A few months ago I visited Leebukbang 리북방 in Seoul and it absolutely blew me away. No Michelin stars, but a crazy enjoyable meal and wonderful experience.
Background: The head chef was inspired by his North Korean grandmother's cooking to create an omakase course highlighting blood sausage and North Korean flavors. The restaurant is an intimate second-floor space that holds about 10 guests at a time. At least one drink is required per customer, but there is an extensive liquor menu with Korean and Western spirits. I had a few pours of 10 year Laphroig, which likely contributes to me not remembering the details of every dish lol
1: Opening dish was a grilled white fish and juk. Pretty tasty and whet the appetite well.
A light cold noodle dish with grilled mushrooms and vegetable broth. Excellent flavors, similar to Pyongyang naengmyeon.
The first of a few rounds of blood sausage (see also pictures 10 and 11) with kimchi. Each one came with a dipping side – fermented fish, flaky salt, or doenjang. Y'all. I am already a fanatic for Korean blood sausage but these were unbelievable. Aromatic and pungent and umami and tender. A totally different experience from street food blood sausage (no shade).
The only meh dish, some sort of grilled pork with pear ice shaved over it. Kinda forgettable.
A ceviche-inspired dish with octopus, strawberry, radish and seaweed, hot damn it was good. Tart and zippy and fresh.
The star of the blood sausages was this duck sausage, which was supposed to be dipped into the puree and rolled into the tortilla like a taco. The taco gimmick was nice, but the blood sausage itself was, again, incredible.
The restaurant was shooting some promotional shots while I was there, meaning the chef was giving us lots of free drinks, wine, and this raw beef (yukhoe) dish so they could be photographed. Again, stupidly good.
(Side note, that red smear on the left of the dish was a premium aged gochujang [죽장연, for those who know] that may be one of the best things I've ever consumed. I bought a jar on my phone in the restaurant while I was eating it).
Sooyook, abalone fried rice, and bean sprout soup for the last savory course. I was so full my eyes were swimming, but the meat was tender and fragrant and the fried rice was savory and comforting without being greasy.
Pistachio ice cream to finish off – light, nutty, simple.
Final thoughts: The food, service, and experience were overall fantastic. I came in as a solo diner (relatively unusual in Korea) and received fantastic service. The chef explained every dish in Korean and English, and clearly had a great love for his craft. Side note, Leebukbang is part of a local restaurant group that includes Manimals, the best Texas barbecue restaurant in Seoul. I got to chatting with the owner and I mentioned I was coincidently planning a Manimals visit that weekend; he hooked us up with a discount and free food when we visited a few days later. A great cherry on top to an awesome meal
by TwoHungryBlackbirdss