I was at Mi Piace just the other day. I had a great time then too (maybe just me?), and somehow the idea came up of getting together to drink a wine called Miani. Miani is the Italian cult wine that The Drops of God praised by saying its extreme, almost fanatical pruning and thinning are like Salome demanding her beloved’s head. I’d been meaning to try it whenever I got the chance, and during this short trip I got to join a dinner hosted by the owner of Mi Piace himself. It was a wonderfully satisfying evening, and I’m truly grateful to everyone who made it happen.
There were quite a few of us at this wine gathering, so we took the private room on the second floor. Unlike the casual feel downstairs, it’s a very calm, upscale space, and they even took care with the lighting for us food bloggers, a sorry tribe who can’t eat unless we get our photos, so the evening went very comfortably. That kind of thing is only possible at a restaurant with some history behind it.
Fresh flowers
Blooming beautifully on the table again today. It felt like my mind was being cleansed.
Glasses for the tasting
A glass for each type was already set out on the table. Everything was ready before we even arrived, you could say.
Plates
The floral plates and the fresh flowers make the table look lavish. You can really see Mi Piace’s character in it.
Today’s stars: Miani’s Bianco, Buri and Filip
Three bottles, seriously?! Miani isn’t cheap, so even for a tasting I never expected this much. The fee wasn’t that high either, so this was a total jackpot of a day. The Château Gloria you can see in the back was also a sponsored bottle.
Cheese & olives
The cheese is like a cracker, a fun texture. Dairy is high in calories so eating too much isn’t great, but I kept reaching for more.
Champagne: Veuve Clicquot
The flagship of popular champagnes, no long explanation needed (I’d had it the day before too…). This was also on the owner. There was so much sponsorship that day that I almost felt embarrassed. How am I ever going to repay this…
Bread
It came out nicely warm, just right for eating. The timing of the service that day was flawless.
Jamón
The better the jamón, the more it glows with a lustrous ruby sheen. What could be better with wine?
Bianco Miani
At last I get to taste Miani’s wine. The Bianco is said to be a blend of three grape varieties. Bringing the glass to my nose, a complex mix of aromas rises up. It isn’t an explosion of fruit like a New World wine, but there’s a rich scent of wildflowers coming up and a quiet mineral taste. It leaves out anything familiar, so opinions will probably be divided among drinkers, but I think this understated quality is exactly the charm of an Italian cult wine.
Antipasto
A salad of all sorts of ingredients: octopus, sayaendo (snow peas), Chinese yam and more. With ingredients this fresh, it couldn’t be anything but delicious. I don’t know what sayaendo are called in Korean, but maybe because these were bigger than usual, they were really crisp when I bit into them.
Miani Buri, Tocai variety
Miani apparently has two vineyards, Buri and Filip, and this wine is made from grapes from the single vineyard called Buri. It’s made from a native variety called Tocai, which they say is different from Hungary’s Tokaji. On tasting, a single thread of aroma rose up, refined and elegant. It doesn’t give off the many aromas the Bianco does, so people were split, but I liked this one much better. Clean, pure and clear, it had a depth like water drawn from a spring-fed well at the source. Even among top white wines, this wasn’t the delicate, graceful Burgundy style but a taste that wakes up cold, cool-headed reason, and I was quietly impressed that wine could be made in this style too. It did seem hard to match with food, though. It would probably go best with some simple cheese.
Fried seasonal ingredients
We got scallops, squid, butterbur shoots and so on. You probably can’t see much under the batter, but the frying really brought out the flavor of each ingredient. It was the best fried food I’ve had in Korea, so I think I’ll remember it for a long time. The owner had said the food would be kept light to suit the wine since the wine was the main event, so I honestly didn’t expect much, but when such excellent food came out I was left wondering where exactly the “light” part was.
More bread
Topped up at just the right moment, as expected. The service, food and wine had all been perfect so far, and it only got better from here.
Lasagna
We kept tasting the very essence of Italian cooking that day. Was this dish always this delicious? It was served piping hot, hot enough to burn your hand, in its very best state.
Miani Filip
They say it’s a Merlot-based wine, and it was very calm. If it tasted like Salome, the incarnation of passion, as The Drops of God puts it, I assumed it would naturally be a concentrated fruit bomb, but true to an Italian cult wine, it had a very refined, razor-sharp purity, polished to the limit, almost sacred. The opposite of what I expected, but this gathering made it clear to me what a wine called Miani is all about. At first it may feel like you’re just drinking mineral water, but its particular charm is not the kind of thing you forget easily.
Pickles
They taste like pickles, but the plating and the timing were natural. You can feel it in this cute little dish too: the owner has wonderful taste. I’m actually the type who gets moved by small things, and with good reason: taking care of the little details that seem trivial is what takes the most time and effort. The higher you push the level of finish, the more you need huge amounts of effort that look meaningless, and at times like that, attitude matters more than anything. Like most things in life, if you don’t want it yourself, you can’t make something beautiful or move anyone. I learned a lot from the owner that day.
Baby squid pasta
How could seasonal food not be delicious? I thought I’d happily come and eat this every day, but for that I’d have to earn a bit more money…
Garlic / sweet potato
The sweet potato was sweet and the garlic was cooked soft. Not an ordinary side dish at all, really delicious. You can’t skip something like this just because you’re full.
Finally, the main: a huge T-bone steak
My skills are hopeless so the photo didn’t come out well, but it was really impressive. Some people sighed at the thought of eating even more after all that, but of course, you can’t say no.
Squid ink risotto
At any other restaurant this alone would easily qualify as a signature dish; it was the best of the best risotto. The flavor of the ingredients comes through strongly. I get the feeling that Italian food suits Korean palates well. Though that might just be because Mi Piace’s food is so good.
Steak and ribs: four pieces of meat just for me.
Maybe because the T-bone was so big, there was a lot of meat. My allotted share was two ribs and two pieces of steak. I was so overwhelmed by the amount that I was lost for words. Where am I, meat heaven? On tasting it, the freshly grilled steak was as good as any top steakhouse. The skill in cooking such thick meat was impressive. Truly a string of dishes you can’t help but be satisfied with. Eating like this, you start to wonder why anyone goes to all-you-can-eat meat buffets. Eating lots of bad meat only makes you feel worse. For a while I think I can say I’ve really had my fill of meat.
At last, dessert time arrived.
The box of wagashi I brought
The wrapping cloth was so pretty I bought it the moment I saw it…
Wagashi as pretty as flowers
These were a special selection for spring hanami, so they seem a little more dressed up than usual. I was worried because the sweets don’t keep long, but maybe thanks to the cold weather they were in good shape. Although a few got slightly squashed on the way, which bothered me a bit… Finely crafted sweets like these would be even more elegant with tea, but honestly, foodie gatherings rarely chase elegance that far… so we just kind of ate them…
Fruit and sherbet to cleanse the palate
Refreshing.
It’s not in the photos, but at the end the owner treated us to one more bottle, a Riesling. He said Riesling is the big trend these days, and he really is ahead of the curve. I drink it often in summer, but it can’t be easy to find in Korea. It was a Riesling from the famous Egon Müller estate, elegant in style as you’d expect. That makes three sponsored bottles! And three Miani! I’m not sure I deserve to be treated this well. I’ll have to bring something to the next gathering.
Apple pie
An apple pie the owner made himself after taking cooking lessons. It came out warm, straight from the oven. I love apple pie so I know this well: apple pie is best right after it’s baked. But unless you make it yourself, it’s hard to get a warm apple pie, which is a shame. I never expected to eat such a great pie at an Italian restaurant. Of course, you can’t say no.
Fondant au chocolat
Mi Piace’s signature dessert. Cut it in half and the chocolate flows out, a cute bit of theater that leaves you with lasting memories of this restaurant. But I’d had it before, so I skipped it today.
Pineapple pie
Five courses of dessert alone. I wondered if this was Pierre Gagnaire or something… This pie was great too, but I was already stuffed and couldn’t eat much, which is a pity. I should have had the rest wrapped up to take home; next time I’ll beg them to pack it for me.
And so the grand wine dinner came to an end. It was a meal that left me completely satisfied. Thank you to the owner and everyone who prepared it, and to everyone who came. I’d like to start organizing fun gatherings like this on a regular basis. I need to get on it soon, but when is my work ever going to end…