I apologize for lack of photos but it was super dark. Also this is my first review on this site so please be kind .
We went to Kinn last night after they launched their new menu this week. The meal started with uni “pizza” which was uni and trout roe on a very thin wafer. It was a tasty bite with a hint of smokey flavor. No complaints here, I can eat uni on anything. The second course was also smokey, maybe too smokey - chawanmushi with clams, crispy leaves, romanesco and pickled onions. The leaves were delicious and tasted almost meaty like they had been coated in fat and roasted. The pickles helped to cut through the (overly?) smokey romanesco. Next was a supplement - crispy octopus with gochujang aioli. My husband said it was the best octopus he’s ever had. Really tender in the middle but not too soft or mushy, and super crispy outside that reminds me of a karaage coating. The aioli could’ve had a little more gochujang funk but it was still our favorite dish of the night.
Fourth course was a braised monkfish with a spicy sauce and chive oil, served with beansprout consomme. It was nice but after the octopus, a little more forgettable. Next Australian wagyu tri-tip with a gingery curry sauce and carrot. The sauce was delicious and the beef was also super flavorful and perfectly cooked, but I did feel like maybe it was missing another element. The final savory course was squid ink rice with hen of the wood mushrooms and crispy seaweed on top. The rice had a nice toasty flavor from the bottom of the clay pot. Last was ice cream with strawberry foam and mint that felt more like a palate cleanser than a true dessert, but a fine ending to a delicious meal.
Overall, we really enjoyed the dinner and the natural wine menu was right up our alley. For the price - $70 pp plus $20 supplement for octopus - it was definitely worth it and we would go back for future menus.
Just the octopus which I highly recommend. We’re not huge eaters but even with the supplement I felt like I could’ve ordered a few plates at HLAY next door or Tokki down the road later in the night.
There’s definitely an Asian influence and some dishes like steamed eggs are common to many East Asian cuisines. I would’ve liked some more fermented, funky flavors because that’s what I expect from Korean cuisine, but I was still happy overall. Looking at previous posts they had some more obviously Korean dishes.
We went on Friday and had nearly identical dinner except that the fish was black cod. Loved the restaurant, the food and service, and even the 80s soundtrack. Wish they had a better wine list, but it was fine to bring our own and pay $50 corkage. Wonderful, elegantly prepared food. The meat course was out least favorite and fish/consomme and rice were the most.
Excellent meal at this collaboration dinner. Couple highlights. Unintentional good pairing of a filtered Makeolli from Brooklyn with the Lobster dish where the slight bitterness brought out the tarragon really well. Beef dish had a ton of dry aged and charcoal flavor.
I think the 5:30 - 9:15 time is the range of possible reservation times and not the elapsed time for the meal. Looks like it’s probably 1.5 to 2 hours based on the possible reservation times.
Trying Kinn for the first time on Thursday. You can ask for extended menus. We are doing a 8-9 course dinner there tomorrow. Menu looks pretty great. I see he’s doing more and more of these. He did one for Raj Parr and a bunch of champagne producers last week for Fete du Champagne.
Amuse
Tartare of Blue Fin Tuna Collar (hen of wood mushroom for veggie)
Apps
Kurodai Mulhwe (squash ice cream with caviar for veggie)
Truffled egg
Steamed Shirako (steamed turnip)
Dry Aged Duck (Grilled leek)
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