Benu x San Ho Won
My folks and I have never been to Benu, so we tried the special preview that Chef Lee is doing of his more casual Korean concept with a couple takeout orders. We’re also not that familiar with Korean food, but wow this was amazing!
Menu 1
Dungeness Crab and Trotter Salad
Super fresh preparation.
Tofu and Groundcherry Pepper Jorium
The tofu was lightly fried and then braised giving it a fantastic texture that absorbed the sauce.
Tteokgalbi - Roast Beef Rib Patty
Scallion and Salted Shrimp Rice
Daikon and Beef Broth
First off, huge props to giving us a bone–my dad loved chewing the meatball off of it. The rice and broth were also outstanding. Again, not being super familiar with Korean food, I have to say the thing that stuck out the most to me was the restraint in some of the sauces and garnishes. It was absolutely the perfect amount of seasoning to each component and even though I wanted to lick the plates clean, I recognize that there’s a lot of precision into executing these dishes.
Wild Mushroom Namul
Chonggak Kimchi
Maybe the best kimchi I’ve had.
Menu 2
Albacore and Trout Roe on Rock Seaweed Bugak
The ratio of fish tartare to chip was kind of off here, and I needed to stuff a lot onto the seaweed, but that’s okay because this dish was a banger.
Acorn Jelly and Fine Vegetable Salad with Hot Mustard Sauce
While good, this was probably the least memorable of the dishes.
Dak Bokkeum Tang - Spicy Chicken Stew
Winter Vegetables, Steamed Rice
Even though it looked kind of one note (or one color, there was a lot of orange going on here), this stew was so damn flavorful. It was a huge portion of perfectly cooked chicken, sitting in a sauce that I was so grateful to have rice soaking up. It’s dishes like this that show what I think Chef Lee is going for with the concept–executing seemingly humble Korean food with a faithfulness and clarity fitting a Michelin Starred restaurant.
Long-Simmered Chicken and Egg Broth
Chuggable.
Cabbage Kimchi
Pickled Kohlrabi
Maybe the second best kimchi I’ve had.
No idea how long this will still be around with the state of the pandemic and if/when Chef Lee will get a separate space set up for San Ho Won, but if you’re able to try this I’d highly recommend it.