A new bistro has opened on Saigil in Bangbae-dong. The chef is one of Korea’s most respected gourmets, so I had high hopes. There was an opening-celebration meetup, and I was lucky enough to go along.

Horse meat sausage

Not on Polpo’s menu; someone who came to the meetup brought it along. Hmm… it had a distinctive flavor.

Cheese

I remember it being a sheep’s milk cheese, if I’m not mistaken. This was also a contribution, and again the flavor was distinctive. Fine as a snack with drinks, but a bit much as an appetizer.

Bread

They said they use bread from Lee Boulanger. Naturally the taste is among the best in Korea.

Ceiling

They seem to have put a lot of care into the interior.

Appetizer

Since it was late spring, we got bamboo shoots, aralia shoots and the like. The flavor felt a little faint.

Chawanmushi

Served in a Le Creuset. Chawanmushi at an Italian place is a bit unusual. Maybe it’s because this is Japanese-style Italian.

This sort of dish

A drizzle of truffle oil gives it aroma, but for an Italian course the impact was a bit weak. Closer to fusion Japanese, I’d say.

Steamed abalone

The steaming was expertly done; it was cooked just right for eating. There aren’t many ways to enjoy abalone this much. The concept here is cooking that brings out seasonal ingredients, and they use plenty of fresh, delicious produce. The dishes change often, so you won’t get tired of it quickly; it’s a concept that holds up to frequent visits.

Tomato salad

Cherry tomatoes dressed in olive oil, and they were sweet.

Octopus

Polpo means octopus in Italian. Naturally, plenty of octopus dishes came out. Like the abalone, the octopus was boiled just right, but the seasoning was a bit lighter than I expected.

Grilled pork neck

It seemed to be antibiotic-free pork grilled rare; I had no idea a dish like this was possible in Korea. I bet it would be delicious as tonkatsu too.

Cilantro salad

Instead of a salad you get dressed cilantro, which went well with the food and was delicious.

The chef from behind

Hard at work making pasta. There were a lot of us that day, and he was moving at full speed to get the dishes out on time. I’ll have to come back later and say hello properly.

Bottarga pasta

Pasta loaded with high-quality bottarga. It’s the first time I’ve had bottarga pasta with this much on it. Nothing beats it as a companion to wine.

Cockle pasta

They had cockles (torigai), which I’d thought I’d miss out on this year. The flesh is really sweet. Turning them into pasta was a nice touch. The seasoning did seem a little light, though.

Panna cotta

It looked a bit like the panna cotta at Trattoria Molto, and the chef apparently makes it himself. That kind of effort is wonderful.

Contributed desserts

One of the highlights of the day; the desserts were incredibly well made. I was full, but I polished off every last one.

It’s still early days, so there were a few rough edges, but he’s been in the gourmet world for so long that I expect things will keep improving. Saigil in Bangbae-dong has been on the rise lately, and the food is so good that this will likely become a popular restaurant soon, so I’d better make my presence known early. I have a feeling posts about this place will be coming often.

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