Riz House
Australian premium tenderloin steak / Korea Times photo by Yoon Sung-won
By Yoon Sung-won
Delicious food pleases the mouth and well-served cuisine amuses both the eyes and tongue. That can be the experience of dining at the classy Riz House restaurant in Seongsu, eastern Seoul, which offers live music as an addition to the excellent dining experience.
Riz House is an Italian restaurant that offers delicious food and wine, an elegant interior design and live music performances every night.
The idea of blending these elements was initiated by the restaurant’s proprietor, Park Jeong-hee, who is a postmodern music professor and a popera singer. She says her passion and love for music and wine is reflected in the restaurant.
Park was inspired to open a comfortable dining place after visiting a “trattoria,” an Italian term for a small but cozy restaurant, when she was studying music in Italy.
“Riz House is a cultural place where visitors can stay for hours, wining and dining comfortably while listening to good music at the same time,” said the owner.
Artists whose genres range from classical music to jazz entertain visitors every night from a stage arranged in a corner of Riz House. Many singers and instrumentalists who present shows here are experienced, having performed in places like “Once In A Blue Moon,” one of the most popular jazz bars in Seoul. To maximize the musical experience, the interior of Riz House is designed considering acoustic factors, Park explained.
All dishes are planned and managed by Eun Jun-gyu, a veteran chef from Hotel Shilla. Pastas are made with fresh ingredients and tasty sauces, whose flavor is not too strong yet not too light. Australian premium beef tenderloin steak, one of the main dishes of the restaurant, is juicy and tender, true to its name.
What makes the taste of the delicious food even better at Riz House are a range of wines, carefully chosen by the proprietor. Park learned about wines through sommelier lessons and advises those not familiar with choosing wines.
“Adding the right wine is essential for tasting delicious foods to the fullest, say, red wines for red meats and white wines for seafood,” said Park. “I believe that wine, together with music, makes the perfect match.”
Riz House also has two private VIP rooms that can accommodate eight and six people each, complete with presentation equipment, including beam projectors and screens. The place also has an underground event hall for large meetings or seminars. At the hall, catering service from the restaurant’s kitchen is available. One week’s prior reservation is required for the hall.
Steamed abalone
A stage and instruments arranged for live music performances at Riz House