Korean Bistro Star Chef
Seoul has a great restaurant scene. Seoul has a great drinking scene. Why has combining the two been such a problem? When eating in a Korean restaurant, there are alcoholic drinks available, but lingering is discouraged. When drinking in a Korean establishment, your choices are dried squid, fried chicken, or the ghastly “fusion” concoctions with squiggles of mayonnaise and honey mustard you find in college kid hangouts.
Chef Hu-nam Kim heads the wave of modern Korean restaurateurs who want to add even more character to Seoul’s nightlife. Having worked 20 years at the Shilla Hotel and a couple of years in America, his technique is Chinese, his taste is Western, and his soul is Korean. The bistro, Star Chef, started out as a little hole in the wall in Dogok-dong. It’s still a hole in the wall but a very packed one. You need to make reservations these days.
Star Chef gained popularity with its intimate casual atmosphere mixed with top notch creative dishes. It’s a classic French bistro with a Korean flavor. Chef Kim shows his playful attitude in the kitchen with such menu items as “Million Won Samgyeopsal” and “Orgasm Sausages.”
The Million Won Samgyeopsal is one of the menu’s stars, succulent thick slices of pork belly smothered in a rich spicy sauce, a well-aged kimchi and garnished with cilantro. Cilantro tastes surprisingly good with Korean food and is a welcome variation. Other celebrities include the Bulgalbi Mushroom Salad, Beef Tangsuyuk and the aptly named Amazing Fish. The Bulgalbi Mushroom Salad sports grilled Australian Wagyu beef and a variety of Korea’s best smoky grilled mushrooms. The Tangsuyuk displays Chef Kim’s craft with Chinese technique, making a sweet and sour beef that magically stays light and crispy even after an hour of sitting on the table. The Amazing Fish dazzles the senses as a whole fish is wok fried Chinese style, gets a dressing of a sweet, spicy and tangy soy sauce and comes garnished with shaved red onions and an addictive cilantro-pickled ginger salad.
The menu gets new additions and moves a bit. A must-try off-menu item is the Octopus Salad, which is a bright Mediterranean seafood fiesta with the softest octopus that will ever meet your teeth.
A special note that most of the produce is organic and comes from Chef Kim’s farm in South Jeolla province. Star Chef is located south of Dogok Station on the #3 orange line, exit 4. Take the first left, the next right and another left at Cafe ComeOn.
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English and Korean menu |
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Permitted |
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Vegetarian options exist. The kitchen can also accommodate food allergies. |
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Accessible |
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W 15,000 – W 40,000 |
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Great food, service and atmosphere |
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Can get a bit crowded. Reservations recommended. |
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417-2 Dokog-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. |
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02-529-8248 (English spoken) |
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