`A Table Serves Tastes of Lavish French Cuisine
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
French cuisine is known as one of the world's most refined and lavish, requiring many hours in finishing its ``artistic'' meals.
But anyone who wants to savor French dishes is welcomed at ``A Table'' located in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul, with exquisite flavors but relatively decent prices.
The French restaurant is a hot spot among many bloggers and gourmands, as it offers a ``simple'' version of French luxury-course dishes.
French cuisine's ingredients and dishes vary by region, and so the restaurant also offers many significant regional dishes.
Cheese and wine are also a major part of cuisine, playing different roles with their many different styles and flavors.
The exterior of the restaurant ironically bears the style of a traditional Korea house. The restaurant was remodeled from a ``hanok,'' the Korean traditional accommodation.
There is no menu _ just a blackboard with today's lunch and dinner course which changes at the mercy of a chef in accordance with seasonal ingredients.
When a customer arrives, the chef personally explains the menu du jour written on the blackboard.
The lunch course (30,000 won) we had consisted of five dishes. First, an entree of king crab mousse, made from whipped cream and gelatin and topped with avocado dressing. The crab mousse was stuffed in a piece of tomato, which tasted fresher than the rather greasy mousse.
Then, broccoli soup was served. The soup had fresh and strong broccoli taste and an abundant green color.
A salad invented by the restaurant's chef for each customer was a wonderful combination of lentils, baked crispy bacon and some lucolas mixed with French dressing.
The crispy bacon tasted good, matching well with lentils that on the tip of the tongue tasted almost like red beans.
For the main dish, there was a choice between beef, lamb or fish steaks. We chose beef and lamb as the main dishes.
The beef was very soft and came in a rich sauce _ the red sauce was made from port wines and the white from a green pepper-based cream.
But if you don't like too strong a sauce to dwarf the pure taste of the meat, the beef might taste too tart.
The lamb steak had rather too much fat and was even tough. But the sauce was excellent in reducing the lamb's smell with strong herbs and garlic. Overall, it was not bad when eaten with mint jelly.
The dessert was a sour basil sherbet served with chopped pineapples and melons.
The dinner menu costs 45,000 won and serves eight dishes.
All the customers are required to make a reservation in advance. The restaurant has seven to eight tables for lunch and dinner, and never allows customers in without a reservation.
Located on a side street beside the prime minister's official residence, the restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. It closes on Sunday. For more information, call (02) 736-1048.