A Pleasant, Tasty Meal at Gramercy Kitchen
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
If you are looking for a stylish restaurant with food and atmosphere fit for a hotel near Sinsa-dong, Gramercy Kitchen would be a smart choice. Among the stylish brunch places scattered around the neighborhood, Gramercy Kitchen is yet to be noticed with its hotel-quality meals and desserts and cozy atmosphere.
The crowd ranges from office workers, couples to middle aged women, and the manager and chef Alberto Lee said that the restaurant is perfect for any occasion, complete with a terrace, wine bar and even a private space for parties on the second floor.
As soon as you walk in, the tall glass wine cellar, flowers and the warm brownish interior welcome you.
Settling down on the terrace located in the back of the restaurant, we ordered the lunch set (50,000 won) that included a salad, soup, steak dish and dessert.
The meal started with assorted bread including ciabatta and baguettes, which were warm and delicious.
The grilled shrimp with radicchio, endive, arugula, tomato and a drizzle of mango dressing was a lovely start to begin the set menu.
``The shrimps are grilled with a special tandoori paste and mustard sauce. Mango and shrimps go very well together, so the sauce is a perfect touch,'' Lee said.
The wild mushroom soup was rich and creamy, and the chef reminded us that the soup menu may change depending on the season and market.
For The Korea Times readers, Lee brought out small slices of some of the restaurant's best meat dishes, making it easier for readers to choose depending on their own preferences.
The specially prepared dish was comprised of rib eye, tenderloin and finally, the restaurant's specialty, ``Dirty Steak.''
The rib eye was glazed with an oriental sauce, reminding the sweet and tender taste of Korean galbi, while the tenderloin was poached with a special merlot sauce and was served with the marinated sauce and butter. Chewy and yet tender at the same time, it would be perfect for a romantic evening with a glass of wine and a loved one.
As for the dirty steak, it was indeed a pleasant surprise. Looking like any other well-cooked steak, the taste was very different from all the conventional steak dishes. Slightly crispy in the edges, the dirty steak was surprisingly soft and tender inside.
``We tried different ways to bring out the taste and texture, but there was only one way to do it,'' Lee said.
The steak is literally thrown onto the hot charcoal, making it cook for a quick time, yet not losing moisture and the flavor. Although some may think the charcoal and the smoke would overpower the overall taste, but the cooking process apparently did not affect the steak, only creating a more unique dish.
Next came the dessert. The lunch set includes the chocolate banana cake with royal milk tea sherbet, but we additionally ordered the spice pumpkin cake with maple syrup ice cream and maple sauce (14,000 won) and the yogurt cheese parfait with lavender blueberry sherbet (13,000 won).
The chocolate banana cake was a treat, but it was the royal milk tea sherbet that made this dish a winner. With a hint of vanilla, the sherbet was milky, refreshing and full of taste, and it went perfectly well with the dark and sweet chocolate cake.
The pumpkin cake came out as a small tower, with the maple ice cream placed on the top. The came was fresh and soft, and went well with the ice cream, plus the maple syrup drizzled all over the dish.
Some may argue that the price range is quite high for just a simple lunch, but the experience was quite a pleasant one, both for the tongue and the eyes.
Gramercy Kitchen also offers a wine bar section, where you can enjoy various wine with simple finger food and dishes. The prices for the dirty steak is 53,000 won and the tenderloin with the wine sauce is 49,000 won. One interesting feature is that the last order is until 10:30 p.m., offering late night eaters the chance to eat without having to wander around for good food long after dinnertime. Gramercy Kitchen is located across the Jasaeng Hospital of Oriental Medicine and next to the Hosan Women's Hospital in Sinsa-dong. For more information, visit www.gramercykitchen.com or call (02) 512-1046.