Apgujeong is known for luxurious
shops, chic department stores, high-end beauty clinics and global business
centres. It's Gangnam's Rodeo Drive and Milan. It's also home to many
prestigious restaurants like the Michelin
restaurant Jungsik.
This is one of those must visit restaurants when
you're in Seoul. Their 4-course lunch menu at ₩60,000 (roughly AUD $72) per person is
value for money and a steal considering this is a prestige Michelin restaurant.
When I say prestige I mean a very chic contemporary interior with clientele
ranging from businessmen, new money to ladies of leisure. The essence of
Jungsik's cuisine is a modern (almost on a molecular gastronomy level) take on
traditional Korean cuisine using cooking techniques. Chef Yim Jungsik is
basically the pioneer of modern Korean cuisine. There are no gimmicks here.
Just great food executed and presented well to please all the senses.
We started with their amuse bouche bite sized dishes. They had us already with their take
of a mini corn dog! There was also velvety salmon mousse in a cone topped with
roe, rice wrapped in fancy seaweed and fish seaweed pancake.
One of our starters was the "Mushroom", which is a pile of
umami packed buttery field mushrooms hiding a perfectly crisped egg with runny
yolk.
Their octopus
(10,000 won surcharge) was the best octopus dish I've had to date. It was
perfectly cooked with a nice char caramelisation that gives the octopus smoky
and sweet notes. The sweet, spicy and garlicky flavours of the creamy gochujang
aioli pairs nicely with the octopus.
The Aromatic
rice with barley and perilla oil was all about roasted nutty and umami
flavours. The egg yolk serves a nice textural contrast to the barley and
rice.
Their sea
urchin was a luxurious bowl of beauty and it also packed with so much umami
flavour and sweet notes.
The tenderloin
(20,000 won surcharge) was fatty, buttery and nicely seasoned. This is one
of the tastiest steaks I've had in my life. Pairing this with lovely mushrooms
may seem simple but you need some simplicity to bring balance to an outstanding
dish.
The duck
was one of the most beautiful duck dishes I've come across. It was twiced
cooked leaving the meat tender, juicy and so tasty whilst the caramelised skin
was so crisped.
The desserts were impressive too. There was Cheongdam pie, which is their
interpretation of the apple pie. Beautiful caramel sauce, apple puree, and ice
cream layered with two crispy flaky pastry-like biscuits.
There's also the rose de versaille, which tastes as beautiful as it looks. It
consists of blueberry mouse, milk ice cream, yoghurt meringue and blueberry
sauce.
 |
| Complimentary sweet treats |
I love the fact that you can make reservations via
their website. You can book up to a month prior to your preferred visit.
Whenever you decide to visit Seoul or on your next visit to this vibrant city,
I highly recommend dining at Jungsik. I will definitely pay them another visit
next time I'm in town.
Jungsik
11 SEOLLEUNGRO 158GIL
GANGNAMGU SEOUL
Hours: 7 days 12pm-3pm, 5.30pm-10pm
Posts
Amazing photos Raff! Agreed, $72 is an absolute steal for what looks like a really well executed meal, plus Michelin accolades. It's on my list for when I return to Seoul.
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