Y’east (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★★★☆

Unlike most of my recent trips to Seoul, I decided to skip the longtime culinary heavyweights like Mingles, Jungsik, and Soigné and instead, spend time exploring a few of the more low-key restaurants that have been making headway of late.

Y’east was the first place I booked on this trip; it had already been on my radar last year. Owner-chef Young-dong Cho (Jay Cho) cut his teeth in a number of notable international kitchens, including Momofuku Seiobo in Australia and Restaurant 108 in Denmark. His cuisine is often described as contemporary Pan-East Asian fusion, praised for the way it seamlessly folds Korean ingredients and traditions into a broader Asian spectrum.

I always enjoy a counter-table concept that lets guests interact more closely with the kitchen staff. For me, watching the chefs work behind the scenes is part of the pleasure.

The tasting menu opened with a few small nibbles to whet the appetite. First came a crispy tart filled with green asparagus from Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, and topped with thin slices of pickled herring that had been aged for three days before being cured and lightly smoked. An interesting play of flavor and texture.

Next, snow crab arrived hidden beneath a layer of shaved, smoked mullet roe from Taiwan, finished with diced root vegetables and black sesame for some lovely crunch.

The final nibble was the chef’s signature “Galbi stone” — twelve-hour slow-cooked short ribs simmered in a rich galbi sauce, stuffed with blue cheese, and encased in doughnut dough.

The sauce was noticeably sweet with plentiful of honey, I suspect. I’ve always enjoyed a hot steamed bun filled with pork, and this was a playful, savory-sweet riff on that idea.

Muchim (Sweet shrimp, danggwi, caviar) — After the amuse-bouche came the first starter: a chawanmushi-style dish with a greenish purée of danggwi (Korean angelica, 當歸). The earthy, herbal notes of the angelica paired well with the sweet shrimp tartare and caviar. It also got my blood pressure up a bit. 😁 

Tofu (Chestnut, tomato, wasabi, gotgam) — The second starter was a homemade chestnut tofu stuffed with tomato and what I thought was persimmon (gotgam), finished off beautifully with a nice pour of a housemade ponzu.  The silky tofu took on bright citrus and deep umami from the sauce, while a clean hit of fresh wasabi on top supplied the necessary nasal heat.

Koshihikari (White fish, champagne, uni) — The rice dish soon followed. 

The Koshihikari rice was a premium short-grain rice cultivated in Gimpo. Underneath the top layer of onion foam was the materfully cooked Koshihikari rice mixed well with different ingredients including shima aji, job’s tears, hen's egg, rice crispies and sea urchin. There was also a hint of wasabi to tie everything together. 

Kou Shui ji (Chicken, chili, coriander, chicken Oolong tea) — The chef's interpretation of Kou Shui Ji (口水雞), a classic cold dish from Sichuan.

This was one of the many beautifully plated dishes in front of us this afternoon. The chicken thigh stuffed with spinach purée was steamed, then finished with pickled cucumber atop. The meat was silky and wonderfully tender; a Sichuan-style chili oil infused with eight spices delivered both heat and the signature numbing sensation.

A small cup of chicken tea made with chicken stock, ginger and oolong tea was served on the side. This was really really intense.

Fish (Tilefish, Jinhua ham, mussel) — Steamed tilefish was matched with a light Jinhua ham (金華火腿) foam, mussels, and a Korean anchovy Grenobloise.

The sauce struck a delicate balance of umami, acidity and richness. But personally, I would have preferred the fish pan-fried or grilled for a golden crust to stand up even better to the sauce.

Hanwoo (1++ sirloin, Shaoxing wine, dongchimi) — The charcoal-grilled Hanwoo 1++ sirloin arrived with pear and yuzu-infused dongchimi (variations of Korean kimchi). The meat was tasty but a little bouncy in the centre. 

The kitchen had obviously gone to considerable lengths to amplify the beef flavor, including a “beef powder” made from the leftover charred trimmings, which was sprinkled on top as a condiment.

Egg Noodle — I knew this signature dish cost extra but there was no chance I was going to skip it.

The egg noodles freshly made with Korean buckwheat flour, was topped nicely with a sabayon made with zhima jiang (芝麻醬), a Chinese sesame and peanut paste. 

My server finished the bowl with a pour of black-trumpet-mushroom tea that also contained cured pork fat and Sichuan pepper. I was told the mushroom tea is considered particularly nourishing.

Sorbet (Raspberry, white chocolate, Bang-A) — Finally, I'm down to the last dish of the tasting menu.

The final course was a raspberry sorbet crowned with a cloud of feather-light white-chocolate foam and a raspberry-powder tuile, finished with a bang-a sauce (a type of Korean mint). Raspberry and mint together delivered exactly the bright, refreshing note I wanted to close out the meal.

A couple of mignardises and a cup of warm tea brought the journey to an end.

There were plenty of elements drawn from across East and Southeast Asia — Korean, Chinese and even Singaporean flavors in the dishes this afternoon and I was deeply impressed by how Chef Cho and his team re-interpreted them in a playful, modern way while showcasing some of Korea’s finest ingredients. The Instagram-ready plating, led by the kou shui ji, was the cherry on top.

Food Rating: 7.4/10

Price: ₩₩₩₩

Address: 644-11 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Closest Metro Station: Apgujeong Rodeo

Tel: +82 070-8855-0470

Website: http://yeastseoul.co.kr/

Opening Hours: 12:30pm - 3:00pm (Fri, Sat), 6:45pm - 10:00pm (Tue - Sat)