Ristorante EO, a fine-dining Italian restaurant in Cheongdam-dong by owner-chef Eo Yun-Gwon, has long been on my radar screen. As one of the leading chefs of Italian cuisine in Korea, Chef Eo spent time in Milan honing his culinary skills before returning to Seoul to open Ristorante EO back in 2005. His efforts were finally recognized with a Michelin star in the inaugural Michelin Guide in 2017 and again in 2018.
One of the first things that really stuck out about Ristorante EO was its service. When I called the restaurant last night, I was so impressed with the hospitality and most importantly, the staff's fluency in English. I thought that was totally unmatched by even some of the top restaurants in Seoul including Jungsik and Mingles.
Like most Michelin restaurants in Seoul, Ristorante EO is not the easiest place to find even with my Google Map. The restaurant was hidden on the second floor of a small commercial building and after wasting a lot of time running around in circles, I had to call them for directions. Luckily, the same guy who took my reservation last night, speaks perfect English and he was able to give me very precise instructions on how to locate the restaurant (look for a shop on the ground floor called 'KKKKKK').
After taking the elevator up, my server was already there to greet me in front of the restaurant. I was soon led into a cozy and intimate 6-seater dining room (just 3 tables) which was just waiting around the corner.
Ristorante EO is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. At lunchtime, you can choose between the 5-course set lunch menu 'Per I Pranzo Speciale' (55,000 won) and 7-course tasting menu 'Per II Pranzo Speciale' (75,000 won). Knowing I won't be back anytime soon (not because of quality but because there're way too many options out there.), I went all the way for the tasting menu so I could get a better feel on Chef Eo's cuisine.
Lunch commenced with some snacks including green olives and cheese, which was followed by some homemade bread.
After the snacks, I was offered a small cup of warm cream cheese served with shrimp, orange compote and orange zest. The whole thing was very foamy with subtle cheese flavor.
A real nice refreshing snack with a lovely Sicilian touch.
The first course of the tasting menu comprised of two small dishes. First, there was the poached lobster with pickled apple. Another refreshing dish, this time with the mild acidity coming from the slices of apple. On the other side of the dish were cubes of smooth foie gras parfait served with dried strawberries, blue berries and various textures of air dried radish. I thought the olive oil and dried fruits really added some lovely sweetness and fruity notes to the foie gras.
Next up was Italian style steamed egg topped with squid ink sauce.
It was a bit of a weird dish with squid ink totally overpowering the steamed egg.
Sea bream cooked in a fragrant seafood bisque was next. The flavorful bisque was prepared using lots of fish, shellfish and vegetables. They even showed me a short clip on how it's done behind the scene. This was served with two types of asparagus, sun dried tomatoes and what I thought was black olive puree.
Sandwiched between the fish and meat course was the pasta dish, a homemade capellini with Chinese yam and bottarga (cured fish roes shaving).
Frankly, I’m not a fan of dry pasta served without a sauce but obviously, it's a very confident chef showing off his pasta cooking technique so why not the minimalist approach. Not bad.
My final savory dish was Australian beef tenderloin served medium with a local abalone. This was served with a vegetable terrine, zucchini tuile, two different types of black garlic and a black pepper sauce.
It wasn't bad although the beef was slightly over-cooked and the abalone a bit too peppery thanks to the powerful black pepper sauce.
Following all the sophisticated dishes was simple and down to earth dessert - homemade yuzu gelato with pear shaved ice. A refreshing finish to one of the most relaxing lunch I had in Seoul.
Chef Eo's cuisine puts a really strong focus on the freshest produce from the market. His style takes more of a traditional approach with fine touches of modernism. The combination of Italian haute cuisine and superb service unquestionably makes Ristorante EO one of the elite Italian restaurants in Seoul.
Food Rating: 6.3/10
Price: ₩₩₩
Address: 15 Dosan-daero 75-gil, Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Closest Metro Station: Cheongdam
Tel: +82 02-3445-1926
Website: https://ristoranteeo.modoo.at/
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