Blooming Garden has opened in the basement of the Center One building, the new landmark north of the river in Gangbuk. I was lucky enough to go during the opening event.
Dark tables
True to its reputation as a blind-date hotspot, the table lighting is atrocious. Great for couples on the make, but bloggers like me just cry.
Bread
The bread tasted no different just because this is a new branch. That’s only natural given Blooming Garden’s concept, I suppose.
Tomato and mozzarella
It’s fine… or rather, I deliberately picked dishes that are hard to mess up. With a full house and the place just opened, ordering something tricky to cook could easily end in disappointment…
Hanwoo beef tenderloin carpaccio
Hmm… it feels more like a snack with wine than an antipasto.
Complimentary salami and cheese
They said they’re planning to open a new cheese bar and brought over part of its snack menu. Looks like a nice spot for a light glass of wine too.
Asparagus
Decent enough.
Calamari
This is an Italian restaurant, yet the frying was Korean-style. Even so, for an Italian place that feels like a bit much. I’d have expected something lighter, gamberoni-style… well, I’ll just not order this one again.
A glass of Veuve Clicquot before the meal!
One of the members of our group treated us. Champagne in a glass this size is just right for drinking.
Arugula pizza
I asked them to pile on the arugula and this is what they brought out. Tastes good.
Pasta with three kinds of ragu
Pasta has always been Blooming Garden’s big weak spot, but this one was delicious. Ragu with wide noodles is a combination that’s really hard to get wrong.
Steak
Since the chain started out running meat restaurants… the steak comes out reasonably well.
Kitchen
The interior is clean and the atmosphere is really nice. Luckily, nothing we ordered that day was a big miss either. If I ever have a blind date in Gangbuk I’d be willing to come here, but since no one’s likely to set me up, I doubt I’ll be back anytime soon. I’m probably hopeless…