This is a Japanese restaurant run by master chef Ahn Yu-seong, who appeared on Season 1 of "Black and White Chef." Even before becoming famous through the show, it was known in Gwangju as a popular Japanese restaurant for entertaining guests, and a few such tables were visible during my visit.
It's a distinctly different genre from sushi omakase, which adheres to the traditional Japanese style, so comparing them isn't particularly meaningful. Even if you order a course, you won't expect meticulously coordinated service.
There's counter seating, but most rooms and tables are reserved, and the overall atmosphere is that of a high-end sushi restaurant. Among the various menu items, including a la carte items, I ordered the "Black and White Chef Menu," a main course of tendon.
A salad topped with yuzu dressing was served first, opening the meal. It had the clean, ordinary flavor you'd expect at a sushi restaurant or a tuna restaurant, but I finished it all off to prepare for the richer tendon that would follow.
The mini kaisendon was served second, featuring akami, crab meat, salmon roe, and sea urchin on a red vinegar-topped rice bowl. The freshness was evident, and the overall sweetness and freshness were impressive.
However, the portions were only about two or three bites, so it was more of an amuse-bouche than a fine-dining experience. As I'll mention later, it would have been better if it had been slightly larger and a few ingredients had been removed from the tendon.
The third dish was a five-piece sushi set, consisting of flounder belly, flounder, sweet shrimp, uni, otoro, and scallop. The white fish had a darker color, reflecting the region's preference for fresh fish.
Therefore, the sushi was more about the quality of the neta itself and its power than the harmony of the shari and neta. Again, the freshness of each dish was impeccable, and the sweet flavor of the uni was particularly impressive.
The fourth dish was the much-anticipated tendon. The difference between the typical Japanese tendon and Bijutsu Tendon was striking. The batter was thicker and topped with crunchy snowflake flakes.
The color was quite yellowish, but perhaps because of this, the savory flavor was strong, and the ingredients were tightly wrapped. To cut the greasiness, a thick soy sauce was served, designed to be poured over everything in one go.
The sauce was salty, effectively cutting through the oiliness, which also explains the small portion of rice. The fried food was generous, with crab legs, squid, shiitake mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and fried onions.
The seafood, while a bit cumbersome to prepare, was tender and juicy, with a distinct sweetness and savory flavor. For a fusion twist, the shrimp were wrapped in kadaif, and the crab was covered in rice crackers, adding a variety of textures.
However, the seafood alone was quite filling, and I was already craving the sweet potato and onion fries, but then they served kimchi udon. I expected a variety, but the noodles and broth felt like commercial products, which was disappointing.
For dessert, pineapple and strawberries were served, both with firm flesh and a rich flavor. The weight of the tendon was too much, leaving a bit of a balance issue, but the course was satisfying in terms of the quality of the tendon and the price-to-quality ratio.
PS. The master was on a business trip that day.
