Seoul Eats: Part 3

The first 2 parts of this Soul Eat Series featured a number of restaurant adventures. But the most memorable meal of the trip was at POOM Seoul, so I thought it deserved a post on its own.

POOM Seoul (품 서울)

Serving traditional Korean banga cuisine with a modern twist, POOM uses only freshest seasonal ingredients. Using only the best Grade A OK Cheon Rice, A++ Korean beef, this fine dining restaurant serves exquisite dishes that allows you to experience a bit of Korean culture.

There are a few menu’s to choose from, ranging from ₩115,000 to ₩288,000 and have to be selected a day before your visit. The menu is changed every season and the prices may vary. We selected the 10 course menu (₩231,000/person).

My favorites of the evening were the Bamboo Cold Salad with Persimmon dressing and Galbi-gui served with a Pear Kimchi. The pear kimchi was very unique, being sweet, a tad spicy and refreshing, all at the same time. I also enjoyed the Korean Black Raspberry Fruit Wine (Bokbunja) it was aromatic and luscious and complimented the meal.

I strongly advise you to take a cab (with a map with Korean instructions) to this restaurant as it’s in a secluded location. We were dropped off at a dimly lit parking lot with no restaurant in sight. We were led through a narrow garden pathway down some steps to the entrance of the restaurant. I then realized why the restaurant is out of view from the main road, it is because it is located on the Namsam mountain having a beautiful city view of Seoul.

Reservations need to be made at least 1 day in advance and could be made via email with credit card information to hold the table. A 50% cancellation fee would apply if you cancel the day of. They don’t accept walk-in’s.

Dried red dates with pine nuts to snack on as we waited for our first course.

Joenbok SukHoe – Blanched fresh abalone and yams served with a soy sauce mixed with citrons

Yeolguja-tang – Royal hot pot with shrimp, fish fillet, meat balls, mushrooms and vegetables

Hongi Sauce Juksunchae – Cold salad of bamboo shoots slices, mushroom, mung bean sprouts and dropwort drizzled with persimmon dressing

Deodeok-Muchim – Shredded deodeok roots with fresh ginseng, salt and pine nut powder

Deonjang Sauce Kkurisal – Thinly sliced beef marinated in a special sauce and served with soy bean paste and scallions

Kimchi Umpa Sanjoek – Pan-fried skewers of marinated beef, kimchi and green onions

Gajami-Jeon – Pan-fried Halibut pancake, sliced and salted dry

Galbi-gui – Charcoal grilled beef with vegetables

Kimchi pear

Chambok Tang & Siksa – A clear broth of eyespot puffer and vegetables with steamed rice and side dishes

Yakgwa (Rice flour cookie dipped in honey ginger syrup), Yuja-Danja (Steamed sweet rice with citron & coated with pine nuts), Susam-jeonggwa (Candied honey ginger), Saengran (Ginger balls). Served with POOM’s Go-Heung yuzu tea

Dinner Total: ₩511,665 (3,700 HKD)
Address: 358-17, Daewonjeongsa Building Annex 4F, Huam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul / Tel: 82 2 777 9007
http://www.poomseoul.com/english/poom0101.asp

Missed Part 2 of Seoul Eats? Check it out here.