We are now offering local diners a preview of our upcoming Korean restaurant SAN HO WON with all profits going towards employee benefits. As we try to move forward without knowing what lies ahead, we hope that sharing our menu development allows us to provide our teams with work opportunities and assistance.
All meals will be prepared in the Benu kitchen and available for contactless pickup at the gated entrance. Benu is a 5,000-square-foot property and there will be no more than eight staff present at a time, allowing for ample physical distancing. Beyond strict hygiene practices, our team is adhering to protocols for their commute and living situation, mask use, and daily temperature checks.
Thank you for your support!
1 Like
Damn. That’s tempting.
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.
9 Likes
thanks for the report, I had a really good meal there too back in october.
roasted soy sauce chicken, grilled rice cakes, baked sweet potato, red cabbage and sesame slaw
half of the perfectly cooked and incredibly juicy chicken
lotus root preserved in soy sauce
glass noodle and jellyfish salad, cucumber-seaweed pickle and smelt roe
pork belly and shoulder bossam, lettuces, rice sheets
5 Likes
the best three star in the bay area or the greatest?
only quibble is they switched to a menu where you have to choose which courses you want but they wouldn’t let me order any supplements.
cold ginseng chicken, bellflower root, pine nut
xiao long bao, homemade soy sauce and vinegar
the droop
freshly milled rice cake with époisses, burgundy truffle, hen jus
short grain rice seasoned with green onion spicy caviar, wild king salmon roe, rock seaweed
the biggest salmon roe I’ve ever had
braised baby abalone potato puree, spinach
charcoal-grilled river eel, sauce made from chrysanthemum
barbecued quail, pickled salsify, house xo sauce, black truffle
charcoal-grilled beef rib braised with cabbage kimchi fresh oyster, oyster leaf
pear sorbet with omija juice and olive oil
milk pudding. salt, smoke, peat
toto neorest 700h
a bang bang with angler was perfect!
6 Likes
That’s about the tastiest looking Michelin-fu spread I’ve seen ever.
Did you manage to score a reservation at San Ho Won as well?
was about to book san ho won but realized they’re doing a very limited holiday menu on the dates I was interested in. I’ll wait.