Almost Flawless Lunch at 7th Door

7th Door is a One Michelin Star restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. It also ranks 26th on Asia’s 50 Best List. The restaurant specializes in fermenting which is a staple of Korean cuisine (think Kimchi for example). As I enter the restaurant, I notice the display of fermenting food:

Seating is at a chef’s counter where you can see all the action in the kitchen.

The meal begins with a presentation of some of the ingredients to be used for the meal.

The menu is also presented. Note that lunch and dinner have different menus and this post is about the lunch:

The first amuse is an abalone congee presented in large format, then portioned out:

Next was a nice presentation of more amuse which were revealed once the dry ice cleared:

Next was a bread made of fermented rice flour:

The “raw fish of the day”:

Scallops with an anchovy extract beurre blanc sauce. This dish was one of the only just so so dishes for me as I thought the anchovy flavor would be stronger.

The sea perch was fabulous and fatty which almost reminded me of a good black cod. The attention to detail was amazing. For example, the okra on the plate was perfectly smoked. The garlic stems were perfectly pickled. Very excellent dish.

For the main, Korean beef:

…and a caviar “hand roll” which was a play on the chef’s name (the seaweed brand is the same as the chef’s name):

Then some delicious cold noodles.

…and then dessert which was sweet corn and pecorino ice cream. Two of my favorite flavors. This dish was divine.

The meal ended with tea and some petit fours:

Overall, service was flawless. In fact, one server saw me from a distance wiping some water drops off my pants, and next thing I know, she is standing beside me with a wet towel and then proceeds to wipe my pants for me! That is attention to detail and service! We also had a nice conversation with one of the ladies working who was from France, but lives in Korea and speaks Korean. The food was amazing except for the scallops which was just ok. Between being amazed watching a blonde haired lady from France speaking in Korean to Koreans, the amazing food, the service, the beautiful kitchen, and the action, it all combined for an amazingly almost perfect lunch. I highly recommend you check it out for yourself.