaurant (possibly the only one in the world) in Tribeca, specifically, the in space formerly occupied by the now closed Chantrelle restaurant.

When i was constructing my New York restaurant list, I browsed some of my go-to blogs.  And in doing so, I stumbled on the The Wandering Epicures’ blog entry about Jungsik.  It immediately caught my attention, and after reading their blog entry, I put Jungsik on the list, at a medium priority.  A Korean Fine Dining restaurant.  For me, it was new.  I was curious to see how it would be.

I made my way to the restaurant on the Red Line, and walked up from Chambers (no taxis for cheap ol’ me).  The hostess showed me to my table in the very white dining room (“very Korean” I thought).  My captain came over with the menu and explained the format.  The menu has five columns: Appetizer, Rice/Noodle, Fish, Meat, Dessert.  Each dish, with the exception of desserts, is offered in a tasting size as well as a full course size.  Alternatively, A ten course tasting menu is available.  I made my selections a la carte, and sat back, waiting, wondering how this meal would turn out.

Things got kicked off with an amuse: (clockwise from center) House-Made Tofu with Eggplant, Fried Chicken Burger, Crispy Rice Cake, Sweet Potato Crisp, Rice Cracker with Yuja (Koreans say yuja, not yuzu).  The tofu was delicious, and it was probably the best soft tofu I have ever had.  The crispy rice cake was a reference to tteokbokgi, spicy rice cakes served at street carts.  A version of this is served at Momofuku Ssam Bar, and I believe Momofuku Daisho in Toronto.
Three kinds of bread were offered with butter: raisin roll, rice sourdough, and olive ciabatta.  The Raisin roll reminded me a lot of the buns my eldest aunt would buy and serve for breakfast in her home when I spent time there.

Bibim, Tomato, Arugula Sorbet.  A play on bibimbap.  In this case, Chef Jungsik Yim (the restaurant is named after him) took the word “bibim” which means “to mix” and applied to the flavours of Tomato, Arugula, Romaine, and Potato.  The arugula was served as a sorbet, and the potato was fried  thin and crispy, which added a nice crunch to the dish.  While it didn’t evoke any memories, it was a great dish, and I thought to myself “a big bowl of this would be great in the summer”.

Spicy Ramyun, Pork Belly, Savory Broth.  Every Korean has had ramyun in their lives.  I remember having cup ramyun with my family during trips to White Rock and Tofino.  Every Korean (except the adopted ones) have a memory of ramyun.  Koreans consume the greatest amount of instant ramyun per capita….or so wikipedia says.  I would have to say though, that this was my favorite version of ramyun.  It hit all the notes.   If I wasn’t in a Fine Dining restaurant, I would have picked up the bowl and tilted it back.  My one complaint is the tableware bowl itself.  It was too narrow and high up that I couldn’t get my spoon in their for the last little spoonfuls of delicious broth.  One other thing that I need to mention, is their S.A.  Now, I use my right hand for my fork and my left hand for my knife, which is the complete opposite of almost everyone in the world.  Every time my cutlery is replaced, I watch and see if they would put the fork on the right side, and the knife on the left.  The S.A. took notice and placed the fork on the right side.  For me, it’s a bit of a big deal in the “details” department.  Moving on…

Smoked Pork Jowl, pickled ramp.  As I kept tasting the broth, it reminded me of something, until finally, at the end, once I had almost finished eating the dish, I realized what it was that was so familiar.  It was the pickled ramp broth, which reminded me of my mom’s pickled garlic scapes.

Galbi Ver. 2, Wagyu Short-Rib, Chestnuts.  Served with Red Pepper, Chow Fun (which they prefered to call rice noodle), and Jus.  The kitchen team scored the emotion/memory evoking hat trick as the streak of good food continued.  I did however, feel that the red pepper had no place in the dish.  When my captain asked how I liked the dish as he cleared the plate, I wasn’t sure if it was better than my mom’s or not.

Quince Trifle.  A play on Sujeonggwa, a (primarily) cinnamon flavoured drink, served after the savory meal.  In this case, Jungsik made a layered trifle consisting of (from top to bottom) vanilla, persimmon, cinnamon, and chestnut.

Green Tea Cremeux, Sweet Red Bean, Roasted Bean Ice Cream.  Deconstructed Patbingsu.  Simple as that, but done with finesse, and without sweet rice cakes.  Patbingsu is a Korean dessert consisting of shaved ice, sweet red bean, condensed milk, rice cakes, ice cream, and sometimes if not usually, cereal (like lucky charms, not frosted mini wheats).

Chocolate Pot De Creme.  My least favorite course.  It wasn’t bad, I’m just not huge fan of chocolate.

I was given three last bites to end my wonderful meal.  (left to right) Mugwart Financier, Chocolate Covered Mango, Ginseng Macaron.  The Macaron impressed me the most because of the balance achieved with the flavours.  It wasn’t overwhelming with ginseng, but it still had a strong presence, contrasted by the chocolate in the centre.

My fears had left me, and I was left happy, and hopeful for the future of Korean food at Jungsik.  It’s just a really great place to eat.  The food is fantastic, and if you’re Korean, or familiar with Korean food, you get that extra bit of pleasure from the memories their food will evoke.  The food at Jungsik, for me at least, is the food your mom would make if she were a classically trained chef.

Jungsik
2 Harrison Street
Manhattan, NY
http://jungsik.kr/#index

The Best Lunch Deal In Manhattan

When you think three michelin starred food, and the cost of it, you expect it to cost an arm and a leg….and maybe a kidney if you get wine.  But during lunch at Jean Georges (not Jean George Nougatine.  Make sure you go to the right one), you can have your marshmellow, and eat it too.

During my first trip to New York, I was so blown away by my lunch there that I made a return trip a week later (my captain even recognized me).  So, it was an obvious choice to return to Jean Georges for a second time.

I knew what I was going to order before I even crossed the US/Canadian border: Foie and Chicken.  The captain (thank gods he wasn’t French) took my order, and I waited for the fun to begin.

I was given a trio of amuse to start.  Squash Soup, Dashi, Parmesan Foam.  Beet, Toasted Rye, Pecan, Ricotta.  Tangerine with “snow”.  The soup was actually really good, and the dashi added a nice umami to the soup.

Three kinds were offered; Swedish Rye, Rye Sourdough, and Ciabatta, as well as a normal butter.

Foie Gras Brulee, Dried Sour Cherries, Pistachioes, White Port Gelee.  It was a small torchon with a bruleed disc of sugar and toasted brioche on the bottom.  It wasn’t as good as the first time, but it was still good.

Parmesan Crusted Organic Chicken, Artichoke, Basil and Lemon Butter.  The first time I had this dish, I met Jean Georges after the meal and asked him to put it on the menu at Market at Shangri La in Vancouver.  I never went to eat there because I was afraid they wouldn’t be able to make it exactly like the one in New York.  This time around, I had artichokes instead of salsify.  It worked well together, and the acidity from the lemon elevated the dish.

I opted to skip dessert.  An assistant captain came cover with the marshmellow cart and a small plate of chocolates.  i tasted a couple and asked for the rest to be packed up (for my hostel roommates) as well as a copy of the menu.

If you find yourself in New York, reserve a table.  To my knowledge, this is the cheapest three michelin starred meal you can have in the world.

Jean Georges
1 Central Park W, New York
http://www.jean-georgesrestaurant.com

Wylie Fun Time

The day following my return to Eleven Madison Park, I went to WD-50.  No, WD-50 is not the next gen. version of WD-40.  It stands for Wylie Dufresne (the name of the chef) and 50 Clinton street.  During my last trip to New York, I was surprisingly blown away by the food.  However, when you have such a high expectation in your head, there’s a greater chance of dissapointment.  However, this was not the case.  If anything, it was better.

WD-50 offers two menus; a ten course Chef’s tasting, as well as a Five Course (as well as an amuse and mignardise) tasting menu “from the vault”; past dishes from their repetoire.  Also, they offer a two course prix-fixe menu at the bar for $25, and $15 for each additional course.  I chose to order the Full tasting menu, and let my server know about my seafood aversion, but she managed to talk me into having one seafood course.

I was given a copy of the menu so that I could follow along with the meal.  I didn’t like this.  I kind of hate it when a tasting menu has menu items on it.  It ruins the surprise and wonder of what’s to come.

The meal started off with Seasame flatbread.  Thin, crispy, messy and delicious, but not at all filling.

Then came the amuse.  Turnip with sunflower seeds and roasted red pepper.  Delicious.

This was my first substition.  I believe it was picled fennel with deep fried ricotta.  Yeah, deep fried ricotta.  It was amazing, and the best thing about that dish, but not to say that the rest of the dish wasn’t as good.

Pho Gras.  An obvious play on pho.  The broth was poured table side and i slide the torchon of foie gras into the broth, as well as the noodle.  It tasted nice, but I don’t like my foie gras in broth.  The crispy tendon was there for texture.

Bone Marrow, Potato, Pomegranate, Pepper Streussel.  The potato was cut, hollowed out, and confited into deliciousness.  I didn’t like the green purees.  It just tasted like raw spinach.

Veal Brisket, Apple, Mustard Wafer.  This was another substitution.  And it was freakin’ delicious.

Pinenut Cassoulet, boudin blanc.  I liked the idea of this dish, but there were too many bites of pinenut that it got to be too much.  Thomas Keller spoke of diminishing returns; after two or three bites, you kind of lose that “wow” factor.  That was certainly the case with this dish.  It was good, but after three or four bites, it got to be too much.

Pig’s Tail, Artichoke, Olive Oil Jam, Hazelnut.  This was an amazing dish.  The pig meat was bound together (probably by transglutaminase aka. “meat glue”) and fried.  The Hazelnut was a “cheese”.  It was emulsified and frozen, then grated.

Mediterranean Bass, Squash, Cherry, Juniper, Cous Cous².  My least favorite dish.  The flavours didn’t work for me.  The fish was cooked perfectly though.

Squab, Tomato Hummus, Pickled Turnip, Tzatziki.  The hummus deep fried and the tzatziki was a wafer.  It was a nice dish.  Not one of the most memorable ones, but certainly a good dish.

Flat Iron, Mushroom Jerky, Grape, Verjus.  The mushroom really was a jerky.  I don’t know how they did it, but I wish I could have a large bag of it as a snack.  I would say that this was probably my favorite, if not second to the Pig’s Tail.

Coconut, Cucumber, Pineapple, Chartruse.  My pre-dessert.  I could’ve done without the dice of pineapple hidden under the disc of cucumber juice, but all in all, it was great.

Walnut, Sweet Potato, Coffee, Plum Wine.  Meh.

S’mores, Bitter Cocoa, Meringue, Blackberry.  First off, that marshmellow is actually ice-cream.  This is probably one of the best s’mores you could ever have.

Beer, Malt, Pretzel.  I forgot what the red thing on the right was.  It was a perfect bite of sweet, savory, and beer.  I wish WD-50 would mass produce it and sell it.  Cause I would buy them like M&Ms.

Unfortunately, I am writing this blog almost a month after the meal, which is why I’ve forgotten a lot about my meal.  I can however, tell you that WD-50 should be on your list, and near the top of it.  The food was amazing and fun, and my server was so good, if I were a restauranteur, I would have tried to poach her her then and there (despite how douchey that’s considered to be).  So go make a reservation, and if need be, book a flight to New York, because you’ll have a great time there.

WD-50
50 Clinton St,
Manhattan, New York

The Layovers: D.C. and Toronto.

When I first planned my trip, I had only intended to go to New York and London.  But D.C. was so close, and I wanted to take some pictures, as well as go to the Smithsonian.  But most importantly, I wanted to eat.  Jaleo was there.  The original Jaleo.  The flight was cheap, so I thought, let’s go.  Turned out to be a good experience, but I didn’t budget it.  Good thing was that I had plenty of money to cover it (I stress the past-tense, sadly, but worth it).

I like to fly overnight, if not early.  That way, I don’t waste the day flying.  So, the night before my flight, after a late dinner at Cafe Boulud (review to come), I packed my things and then joined some of my new found hostel friends at a nearby pub for a drink.  I stayed up all night because I was afraid I might miss my alarm if I slept.  I paid for that later.  I fell asleep easily on the shuttle bus to the airport, but things got a little worse.  I fell asleep at the airport (unintentionally of course.  Thank god my things didn’t get stolen).  i ended up waking up 10 minutes before my flight was scheduled to depart.  I woke up to the sound of the PA calling my name.  I ran to the gate, and barely managed to make it to the plane.

I made it to D.C. and I took a bus and metro (beautiful stations) to my hostel.  After dropping off my things, I took a taxi to “Spike” Mendelson’s “Good Stuff Eatery”.  After lunch, I walked my way through the national mall, making a quick detour to the national archives, around capitol hill, straight through the Smithsonian Institute, past the Washington monument and reflecting pool, finally stopping at the Lincoln Memorial.

The next day was more of the same.  The national mall is someting that requires probably three days and one night to see.  I only visited the Air and Space Museum, Natural History Museum, and the Museum of American History, where I got to see Julia Child’s kitchen.  It was there that I also found a great deal.  A Jaques Pepin cookbook valued at $40 was on sale for $15.  I didn’t plan on buying books, but that was a steal.

I spent the early morning shooting photos of the sunrise.

And my last night shooting long exposure shots

Then it came time to say goodbye.  My time in DC was over.  It was time to go to Toronto.  Now I would never go to Toronto.  There was nothing that really appealed to me, other than the fact that I have friends there.  They were the only reason to go. I didn’t even have restaurants planned.  The journey to Toronto was easier, but more of a headache.  My flight was delayed by at least an hour because the airport was incapable of properly de-icing the plane.  However, but the time they de-iced the plane, the temperature was above freezing, and the de-icing fluid was at that point, unecessary (all that for nothing…).  I seem to have a light case of “The Travelling Ivon”.

I wish I had more money…so that I can just get a $50 cab to my locations.  Travelling with heavy luggage is not fun.  It’s a little awkward too.  Toronto was a blur.  3 days and 3 nights seemed more like 2 days.  I got in touch with people I know there and made plans.  But, to quote Jayne from Firefly, “what [I] plan and what takes place ain’t ever been similar”.  Plans got pushed, restaurants were left unvisited, time was wasted.

I gotta say though.  Once you get over the size of the Eaton Centre mall, you get over it and realize that it’s not all that special.  It’s just another mall.  My friend, who works at the Oliver and Bonacini company, hooked me up with a tour of their catering and production space within what I believe was The Bay tower.  it’s a giant space.  It’s big enough to supply a hotel.  It’s bigger than the Olympic Athlete’s village.

I found myself in the Kensington Market area the next day.  I expected it to be indoors and kind of organized like the St. Lawarence Market, but it wasn’t.  It was like someone took the food shops of a hipster-ish neighbourhood and compressed them into a 1 car lane alley-street.  Cool, and hipster, but, not really my thing.  I made my way back to my hostel through Chinatown, picking up a mediocre banh mi and chinese baked goods along the way (Oh Maxims and T & T, how I miss you).

I never expected to like Toronto, possibly due to a rivalry bias against the city since I’m from Vancovuer, but, I honestly might move to Toronto one day for 3 seasons of work.  I hate the idea of spending time in Toronto during the summer, so, go there in the Fall, and the leave at the end of spring.  Toronto, DC, hopefully, I’ll see you both again.