I went to Onhwa Dining, a dining bar in upper Gangnam that opened last month. Brief description of the dishes:
Amuse (13000): octopus terrine with chogochujang aioli and lime; Bream ceviche with grapefruit and pepper jjangachi; fried mushrooms with something and Wasabi aioli: great start! The octopus was probably my favorite but the other two were good too. Good chew, gochujang aioli and lime really added a nice accent to the octopus. The bream itself was fairly plain but the additions made it pop, and the mushroom was just a tasty fried mushroom, chicken fried and not breadcrumbs. Maitake, I think
Key clams and sweet shrimp, fennel pickle, chive and cheongyang beurre blanc, some type of pickle relish(19000): really fun! The shrimp is raw and the clam has been lightly seared. The beurre blanc is great and the green sauce adds an interesting vegetal kick; enough to distract from the richness of the butter, but I almost wish there had been more of it. Fennel pickle is vinegar and sugar it seems like, nothing fancy but provides a nice acidic bite and textural contrast. Some type of pepper relish too adds a bit of kick in addition to the green sauce.
Uni onmyeon, chicken and hwangtae broth, same chili chive oil, uni, chive, cappellini pasta(25000): surprisingly strong. It was one of the signature dishes so I ordered it despite not expecting much, but each of the flavors really work well together. The broth is rich already but I was recommended to dissolve the uni in the broth, which gave it a briny and seafood undertone that I really enjoyed. The cappelini was really similar to somyeon, perhaps a bit firmer, and the oil gave the same kick
Iberico pluma, soy braised roasted burdock, red pepper romesco, cheongyang pesto, miso sauce under the pluma(32000): really excellent. Pluma cooked to a hair above medium rare (which good pork really is best at) and the accompaniments stand out but don’t distract. Burdock had a firm bite like a typical braised soy tsukemono but the charring gave it a bitter complexity and made it more pliable than normal. Romesco was surprisingly spicy but you almost got both the sense, visually and tastewise, as if you were eating log of wood out of a hot campfire – really fun. Cheongyang pesto was pretty one note but helped break up the richness of the pork. The pickled onions had dill both as a garnish and in the brine, I think.
Cheongmyeongju by Han Yeonseok, batch 7(44000): fruity, fairly sweet, but still a bit of acidity. Like biting into a particularly sweet plum, where the sweetness lingers. Would have preferred the finish to be a bit drier but still excellent
Definitely going again to try more of the menu. I suspect it’s going to be a really popular place soon – dishes were really well thought out and put together, the prices are eminently reasonable for the location, and it’s a really pretty dining space.
2 Comments
I went to Onhwa Dining, a dining bar in upper Gangnam that opened last month. Brief description of the dishes:
Amuse (13000): octopus terrine with chogochujang aioli and lime; Bream ceviche with grapefruit and pepper jjangachi; fried mushrooms with something and Wasabi aioli: great start! The octopus was probably my favorite but the other two were good too. Good chew, gochujang aioli and lime really added a nice accent to the octopus. The bream itself was fairly plain but the additions made it pop, and the mushroom was just a tasty fried mushroom, chicken fried and not breadcrumbs. Maitake, I think
Key clams and sweet shrimp, fennel pickle, chive and cheongyang beurre blanc, some type of pickle relish(19000): really fun! The shrimp is raw and the clam has been lightly seared. The beurre blanc is great and the green sauce adds an interesting vegetal kick; enough to distract from the richness of the butter, but I almost wish there had been more of it. Fennel pickle is vinegar and sugar it seems like, nothing fancy but provides a nice acidic bite and textural contrast. Some type of pepper relish too adds a bit of kick in addition to the green sauce.
Uni onmyeon, chicken and hwangtae broth, same chili chive oil, uni, chive, cappellini pasta(25000): surprisingly strong. It was one of the signature dishes so I ordered it despite not expecting much, but each of the flavors really work well together. The broth is rich already but I was recommended to dissolve the uni in the broth, which gave it a briny and seafood undertone that I really enjoyed. The cappelini was really similar to somyeon, perhaps a bit firmer, and the oil gave the same kick
Iberico pluma, soy braised roasted burdock, red pepper romesco, cheongyang pesto, miso sauce under the pluma(32000): really excellent. Pluma cooked to a hair above medium rare (which good pork really is best at) and the accompaniments stand out but don’t distract. Burdock had a firm bite like a typical braised soy tsukemono but the charring gave it a bitter complexity and made it more pliable than normal. Romesco was surprisingly spicy but you almost got both the sense, visually and tastewise, as if you were eating log of wood out of a hot campfire – really fun. Cheongyang pesto was pretty one note but helped break up the richness of the pork. The pickled onions had dill both as a garnish and in the brine, I think.
Cheongmyeongju by Han Yeonseok, batch 7(44000): fruity, fairly sweet, but still a bit of acidity. Like biting into a particularly sweet plum, where the sweetness lingers. Would have preferred the finish to be a bit drier but still excellent
Definitely going again to try more of the menu. I suspect it’s going to be a really popular place soon – dishes were really well thought out and put together, the prices are eminently reasonable for the location, and it’s a really pretty dining space.
Great goodness…looks amazing. 🤤