My review is coming shortly. But in sum, our recent meal here was a technical tour de force that showcased a very high degree of refinement. The kitchen has a ton of pedigree, and what is impressive about their cooking is how precisely they coax out flavors - the tastes here are not only very “clean,” even if you’d expect the ingredients to be powerful, but also very much “true,” if you’re familiar with how certain Chinese and Korean flavors are “supposed” to taste. The meal here weaves haute versions of Chinese and Korean dishes, some of which may come with a fair degree of familiarity (this is a double-edged sword to some diners), but ultimately what’s impressive is how they’re able to layer flavors because each one is precise, creating some degree of complexity and nuance in a dish that’s otherwise seemingly familiar in some regard.
For example, white kimchee had just the right pitch to complement Asian pear’s delicate sweetness and pine mushroom’s fragrance; marinated mussel had just enough silky chew to mimic the glass noodles hidden inside; the faux shark-fin’s double bouillon with Jinhua ham had a great depth to match the powerful black truffle and xiaoxing wine, and its accompanying aged Madeira pairing had just the right weight to complement the mouthfeel of the simultaneously slippery and brittle “shark’s fin.”
The menu was overall strong, with some pairings (especially the wine pairing by Master Sommelier Yoon Ha) being quite brilliant. In terms of technical nuance - pretty much everything was executed with aplomb, especially the textures which are always textbook here. Several dishes at Benu do intuitively delight because they offer comforting tastes, but understanding their precision grows your appreciation, if you know what to look for. I think that’s in part why Benu is regarded among chefs.
Highlights: faux “shark fin” soup with Jinhua ham, black truffle, xiaoxing wine, and crab paired with 1973 madeira; braised winter melon with chrysanthemum paired with moscato d’asti; marinated mussel with glass noodles; sprouted bread with ginseng-infused orange blossom honey butter; sea perch soup with nasturtium buds.
Homemade “thousand year old” quail egg, with potage, ginger, and cabbage jus
Kimchi “glass” and in various textures, Beausoleil oyster, pork belly
Fried tiger prawn, wrapped in fried jelly fish and kamtae seaweed
Marinated mussel encasing glass noodles wrapped in vegetable ribbons
Beef tendon wrapped in lacquered beef tripe, with citrus marigold leaves
Big fin reef squid with sesame leaf and soon-dae (Korean pork blood sausage) with glutinous rice
Roasted Kona abalone
Sauce of abalone liver and roast chicken jus, with mustard greens creme. Sweet and sour, but a rare miss, in my opinion.
Faux “Shark Fin” soup of Jinhua and Iberico ham, with steamed egg custard, black truffle, and Dungeness crab. Awesome pairing with 44 year old Madeira. Probably bite of the night.
Sprouted grains bread with ginseng-infused orange blossom honey and McClellan’s Dairy butter. The pastry here is excellent, as always.
Lobster coral xiao long bao with homemade soy sauce, Rodenbach flemish red ale mimicking complementary vinegar. I liked this better than the foie gras version.
Rice from Shiga, with green onion dust
Caviar, fresh cold-pressed sesame oil, baek kimichi, shiso leaf, nori. Delicious when taken together. We were instructed to eat this with the rice, but the caviar’s definition got lost.
Hokkaido uni with fermented crab sauce, kohlrabi. Excellent with a yamahai sake from Saga
Geoduck with sesame, seaweeds, and onion
Fried sea perch, with nasturtium bud creme. Strong horseradish flavor (a bit too strong for me), much like Californian wasabi. Sharper and less sweet than Shizuoka wasabi.
Soup of perch bones roasted over oak, nasturtium buds, winter vegetables. Great mouthfeel with an Alsace riesling that also bridged the fried perch and spice well. Nasturtium buds were more pleasant here, since they get “spicier” when ground.
Barbecued Wolf Ranche Quail with red wine and black truffle sauce, crosnes, pickled shallots. Sauce was pitch perfect, and nice to see crosnes in a tasting menu!
Pear-braised beef shortrib with matsutake mushrooms and salsify
Baek kimchi and Yali pear, shallots and sesame leaf. The pear kimchi was very interesting, and worked well with the pine mushroom.
Black truffle mantou with truffle creme and chives
Omija (Korean berry with “5 flavors”) sorbet with olive oil. The olive oil’s spice-like polyphenols brought out the berry’s slight saltiness and bitterness.
Braised winter melon, chrysanthemum (fresh and dried), frozen meringue whipped with fresh cream - an absolutely brilliant pairing with yes, Moscato d’Asti, which I would otherwise never order. But this was an incredibly nuanced pairing of flavors that completed one another and a distinguished example of when the “whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
“Sikhye” Korean sweet rice soup, with pine shoots
Fuyu persimmons
Chocolate with candied seeds
Outside courtyard, with onggi (Korean storage earthenware) for house soy sauce made from Jook Jang Yeon meju…impressive!
Would you say it’s improved your impressions of Benu since your last mention to me on the previous SF recs thread?
