Seoul 116 - Korean Kitchen & Bar
Last Wednesday Nate and I decided to ditch our pots and pans for a meal out. We have a rule that if one person suggests a restaurant and the other person disagrees, they have to pick. Well I had suggested The Angus Barn which admittedly was a tad of a stretch considering the price tag but Nate rules are rules so Nate needed to come up with an alternative. He somehow found Seoul 116. After looking at the menu and confirming that it was pescatarian-friendly, we were off to 116 N West St, Ste 100, Raleigh, NC 27603!
Décor: This space is absolutely beautiful. The floors are marbled concrete, the bar is rough brick, the tables are dark natural woods and there are a lot of interesting light fixtures here. Not only are there hanging Edison bulbs (my personal favorite) but there are large industrial-style lamps and canvas light boxes. Basically, their interior decorator was worth every penny.
There are a few different dining areas through the restaurant but each is sectioned in a way that nothing seems too large. It's all very intimate and private without feeling over-crowded or squished. The muted color palate allows the diner to focus on what's really important here - the food.
Food appearance: Can I just say wow? Everything that came out of the kitchen was beautiful and I must confess that one of the dishes even made me question my commitment to pescatarianism. If that's not a testament to this place I don't know what is. The plates are a rustic ceramic and even the disposable chopsticks match the wood grain of the tables and chairs.
Food taste: the menu is tapas-style and therefore you're encouraged to sample a few items to share. We settled on the Spicy Tuna Tart, Shrimp Pancake, Bulgogi Sliders, Kimchi Fried Rice with Fried Shrimp, Side of Kimchi and the Green Tea Ice Cream with Churros.
The Spicy Tuna Tart is a little misleading. This is not a tart. The tuna, besides being extremely fresh, is a magnificent texture. It appears to be finely minced yet it retains a nice meaty bite. The flavor of the mayo, truffle oil and micro greens are an exceptional match to the spicy tuna and the fried wonton chip are the best vehicle for this dish. Basically, order 2 orders because you'll want to eat a plate by yourself.
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| Spicy Tuna Tart |
The Shrimp Pancake was a little disappointing just in the sheer amount of tempura'd items on one plate. The delicately flavored scallion pancake is overflowing with fried shrimp, fried red onion, fried green onion and soy pickled jalapeno. Each element of the dish was delicious on its own, but far too fatty when eaten all together. I found myself craving the slightly spicy jalapeno rings and funky kimchi with every bite. Maybe this dish should be a de-constructed approach rather than piled on top of each other.
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| Back: Shrimp Pancake Front: Kimchi Fried Rice with Fried Shrimp |
The Bulgogi Slider are what almost broke me. The slightly sweet aroma wafting off the rib eye, the fluffy slider buns, the cucumber kimchi and the sesame mayo all looked like heaven to this veteran pesci. I stuck to my guns though. However, I did indulge in the pickled eggplant on the side of the dish. It was...different? I can't really describe the flavor but the texture was unexpected. Who knew that eggplant could stand up so well to pickling?
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| Bulgogi Slider |
What can I say about the Kimchi Fried Rice other than it was incredible. The rice was fluffy, the kimchi was prevalent, the fried shrimp were succulent and plump with marvelous tempura texture. The whole dish is topped with a fried egg (our yolk was a little disappointingly overcooked) and dusted with black and white sesame seeds. I think the only thing that would have made me love this dish more would have been the egg yolk to be runnier to ooze all over the rice. Nate however said he would've preferred the rice the way it was intended to be ordered - with sausage.
The side of kimchi was definitely a good order. The cabbage was crisp and spicy and was a great addition to every dish we ordered.
We ordered 2 sakes to enjoy with our meal: the Shochikubai Nigori to pair with the savory and a glass of Dragon God to enjoy with the Green Tea Ice Cream with Churros.
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| Green Tea Ice Cream with Churros and Dragon God Sake |
Now this dessert is quite possibly my favorite dish of the evening. The green tea flavor was most definitely present but not bitter or unpleasant. The ice cream was slightly sweet and made even better when paired with a piece of STILL WARM cinnamon-sugar coated churro. Oh and guess what the side of the bowl was lightly swooped with? CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SPREAD! This surprising addition made this seemingly simple dessert luscious and decadent.
Service: we were promptly greeted by the hostess and our server was knowledgeable and friendly. She checked on us throughout our stay and made sure we had everything we needed to enjoy ourselves. A+ for service, Seoul 116.
Cleanliness: this restaurant looked pretty much impeccable. Nothing looked dirty or dusty, tables were cleaned quickly and the bathrooms were nice and tidy.
I will return to Seoul 116 for the Green Tea Ice Cream with Churros, Kimchi Fried Rice with Shrimp, Spicy Tuna Tart and to try one of their Souju Capris - basically a boozy juice pouch with a light-up ice cube. Can you think of anything more fun because I sure can't. Definitely go give this spot a try! Also I recommend ordering a few things and then seeing where you are hunger-wise. We were utterly stuffed with our 4 dishes, one of which I didn't even eat!
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