Onjium in Seoul
[Non-halal] We had a memorable meal at Onjium in Seoul.
A one-star Michelin restaurant, Onjium is both a research institute and restaurant.
Helmed by chefs Cho Eun-hee and Park Sung-bae, the institute has been researching Korean heritage dishes since 2013 and endeavours to reinterpret these cultural dishes for the modern palate.
The course menu is curated based on seasonal ingredients. While the menu changes according to season, we believe our meal showcased here will be a good indication of the experience you’ll have.
Onjium in Seoul
Onjium is located in the central Jongno district on the west side of the Gyeongbokgung palace.
The restaurant is easily accessible from the Gyeongbokgung Metro Station as we took a lovely 10-minute stroll along the historical walks of the palace.
Located on the first floor of a modern building, the dining area offers a lovely view of the green foliage and the palace’s exterior.
Michelin one-starred and no. 21 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants
However, we opted for the counter where we get a full view of the kitchen and the chefs doing the final touches to the dishes.
As expected from any Michelin-starred restaurant, the service here is impeccable from the start. We appreciate the literature explaining each meal in detail for our lunch course, but the chefs also provided clear explanations on the context and history behind each dish.
Onjium is also listed no.21 on the latest Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list, and we can understand the acclaim.
Keeping traditional Korean dishes alive
Operating since 2013, the dishes here are created from researching century-old recipe books, with a special attention to keeping traditional Korean dishes alive.
All of the dishes also featured the best seasonal ingredients, and it was in autumn that we got to sample the sweetest Korean pears, bellflower root and autumn pine mushrooms.
Starting with dumplings and salad
We started the lunch course with dumplings that feature seasonal pine mushrooms, zucchini and toasted pine nuts. This was an excellent start as we could taste the unique flavours of the pine mushrooms with freshness of zucchini with minimal seasoning.
This was followed by the Perilla and Mustard Salad. This salad was designed to feature the perilla seeds, which were pressed to create a creamy sauce paired with sweet squash, thinly sliced beef, fresh abalone and crunchy chestnuts.
We also got our first surprise dish of the meal – as figs were at peak sweetness when we were there. The figs were served dried apple coated with gochujang, fish roe cracker and beef jerky that’s rich in umami. We also enjoyed the ginseng root wrapped around sweet jujube.
A Gaesong specialty
The next dish is a traditional Gaesong (a city in North Korea) dish that is usually served at weddings and royal banquets.
The dish showcases the red sea cucumber and mussels that are dried, rehydrated, and stuffed with seasonal meat and tofu, and then steamed to enhance the deep flavours.
Thin wheat pancakes are used to wrap sauteed chicken and bellflower root for a light touch, and is paired with fermented garlic root on the side.
Two more surprise dishes
Our second surprise dish comes in the form of handmade wheat noodles served with marinated shrimps and floral oil for a savoury delight. We also enjoyed the complementary rice wine.
This was followed by another secret dish – which comprises yellowtail marinated with Szechuan pepper oil, cured meat made with cow’s feet and head, herring served with peppercorn, and mackerel served with coriander kimchi.
Jinju-style braised beef ribs
Our favourite dish of the meal had to be the Jinju-style braised short ribs.
The ribs are first julienned and gently steamed to result in a superbly tender texture that’s unlike any other traditional short rib dishes. The ribs are elevated with burdock and topped with pine nuts.
The wet kimchi on the side are stuffed with seafood, with lovely Korean pear and rocket salad to round off the dish.
Crab stew
Our final main dish came in the form of Steamed Crab Stew. First the meat and roe are carefully extracted from seasonal crabs, before they are mixed and stuffed back into the shells with minced beef, tofu and bean sprouts.
We ended the meal with a Red Bean Paste Pudding.
Summary
We had our fair share of fine dining meals and restaurants, but Onjium truly stands out for its impeccable service and commitment to revive oft-forgotten Korean recipes for a modern audience. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Onjium
Address: South Korea, Seoul, Jongno District, Hyoja-ro, 49 4층
Hours: 12pm-3pm, 6pm-10pm (Tues-Friday only)
Phone: +82 2-6952-0024
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