Currently travelling in South Korea and snagged a reservation at newly awarded 1* Palate in Busan. Palate is located in a quiet but very beautiful part of Busan near Igidae Park. Chef JaeHoon Kim is at the helm and served us each and every course
He was extremely friendly and made the night all that more enjoyable.
1) Snacks:
First snack was "scallop tartare" in a dried seaweed shell with a lemongrass-apple emulsion. The seaweed shell tasted a little burned but the tartare was wonderful.
2nd/3rd snack were tarts. The first was a tomato and watermelon tartare with fromage blanc and basil; the second was made with shitaake mushrooms cooked over charcoal, onion jam, mushroom chips, and porcini mushroom powder. Both of these were excellent; the first being refreshing with good acidity and the second being a classic but wonderful flavor combination.
4th snack was a deep fried cracker with chicken cream and mushroom powder on top. This was also excellent; showcased wonderful technique and tasted like an onion ring.
2) Sourdough bread with Kombu Butter- Bread is made in house every morning. The bread was served warm and was tasty but overall, a pretty average bread course. Kombu butter was very good though and added plenty of umami.
3) Chawanmushi infused with parmesan, mushroom foam, deep fried enoki, pickled shallots, clams – a great dish. Excellent balance of acidity with creaminess. The mushroom foam did get a little watery but it tasted good so we didn't mind.
4) Radish Pie- Made with radishes and onions that were cooked down, caramelized onions, and a radish consomme with grated horseradish. The dish was tasty but the pie crust could have been a bit more texturally sound. It was a little difficult to eat.
5) Spanish mackerel slow cooked over charcoal, caper pureee, pumpkin seed with dashi sauce, pickled kohlrabi, deep fried kale: very good dish. Mackerel was extremely well cooked, great acidity from the kohlrabi.
6) Squid ink agnolotti, porcini mushroom cream, trumpet mushroom broth, white truffle oil – one of the dishes of the night. Mushroom broth was so umami, mushroom cream was velvety and delicious. I would eat this dish again and again and again.
7) Iberico Presa, carot puree with black garlic, soy sauce caramel with chicken jus, pickled shallots, pickled radish, pickled japanese turnip- excellent dish. Purees were smooth, jus was savory, and pickled items were done well.
8) Lemongrass ice cream, lemon meringue, coconut milk Granita, grated lemon zest, candied ginger- first of two desserts. Refreshing but candied ginger was a bit overpowering
9) Leftover Sourdough ice cream, coffee hazelnut crumble, coffee caramel- the other stunning dish of the night. Flavor wise, tasted like a shortbread. Ice cream was a bit grainy but still was very tasty.
We did the wine pairing which was one of the better wine pairings I've had. Service was excellent and attentive and as mentioned earlier, chef was very friendly. He talked about how the fine dining scene in Busan is very much in its infancy but people are slowly becoming more receptive to this type of food. Overall, we had a great time and would highly recommend to anyone visiting Busan.
by Common-Special-8161