Jua

Offering a seven-course, Korean tasting menu at his restaurant Jua, Chef Hojoung Kim blends his knowledge as a classically trained chef with his experience working at the two-Michelin-starred Jungsik to create a sensational dining experience. Jua greets its diners with exposed brick and concrete walls and a vintage-style wood paneled ceiling that gives the restaurant a modern industrial flair. By the time I arrived at my table and saw the tasting menu, I could not have been more excited to begin this one-Michelin-starred meal.

Kicking off our meal was the Caviar Kim course. When I bit into this souped-up version of kimbap, the texture of the extra crispy seaweed combined with the flavor of the sweet avocado hit me first. Next, I noticed the salty popping of the caviar. Rounding off my bite was the distinct taste of both the cold tuna tartar and the pickled veggies. Even though this dish combined some strong and unique flavors, there was no lingering taste of fishiness as the seaweed did not stick to my teeth. This cold bite was an excellent way to start off the meal.

Jua served another cold dish, the Bang-Eo, as our second course. This dish was a mix of raw yellowtail fish and pear that was draped by thin slices of beets. Peeling back the beets to find the fish felt like I was discovering a pot of gold. What an explosion of flavor and texture! The small chunks of yellowtail were cold and firm, and the pear cubes were sweet and crisp. Also, there was a wonderful chive flavor finale to the bite. However, the beet slices, so thin and sweet, were what really made the dish special, and this is coming from someone who is not the biggest beet fan. In a nutshell, this course was super fun to eat.

Image courtesy of the Jua website

The third course offered a transition from the cold raw dishes into the hearty cooked ones. The Jook was a sensational congee porridge that was served boiling hot. Although light in color, the broth was rich and creamy and possessed a deep umami flavor and earthy aroma that really warmed my soul. The mushrooms were super bouncy and light, and the rice was perfectly cooked and placed to soak up the flavor of the broth. This course was definitely the most comforting of the night.

Following the Jook, was the fourth-course Domi, a steamed sea bream with white asparagus and a dashi broth. The steamed fish was so soft that I didn’t even need to use my teeth to consume it. Adding a crunch were the greens and shallots. The white asparagus was bright and flavorful, and its fruitiness enhanced an otherwise typical dashi flavor broth.

The fifth and last main course of the tasting menu was the Galbi & Chan. This dish consisted of marinated short ribs, or galbi, and an assortment of side dishes, or banchan. The beef was super sweet and fatty, cooked perfectly between medium-rare and rare. This dish was by far the most fun to eat as each bite was unique because I had the opportunity to combine different banchan options with each bite of galbi. For example, I wrapped my first bite in the perilla leaf, located at the center of the plate. The leaf greatly enhanced the flavor of the meat, cutting the fattiness was a light herbal flavor. Then dipping some galbi in the green sauce at the bottom of the plate reminded me of a chimichurri. While each side dish possessed a totally different flavor and texture, they all worked really well with the shirt rib.

Ending off the meal were two dessert courses. First, was our sixth course: the Goguma. This dish consisted of tapioca balls and sweet potato cubes, topped off with brown butter ice cream and a leaf-shaped cinnamon crisp. When I dug in and cracked the crisp into the ice cream, it added an extra dimension of texture to the dish. Hearkening back to the first course, the tapioca balls reminded me of the caviar on top of the kim. While the brown butter flavor of the ice cream was the most prominent, the other ingredients contributed different textures to the dish. Even the unusual bowl shape was fun as it required me to dig deep into the bottom of the bowl to find the treasures of the awaiting potato and tapioca.

Finally, to round of this large meal was the Hotteok. This seventh course is a very common street food pancake filled with caramelized sugar and topped with candied nuts. Upon biting into the Hotteok, I hit so many different sweet notes - hard candied nuts, sticky sugar, and pillowy dough. While this dish is quite messy to eat, I had no reservations getting my hands dirty as a moist towelette was also provided to eliminate any concerns and allow for stress-free dining. What a fantastic way to end my wonderful evening at Jua!

One important caveat, this meal comes with an extremely hefty price tag, costing $130 per person before tax and tip. However, since the meal lasts over two hours, it is more akin to an immersive art experience (e.g., watching a Broadway show). So putting this meal into this more expansive entertainment context helps justify the steep price.