Tonight’s dinner was at a new upscale Korean restaurant. It’s a new collaboration with Corey Lee (Benu is one of our top dining experiences in SF and Monsieur Benjamin was also one of it favorites in Hayes Valley) and Jeong-In Hwang. Reservation was a bit tricky to get (had to book a month to the day in advance), but perhaps this was because it was so new (there was a decent amount of seating in the restaurant though), so our expectations were high. We had seating at the counter which I had hoped would give a good view of the action in the kitchen which we always enjoy, but the only real action was the grill and everything rose was prepared in the kitchen in the back.

Since we were here during the holidays, there was a seasonal menu. cocktails made with Korean liquor were ok. In addition to the prix fixe menu we decided to add the beef tongue and the pozole and a couple half bottles of their artisanal soju (we were split on which one we preferred with my nod to the one that was fruitier). Food was generally good with some very interesting flavors here and there. Technique and presentation were certainly better than any other Korean BBQ that I’ve been to, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that I enjoyed myself more, but more that it was just a different dining experience. Service was a bit rushed at times and uneven. It was enjoyable to try sometying different.