I’m gathering up my posts about 2chef, a restaurant I’m always indebted to, and putting them up together. I go there so often that I can’t post each visit separately.
Tomato and anchovy pasta
They said it was made with anchovies that came up from Tongyeong that same day, and it was a bit like anchovy broth, if that makes sense, with a hangover-curing kind of feel. A unique pasta, in a good way.
Horaegi (baby squid) and pork
I asked them to cook up whatever was left over as something to go with the wine.
Melon soup
Nice and cool, perfect for summer
Cheesecake, macaron and cherry
These are the chestnut macarons from Pâtissier Inamura Shozo and the cheesecake from Dominique Saibron that I brought along. The macaron has a deep chestnut flavor. Every bit as good as Ladurée. I’d love to bring back a lot of them, but the shop is in an awkward spot, and I’m so rough with things that getting them home in one piece isn’t easy. The cheesecake got completely squashed, to the point you can’t tell what it was supposed to look like, sadly.
The recommended wine
If you ask the manager, they’ll recommend a wine worth drinking within a sensible budget. Always reliable (at least I’ve never had a miss..). They have rare, highly rated wines in stock, so selling them to the regulars could be fun, but since it’s a corkage-free place to begin with, that probably isn’t easy.
Aglio e olio pasta
The chef at 2chef is really good at pasta. But it’s hard for that to shine in a set course menu. Sometimes when I go late at night and there are no other customers, if I ask, he makes it really, really well..
Black tea, Mariage Frères Marco Polo
A French tea brand. I’d say it’s probably the top tier among flavored teas. A fresh floral scent rises up strongly, though the taste falls a little short of it. It’s a famous tea that hooks even people who don’t know much about tea after one cup. As far as I know, it isn’t officially imported into Korea. So I bought it in Japan and brought it back myself. If you just walk in and ask for it, you won’t get it..
From left: Dom Pérignon 2002, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Ruinart Blanc de Blancs
There was a champagne meetup, so I went along. It was a tasting of Moët & Chandon champagnes, and they were all delicious. Ruinart suited my taste best.
Hotate (scallop)
Cooked just right. Delicious.
Shrimp pasta
When it comes as rigatoni, it’s usually the pasta that’s part of the course. Clean and simple.
The main: steak
Crémet d’Anjou and tiramisu
The crémet d’Anjou had raspberry jam inside, so you had to scoop it up in big spoonfuls. The tiramisu was a bit salty. A member of our gourmet online community bought these from imi, a new dessert shop near Hongdae, and asked the chef to serve them as dessert. Such diligent members.
OBAN Distiller’s Edition 1995 Double Matured
After dessert we had a little single malt each before heading home. Oban isn’t a distillery with a particularly great reputation, but I learned that with this many options attached, it can’t help but taste good. The impact is a little weak (meaning the peat isn’t strong), but the aroma is deep and elegant. Not exactly cheap, but it lived up to its price.