There definitely once was a time where Jungsik could describe itself as "New Korean" and make claims about how their understanding of Korean cuisine is "modern and unique", but now, Jungsik is a conceptual fossil, useful as a historical point of view at a time where restaurants couldn't fully express Korean flavors and nuances.
Although my visit was rather disappointing in terms of technical execution, the concepts displayed in the Signature Menu is rather unique when viewed at a time period where food was more French-centric -- perhaps the 2000s into early 2010s, but there's little excitement when encountering cuisine like this in modern age, especially when visited under the premise that this is supposed to be "New Korean".
At a time where there's much more expressive Korean high cuisine, this iteration of Jungsik's menu feels more like a French restaurant trying to elevate itself with an accent of generic Korean -- something that will lead any well dined eater with a lack of excitement and satisfaction, especially at the price point. This is quite disappointing, as previous interpretation of the menu do look like they were much more expressive.
The dinner started off with quite a bit of excitement -- I was excited by the concept! The server presented five bites -- telling us that these were the "Chef's take on Korean side dishes (banchan)" -- perhaps the restaurant prepared themselves as presenting themselves more Korean than they are, because they were best described as five distinct courses that were quite unique and good on their own (other than the shrimp wonton, which honestly was so generic it had no business being served like that). There is a bit of dishonesty when beef tartar on bread, egg custard, what's essentially ceviche, shrimp wontons, and what could be described as the best savory palate refreshing cannoli-esque bite is described as someone's take on Korean side dishes -- why so grossly and horribly misrepresent, when the bites are amazing on their own? This was extremely disappointing representation of some exciting "mini tasting menu" that started off our meal.
The caviar dish was quite excellent and I loved the presentation, as if it's in an oyster shell -- it was a great combination of flavor and texture that you can happily consume, with an ample serving size that you really can't complain too much about.
Conceptually, this octopus is a great idea -- crispy on the outside, juicy with the right tension on the bite, and served with a very rich and tasty sauce that you can easily imagine when you think of "Korean sauce". Technically, this dish felt quite flat, as the octopus could be best described as "flaccid", seeming dead and more like eating overcooked white fish, rather than eating octopus.
It honestly felt like the Branzino tried to be much more than it was -- it was a tasty but quite oversalted dish, leaving behind quite a long salty finish after biting through it. The branzino was much more firm than the previous octopus, almost making me wish the textures between the last two dishes were swapped. The textures overall was quite lacking in this dish, although the flavor was well present.
The kimbap is quite famous in Korea when talking about Jungsikdang -- was surprised to hear that the Baby Banana was considered the Signature for Jungsik in America. This was an extremely fun dish to eat and consume, I kind of wish that they'd just do a tasting menu just on variations of this kimbap, or sell it at their bar. I would visit quite often just for that. Although the seaweed can get quite overwhelming, the flavors and textures are quite something on this dish, and the added sauce add to the experience.
The most inspiring part about the dessert was probably that they made something look like a banana, but flavor wise, it's nothing quite exciting.
