The contents of this blog are matters of opinion formed over one more visits. There has been some artistry applied and metaphors and similes should not necessarily be taken literally.
This songpyeon is a rice cake dessert with variable filling, slightly salty and sweet but not too sweet on the inside. I had never had these before, but they are a candidate to have again in the future.
The green tea and red bean bingsoo (medium – $25) was different to all other bingsoos I’ve had with its dusting of injeolmi. I don’t really know if I’m at a stage where I can differentiate between the nuances of different bingsoos. This post serves only as evidence that I ate it. Adequate sizing for 4 adults post Korean BBQ.
This is a review of the Soul Dining modern Korean tasting menu as at 13th November 2020. All portions shown were served for 3 people, at $65 per person.
Our first dish was Kingfish in kimchi water with avocado puree, white kimchi. We had six pieces between the three of us to be eaten in one mouthful each. The kingfish sashimi was tender and fresh. The avocado puree added a surprising dimension of creamy umami. The kimchi water added a mild tanginess that was not too kimchi for my partner (an anti-kimchi individual) to eat and enjoy.
wagyu tartare with singo pear and egg yolk (yukhoe) served on tempura seaweed
The wagyu tartare with singo pear and egg yolk (yukhoe) served on tempura seaweed was special. The wagyu was soft and minced and the egg yolk mixed in expertly by my partner coated it with a level of umami. The tempura seaweed provided a nice crunch for a fun mix of textures. A great dish.
Kim’s grilled eggplant with anchovy paste, tomato jam, manchego
Kim’s grilled eggplant with anchovy paste, tomato jam, manchego was in my opinion the weakest dish of the meal . I guess I’m not a big fan of eggplant and the histamine feeling in the mouth and throat to begin with. I could not at all identify the anchovy paste. The manchego shaved over the eggplant provided a nice sweetness, and melted by the end of the dish.
Lamb backstrap in potato bun with cabbage salad, green tomato relish, cumin
The Lamb backstrap in potato bun with cabbage salad, green tomato relish, cumin was also a bit weak. The lamb backstrap was steak-form, not minced, and crumbed. It didn’t really feel like more than your standard burger. I wonder if our three person serving was the same size as the two person servings, but just cut in 3 pieces. My partner took a fork and picked up the middle piece first. She thought it was a bit too lamby and could’ve used more cumin, however both myself and her brother thought that the lambiness was just fine. This was one of the favourite courses for my partner’s brother.
Half free range chicken ‘traditional way’ with Korean chilli glaze
The Half free range chicken ‘traditional way’ with Korean chilli glaze is basically Korean fried chicken with a twist. The chicken was fried but not battered. The meat was tender and juicy, and my partner thought it was more tender and juicy than the crispy chicken at Khoi’s Vietnamese in Surry Hills that we had had the previous night. The presentation was really nice with a nice mix of colours. A good dish.
Cinnamon Churros with espresso glaze, salted caramel ice cream, sea salt and coffee peanuts
The Cinnamon Churros with espresso glaze, salted caramel ice cream, sea salt and coffee peanuts would be my pick of dessert. The churros were nice and crunchy. I am not normally a fan of salted caramels and while it was true again today I did not mind it. I liked the difference in temperatures between the churros and cold ice cream.
Snow bingsoo with baked mango, mango sorbet, milk snow, honey and nutmeg
As a non-fan of honey, I actually quite enjoyed the honey in this Snow bingsoo with baked mango, mango sorbet, milk snow, honey and nutmeg. What I didn’t enjoy so much was the sheer volume of baked mango which added too strong a concentrated, sticky, and dry mangoness to this mango dessert. Despite this I enjoyed this bingsoo more than the last time I had bingsoo at Hello Happy in Strathfield.
The house provided this Green tea panna cotta with chantilly cream & strawberries, dango, rice syrup dessert for us for free. It was very generous of them to allow us to try all three desserts, as normally with two diners only one dessert is provided. It’s hard to judge this dessert as it was served last, after our palates had been sweetened by the previous two. The green tea panna cotta was not sweet.
yuzu iced tea (L), omija with five berries spritz (R)
The omija with five berries spritz was good. Not too sweet. The yuzu iced tea I thought was a bit too sweet, and not iced enough on serving. It could’ve done with a few more shakes to cool the liquid down a bit.
Overall we had a great meal at Soul Dining. Service from one of the Caucasian front of house staff was also very good. She was very friendly. $65 per person for a tasting menu of this caliber is also a very good price. I’d love to come back for a few more things on the a la carte menu, for example their octopus.
Hello Happy! Great name for a restaurant, if a bit nondescriptive.
Hello Happy is a cake, cafe, bingsoo restaurant in Strathfield. We came here with a reasonably large group post Korean barbecue. We had three of the large bingsoo, which were around $26 each.
Strawberry was good but a bit too sweet
Green tea bingsoo has surprise red bean in it and was quite good
Mango bingsoo I enjoyed but a couple of colleagues felt that the fruit was too sour and out of season.
I have no strong feelings and this is a poor review! I’m just glad I got to sit somewhere and eat dessert and let the soju and Hite metabolise.
