Can Korean Food Be Gourmet?
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
Steamed hogfish, langoustine from Jeju Island, crown daisy leaf and spicy seafood broth ― these ingredients might remind one of ``maeuntag,'' or spicy Korea-style seafood stew. A traditional Korean recipe would involve mixing and boiling all the ingredients together. However, Ciaran Hickey, cuisine director at the W Seoul-Walkerhill, will present them in a fancy bouillabaisse style by separately cooking each sea product, placing them separately on a plate and pouring broth over them at the table.
This is an example of Hickey's own interpretation of ``hansik,'' or Korean food, as contemporary European dishes that will be offered at the third W Gourmet event on June 24. The Irish chef who came to Korea in 2007 is known for his interest in local food and many asked him ``how to globalize Korean food.'' This is his answer to the question. ``We decided to try and support the Korean government's effort to globalize hansik and also to show it's possible to do it,'' Hickey told The Korea Times at an interview at Kitchen, the hotel's restaurant, Wednesday.
``Korean food is far behind the trend on the global stage. So maybe it's time to play around,'' the chef said. As a foreigner, he looks at and imagines food differently and basic ideas come from that perspective. ``Korean food tastes great. So how about making it look better?'' he said.
For the hogfish stew, Hickey said this is a model for how Korean food could be developed. The bouillabaisse was originally a peasant food made by boiling the fish and other ingredients together. However, Michelin-starred fine dining restaurants now serve bouillabaisse as separated fish and broth, so guests can taste each component and then mix them together. ``French food has developed like this and Korean food should develop that way too,'' he said.
W Seoul had offered some modernized Korean dishes by Hickey during banquets and Sunday brunch, but this dinner will be the first time to demonstrate the essence of his interpretation of contemporary Korean dishes. The chef said he has had this idea since last year, but everybody stopped him from creating a dinner course with it. However, times have changed and now everyone has urged him to go for it as W ``runs fast to be the first.''
Other choices, though not final, include: beef tartare with quail's eggs; yellow chicken, glutinous rice, date, ginseng and gingko nuts; abalone risotto with chili marinated black cod; ginger cinnamon sherbet with pine nuts and persimmon; ``galbi'' marinated sirloin and slow cooked short rib with stuffed zucchini and mushrooms; and pepper poached pear with black sesame ice cream.
These are just like materials for ``samgyetang,'' abalone porridge or sujeonggwa, but Hickey's presentation will be totally different from the traditional concept. ``What I try to do is re-create the taste of Korean dishes, but with a different look,'' he said.
Hickey adapted different dishes for the menu more than 20 times before he came up with the first idea two months ago. ``It's like a living animal,'' he said. ``We ask for and receive so much feedback. People have strong opinions since Korean food is what they are familiar with.''
W Gourmet is a bimonthly dining event offered by W Seoul that has received fairly good reviews from guests. Small groups of people who love food and wine are regulars. ``Some 30-40 percent of the guests are fans of the program. They continuously come to the dining event and some reserve seats for the next one immediately afterwards,'' said Eileen Park, assistant public relations manager of the hotel. ``Most of the guests are Korean, but we expect to attract more foreigners this time.''
For this month's event, the chef was half-worried and half-excited. ``It's exciting for us. People are going to love it or hate it. But at least, they will talk about it,'' Hickey said.