I never imagined that TT Grill, the grill version of Tuk Tuk Noodle Thai, would open on the Apgujeong alley I’ve been hanging around for years. Feels a bit surreal.
The place
Who knew a restaurant this cool would show up in this neighborhood..
The place
Lots of whisky and some great-looking speakers. Perfect vibe for drinking.
Inside
It’s a big, roomy space. Feels like something delicious is about to come out of that kitchen.
The back room
There’s a separate space like this too. Would be great for groups. It’s surprisingly hard to find a good spot for get-togethers.
Today’s whisky
Whisky we brought with prior permission. One is a Springbank 12 Cask Strength, the other a Yamazaki Limited Edition 2016. Neither is easy to get hold of.
The menu
The menu was so nicely designed that I had to take pictures.
The menu
Love the illustrations too.
Menu
They’ve got great taste.
Yamazaki Limited Edition 2016
This was the last Limited I managed to get. They still release the Limited series, but they’re ridiculously hard to get now, so I don’t even bother trying. Like every Yamazaki Limited, it’s built from 20-plus-year-old malts, so it has a real sense of age, smooth and classy. The character is a bit different from the Yamazaki 18, but enjoying that difference is the whole charm of the Limited.. Put it this way.. it’s like the distillery saying, “You guys drink the 18 all the time, getting a bit bored? We made this limited edition with a different flavor, what do you think?”.. So the Limited is delicious, but some people might find the 18 tastier.. Anyway.. it’s a bottle that’s like a piece of history, showing what Yamazaki used to be like..
The Springbank 12 CS we drank alongside it had strong character and a good dose of sherry, so I could taste the good side of Springbank, organic and traditional, but next to the well-aged Yamazaki it came across as a bit rough.. When you compare good whiskies side by side, you always end up hunting for the flaws in the other one, and that’s not a good thing. Drinking them one at a time is probably best..
Larb moo summer rolls
We ordered these instead of a salad, and both the portion and the taste were satisfying.
Grilled king prawns
I think this might be the signature dish, and it’s fantastic with drinks.
Hanwoo brisket yum woon sen
A salad with mung bean glass noodles, another one for the drinks.
Som tam
This one’s been delicious since the old days.
Gai yang
Brings back memories of the Tuk Tuk days.
Stir-fried peanut sprouts with pork
They said these peanut sprouts are grown here in Korea, which isn’t easy. We should all eat lots of them so more rare dishes like this show up.
Roe-filled blue crab poo ob woon sen
Apparently a limited-edition Le Creuset collab dish, and it was really good too. The drinks just kept going down..
Kor moo yang
Grilled pork jowl. I remember enjoying this one before too. It really shows what bar food should be.
Moo ping, grilled pork neck skewers
Maybe because it’s TT Grill, there are lots of grilled dishes, and all of them are good.
Sai krok
Loved this sausage too.
Tom yum sausage
They said they use sausages from Xesc Menzl, and this was seriously delicious. It kind of went beyond everything I thought tom yum could be. I’d order it again next time.
Stir-fried noodles with garlic scapes
The garlic scapes add a nice crunch, and the seasoning was spot on.
Thai-style sausage fried rice
Even the fried rice shows real skill.
Grilled skin-on pork belly
I thought we were done after the rice, but then came a sneak attack.. and it was delicious..
Grilled Chinese yam
Grilled simply, and still delicious. There’s a reason the word “grill” is in the name.
Mango sticky rice
This was insanely good and the most memorable thing of the night. I wondered how rice and mango could possibly go together, but the rice is glutinous, so it’s chewy like rice cake. Wrap the mango in the rice and it’s like a fruit-filled rice cake, and the flavors really lift each other up. The mango was fully ripe, too, so it was a perfect match with the rice.
Slow-grilled banana with Excellent ice cream
Another really fun dessert. It’ll go straight to my waistline, but it’s impossible to resist..
It had been a while, but Tuk Tuk’s DNA hasn’t gone anywhere. If anything, their cooking has gotten even better.
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