jason oh chef at dosa by 백승욱, top modern korean restaurant

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February 2017

New Orleans’ Mardi Gras through a cul inary lens

A guide to Hawai i ’sKakaako neighborhood

Seoul takes conceptual d in ing to a new level

Nature tr ipping at Masungi Georeserve

L I V I N G I T U P I N LO N D O N

Restaurateur and jetsetter Irha Atherton whips up an

insider ’s it inerary of the city

Mabuhay Issue 8Feb-2017COVER February 2017.REL.indd 1 16/1/17 8:05 PM

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Contents

Life

12 Contain yourselfShipping containers are finding new life around the world

20 Urban dreamsProfessor Jason Pomeroy tells how the best smart cities incorporate a nation’s culture

22 Shout it from the rooftopsMelbourne's newest establishments are encouraging the city’s residents to look up

31 A wave of successFor LA-based chef Louis Tikaram, life is all about finding a balance between work, health and play

34 Heroes in the makingWhilce Portacio, the man behind the first Filipino superhero in mainstream comics, shares his plans for a new studio in Manila

Features

48 Last days of winterBreathe excitement into cold-weather outfits with quirky patterns, soft silhouettes and an occasional pop of color

56 Carnival of cravingsOther than the festive and colorful celebration of Mardi Gras, New Orleans’ diverse cuisine is not to be missed

69 Parks and preservationMasungi Georeserve is one of the most popular geotourism attractions in the Philippines

79 Dining with a differenceSeoul-based chefs are offering dining experiences that are interactive, multisensory and thoroughly delectable

Our Beat

93 The latest news and inflight insight from Philippine Airlines

111 myPAL eSuite

Wooden trinkets on

sale in Hawaii's Kakaako area

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Mabuhay Issue 8Feb-2017p1.Contents.REL(JO).RESEND.indd 4 19/1/17 2:53 PM

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In northern Gangnam’s Cheongdam – the most upmarket, trendsetting place in Seoul – chefs are under co

nstant pressu

re to b

ring

som

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to th

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The result is a clutch of conceptual restaurants offering dining experiences that are interactive, multi-sen

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By Dana TerPhotography Chris da Canha

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t’s -10°C. On days like this, I like to imagine that I’m exploring a pristine evergreen forest where settling snow has tamed the wilderness, rather than jostling my way through the frigid urban sprawl that is Seoul’s busy Gangnam District.

Jason Oh, the chef de cuisine at modern Korean restaurant Dosa, gets it. “Customers always look so serious,” he laughs. His cold weather antidote is his Winter Garden dish – beets, asparagus, carrots, Brussels sprouts and a silkworm trapped underneath layers of rice, bread, garlic, onion and chestnut cooked and mashed to look like soil, and finished with a sprinkle of sweet-potato powder resembling snow.

“It brings smiles to people’s faces and lightens up the mood,” Jason chuckles. He pours chili oil over my plate, telling me to mix everything together as I would the ingredients in bibimbap (a traditional Korean dish of rice mixed with vegetables). Indeed, tucking into the dish, I’m reminded of the humble communal staple shared among farmers – the elements of bibimbap are present, but this is delicate and crunchy, each granule of “soil” nicely complementing the vegetables’ smooth texture. The single silkworm seems to have decomposed, its saltiness barely discernable.

Occupying the northern part of Gangnam along the Han River, Cheongdam is home to a growing number of new, highly conceptual restaurants eschewing the fine-dining label but still catering to the area’s upmarket clientele. Their openings over the course of the past few months follow a wave of designer fashion and hair-and-makeup salons flooding the area – which stand in stark contrast to the ragtag thrift shops and fried-chicken-and-beer joints surrounding Gangnam station.

When the South Korean-born, Colorado-raised Akira Back opened Dosa last summer, Jason – who worked with Akira for nine years at the latter’s Japanese restaurants Yellowtail and Kumi in Las Vegas – was initially skeptical that they would make money, given the high costs of running a business in the upmarket neighborhood.

OPPOSITE PAGE,CLOCKWISE FROM TOPThe exterior of the bright and buzzy S. Tavern; the unique fare at S. Tavern focuses on fusing Southern Cajun cuisine and Korean food; Hoon Song, the executive chef of S. Tavern

M A B U H A Y | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

“This area is so expensive,” he says with a wry smile. The restaurant marks Akira and Jason’s first foray into Korean cuisine, which many foreigners think is meant to be chowed down quickly – think bulgogi (grilled beef), toppoki (rice cake) and bindaetteok (mung-bean pancake).

Dosa flips this preconception on its head. Dipping my squid-ink bread in chestnut soup – a blend of spinach sponge cake, pickled mushroom, chai oil and flowers for garnishing, served in a funnel – I feel like I’m conducting an elaborate science experiment. By the end of my meal, I realize that part of Dosa’s success can be attributed to the growing trend of patrons willing to fork out extra cash for memorable, out-of-the-box dining experiences.

Jason tells me that the last two years have also seen the rise of celebrity chefs – mostly male and good-looking – aided by the popularity of reality TV shows. Akira was recently on Please Take Care of My Refrigerator, a series that sees chefs competing to cook meals using ingredients found in the refrigerators of K-pop stars. But while having a celebrity chef in the kitchen certainly doesn’t hurt, Jason likes to think that customers simply enjoy the interactive dining experience at Dosa. “Our food is funny and funky!” he exclaims.

A 10-minute walk along the bustling Dosan-daero leads you to The Green Table, a farm-to-table eatery. While chef and owner Eunhee Kim may not be the most gregarious type, her personality looms large over this recently re-opened restaurant. A photograph of her is printed on a canvas that hangs near the entrance, her cookbooks rest neatly on a wooden shelf and raw appetizers are served on oyster-shaped ceramic bowls made by Eunhee herself. Unlike Dosa’s minimalist basement setting, sunlight floods in through the windows of The Green Table, which feels like a humble country inn.

Eunhee opened The Green Table in the French enclave of Seorae Village in 2009, after being inspired by a couple of visits to farms around the country with her sister and


8 3M A B U H A Y | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

nephew. She fell in love with the crisp countryside air and laid-back feel, and wanted to re-create that vibe in the city.

Like Jason, Eunhee also possesses a nerdy fascination with ingredients, though her quiet demeanor belies her zest for experimentation. “A lot of chefs are putting themselves out there and appearing on television, but that’s just not me,” Eunhee says. “It can be hard as an introvert.” Despite her modest nature, she makes an effort to connect with her customers. Like Jason, Eunhee greets each diner personally before giving them a breakdown of the ingredients in each dish.

“It’s tough being a female chef, and people find it harder to respect someone who looks like me,” she adds, gesturing to her youthful appearance. “They may think I opened this restaurant because my parents are rich and I’m just doing this as a hobby.”

Eunhee admits that having a more active social media presence in celebrity-obsessed South Korea would help promote her restaurant, but the Culinary Institute of America alum prefers devoting her spare time to carrying out further research. For instance, Eunhee started reading about Oriental medicines after a period when she was constantly sick. This drove her to use Asian herbs and roots in her cooking. Today, she likes visiting and sourcing ingredients

AliceExpect more than a little theater at this

Alice-in-Wonderland-themed speakeasy – think

experimental cocktails lying in beds of roses

appearing amid a cloud of nitrogen gas. Try the Alice Boutique, a gin-and-tonic

grapefruit infusion. B1, 47 Dosan-daero 55-gil; alicecheongdam.com

Le ChamberPull the right book off the bookshelf of this

Victorian-era library and head into a plush leather and mahogany setting. It boasts over 200 types of single malt whiskeys, like the barrel-aged Moscow

Mule. For a classic, go for the Old Fashioned.

83–4 Cheongdam-dong; fb.com/lechamber.seoul

TwelveFollow the Roman numeral XII to Twelve's basement haunt. This location has

more than 12 seats and is spacious while retaining

its rustic, clandestine charm. The Earl Grey

Martini is a fine choice – nothing ostentatious but does the job. B1,

95–16 Cheongdam-dong; fb.com/bartwelvekorea

L I Q U O R U P :

C H E O N G DA M

S P E A K E A S I E S

THIS PAGEThe kitchen crew of Dosa, including chef de cuisine Jason Oh, hard at work


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from small farms around the country, and also continues to read up on the health properties of Asian herbs and roots that she uses to cook her French fusion cuisine.

When I visit, the countertop is covered in red roots and bonnet bellflowers from the restaurant’s set menu, which changes with each season. The kitchen is also awash with seafood – clams, mackerel, sea bream and seaweed, a popular Korean snack which Eunhee sprinkles atop her risotto. She uses only seasonal ingredients in order to keep the food as fresh as possible, replicating the flavors she tasted at various farms.

Despite being fish-centric, an abundance of vegetables like artichoke and lotus root makes the winter menu remarkably earthy, and I feel a wave of calm wash over me as I sample her sea bream, which is succulent and exudes a refined, herbal aroma. Giving city dwellers a “healing” experience is paramount in Eunhee’s dining philosophy. “Especially in Seoul, people need to take time off their busy lives,” she says.

A stone’s throw away from this quiet haven is the lively and buzzing S. Tavern, one of last year's most exciting restaurant openings. The rustic-style, red-brick building shrouded in birch trees and azalea shrubs by Dosan Park serves its take on New American cuisine – Southern comfort food – but made with Asian ingredients.

Though the interior is nearly ten times the size of The Green Table, the vibe is just as cozy. This is achieved through the large wood fire grill – imported from Chicago – that’s located directly behind the chef’s

“When I was growing up, earning a living as a cook was unheard of – people would think you were mad"

table, where executive chef Hoon Song can be seen chatting to customers. The former MasterChef Korea judge worked at Michelin-starred restaurants Eleven Madison Park and Gramercy Tavern in Manhattan before moving back to Seoul to open S. Tavern.

“When I was growing up, earning a living as a cook was unheard of – people would think you were mad,” he says. Traditionally, South Korean parents wanted their children to be doctors and lawyers – working at a restaurant wasn’t seen as a particularly lucrative or stable profession. But now, the increased visibility of chefs in magazines and on TV, not to mention the growing number of restaurants in Seoul being awarded Michelin stars, has created a situation where it’s become more acceptable – desirable, even – to be a chef.

Hoon tells me that there are a lot of similarities between Southern Cajun cuisine and Korean food – namely the level of spiciness and the fact that both cuisines are meat-based. “We are carnivores,” he jokes. During his time in the United States, he fell in love with the technique of using a wood fire grill – something he says is rarely used in restaurants in Seoul. Despite this, Hoon still found himself hankering for the familiar taste of Asian flavors. “After eating a lot of Western food in New York, I would imagine what certain dishes would taste like if I added Asian ingredients,” he says.

Hoon’s cooking style is simple and hearty. Besides the raw appetizers, all his food is grilled with a wood fire, giving most of his dishes – for example, the bacon and prawn skewers sprinkled with Brussels sprouts – a slightly charred flavor. Rather than simply serving burgers or steaks with fries, though, he infuses elements of his Asian sensibility into his cooking.

The French-Thai lobster and lemon rotisserie chicken offerings on S. Tavern’s menu are examples of Western staples with Asian inflections. The brine in the chicken is marinated with lemongrass and soy sauce, while the kitchen is fully stocked with Asian condiments and seasonings – including fish sauce, tamarind and coriander.

Hoon is glad that more customers are starting to get on board with his cooking style, rather than cling to the flavors of the past. “Ten years ago, customers didn’t ask me about my cooking philosophy,” Hoon

OPPOSITE PAGEThe Green Table, helmed by chef and owner Eunhee Kim, serves French fusion cuisine made with local and seasonal ingredients



recalls. At the time, Korean food was bibimbap, and American food was burgers and fries. These days, especially in Cheongdam, customers are keen on trying fusion cuisine – it’s the same mentality as demonstrating knowledge of the latest designer brands and fashion trends. “People here are a little more complex now when it comes to food,” Hoon adds.

A couple minutes’ walk east from Dosan Park transports you back to the concrete jungle of Cheongdam, where GBB Kitchen occupies the sixth floor of a building near Hakdong intersection. Twentysomethings Jane Lee and Kyungjin Lee were roommates at New York University when they came up with the restaurant concept, and brunching at GBB – which, according to Kyungjin, stands for “good people, better ingredients,

P O P U L A R W I N T E R

I N G R E D I E N T S

Cod, snapper and sea bassCod, snapper, tilefish, mackerel and sea bass are in stock this season. Chef Hoon Song buys

his fish fresh from local markets like Guri Market. Chef Eunhee Kim prefers using fish to other

types of meat, as Korea is blessed with a wide selection

of seafood.

Clams, oysters and mussels Seafood is abundant in SouthKorea this winter. Learn how

to make oyster chowder and mussel Provençal at

GBB Kitchen, or taste freshly shucked oysters served in

oyster-shaped ceramics made by the chef herself at The

Green Table.

From snapper to sweet potatoes,

South Korea has an abundance of winter produce that chefs readily make use of

Sweet potato and chestnutA popular Korean delicacy, sweet

potato can be found in pizzas, fries and even lattes. Chef Jason Oh puts an upscale spin on this winter ingredient by using it in his Winter Garden dish. He also bakes chestnut with squid ink bread which can be dipped in

chestnut soup.

“It’s about an exchange of ideas. We’re working together to create a dining experience that extends beyond food"

LEFTAt GBB Kitchen, the emphasis is on creating community through food


M A B U H A Y | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7 8 9

best experience” – is like visiting a close friend’s house.

“A friend who can cook really, really well,” Jane elaborates, with a laugh. Inside, the décor follows a sky-blue and copper color scheme. Earthy tones from wooden tables contrast with the sleek marble countertop, where Kyungjin is preparing her banana French toast with her “secret” grain butter sauce – crushed, home-made granola mixed with honey and butter, with a touch of thyme. The coconut flakes on the French toast look like winter, but taste refreshingly tropical. Like GBB's other dishes, it's served on a beautiful plate imported from Heath Ceramics in San Francisco, a company known for its commitment to thoughtful craftsmanship and quality products. “It’s a lifestyle that we’re promoting,” Jane says. “We’re sharing our dream kitchen.”

Kyungjin holds cooking lessons from Tuesdays through Fridays, while Saturdays are set aside for reservations-only American-style brunch at GBB. The idea behind all that they do is alluringly simple – bringing people together. The duo organizes pop-up events like movie nights, “supper clubs” and cooking demonstrations

by guest chefs – which are announced on their Instagram account – while communal tables encourage interaction.

Most of their customers are young, because, as Jane puts it: “Older Koreans tend not to want to sit next to strangers at a restaurant.” But GBB isn’t a just a restaurant – it’s what Jane calls a “collective kitchen”. While Kyungjin prepares brunch, Jane sits and chats with diners. Since she started doing this, customers – even older ones – have warmed to her, asking her and Kyungjin for tips such as which supermarkets to buy sauces from. “It’s about an exchange of ideas,” Jane says. “We’re working together to create a dining experience that extends beyond food.”

After savoring Kyungjin’s delectable French toast, I leave GBB feeling fully satisfied, albeit with a strange hankering for silkworms. Cheongdam has a way of doing that to your palate. Conceptual dining might be a befuddling experience to some, but what I learned from this foodie adventure was quite straightforward: beyond experimenting, you need the culinary chops to back it up. Good food is good food, and this slice of Seoul delivers it in spades.

DosaB1, 92–12

Cheongdam-dongdosaseoul.com

The Green Table13 Seolleung-ro

155-gilthegreentable.

co.kr

S. Tavern16–11 Dosan-daero

45-gilstavern.co.kr

GBB Kitchen3–10

Cheongdam-donginstagram.com/gbbkitchen

LEFTThe welcoming interior of GBB Kitchen, which follows a sky-blue and copper color scheme

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jason oh chef at dosa by 백승욱, top modern korean restaurant

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