Bar Corso is an Italian Tapas bar in Vancouver and I recently came across a pop up dinner they were hosting that made me curious because it combined two cuisines which I love – Italian and Korean. Here was the menu:
The meal started with crispy rice and marinated veal. The veal was tender and packed with umami:
Next arancini which were also good though not as savory as the first course, but how can you go wrong with fried risotto?
The lamb skewers were so tender and the sauce/marinade was max umami; very very very good:
Next up was the only miss of the night, a Korean pancake with Italian ingredients. The dish could of used some acidity and the flavors were bordering on bland.
Next, a delicious anchovy pizza, tons of umami from the fish.
This was followed by a Bolognese which was made with gotchujang and used Korean “rice cakes” or tteok-bokki instead of pasta. It was an interesting play on this dish. It was good but the gotchujang could of come through more boldly. I think they were a bit light handed with its use. There was also a fried mozzarella on top.
Finally, a porchetta slider. The pork was crispy and so good.
For palate cleanser, “Korean Gelato” and honey which was bitter and I did not like this dish at all.
For dessert, hotteok, which is a delicious Korean street pancake. I remember having it in Jeonju and loving it. This was not a good play on it, but the dessert itself was still very delicious. Here is how the Korean version looks.
Overall, service was good and very efficient. The kitchen is clearly well prepared and the food was really good except for some minor things I didnt like. I would definitely return.