went to their f&f soft opening tonight (thank u mina & kwang ~~!!).
it’s really special to see baroo evolve from the strip mall, to the swap meet, to shiku, to this newest tasting menu iteration.
tl;dr — I was thinking of this opening in a few different ways:
- is the cooking as experimental, as playful, as interesting as former iterations?
- is the service experience great?
- how does this (re)opening fit in, given the wider array of (I’m generalizing here, forgive me!) “asian fine dining” options that have sprung up in the last few years?
across the board, it’s a relief to say that they hit all of these marks. it feels like our lil punk rock star of a restaurant has grown up a bit 
. obviously with that growth, there will be some changes; but thankfully very few growing pains.
the quick-service counter vibe of the previous iterations has given way to a proper tasting menu experience.
the interior refresh of the restaurant FKA bao hiroo is well done. the bar looks well-appointed, the hankies are beautiful indigo dyed pieces. etc. I should’ve taken photos but… I’ll do that next week (heh).
now… onto the food and the menu(s), shall we? spoiler tags in case someone wants to go in w/ no preconceived notions. (fun!)
a light chowder of corn puree, w celery, cucumber and fermented corn. if you’re familiar w/ Kwang’s cooking, this is the first tell that you’re in for a different experience. this was a refreshing and delightful first dish, paired with a makgeolli “toast” topped w/ nduja, gouda and pichuberry, which basically tasted like a super intense pizza toast.
second course (redacted) for now because I inhaled it. you’ll have a big smile upon finishing this.
third course is a flip of gaejang or marinated crab. this version is a local soft-shell crab, fried and served in a wrap w/ pickled plum (maesil jangajji) & sea buckthorn. briney, crispy, with the most thoughtful hit of acidity from the plum, and a bit of bitterness from the sea buckthorn. if there’s something being done here that others aren’t doing as much (if at all), it’s playing w/ bitterness to add dimensionality to the dish.
will let someone else talk about the meat courses. split them both, they’re great.
ok the craziest thing on the menu was this rice.
when I was at the restaurant, I couldn’t stop thinking about that makgeolli toast. but many hours later, this is the winner here. I’m so sorry for the utterly terrible photo. thick grains of rice are mixed with mountain greens, pickled ramps (YES), an xo sauce that was almost like eating Bengali fish stew (this is a compliment), all topped with a sheet of fried seaweed. I think the best way to eat this is literally to use a fork and stab the seaweed and have a properly commingled bite of everything.
Dessert was also very thoughtful and very refreshing: a chamoe (Korean melon) panna cotta, w/ toasted grain ice cream and (again w/ the bitterness!) a sorrel granita/bingsu atop all of that.
basically, this place makes me extremely happy and y’all should go if you get a chance. if it’s this solid before opening, it’ll only get better.
in terms of fun nitpicky things, I think the initial stated price of $95 for the menu has gone up to $110(?), but its still an expertly executed meal. and it isn’t vegan, as initially reported. solid wine list too. 