6.354
25 (Fri) December 2015
Christmas Special Dinner
3.0
at Chef’s Note (Oakwood Premier)
-Samseong, Seoul-
with the family, the folks
The Prodigal Son Returns for Xmas, Day 10 (see previously 6.353 A Tale of Edacity…).
In Seoul. After spending the first half of my winter holiday here, going back tomorrow morning with the family to Manila, where we’ll finish out the year.
Oddly, each dish of sea bass was plated with four clams, but no meat, shells only. Same with all 5 of our portions. I called the manager over, explained the situation, and asked whether the shells were merely garniture, perhaps symbolizing the clam-based sauce. If not, then somebody else in this restaurant got an extra 20 morsels of clams. Or someone in the kitchen is easting them.
A few minutes later, he returned with a bowl of loose clams and apologized for the inconvenience. While appreciative of the effort, I had to ask where they’d come from. Were they our original clams, found at the bottom of the pan? Were they meant for someone else’s dish, now part of a vicious cycle? Were they freshly shelled, made for us as compensation? When he hesitated to answer, I waved him off. Whatever. I wasn’t upset, just vaguely amused.
At the last minute, Mom decided that she wanted something special for Xmas dinner, but reservations by now full at any place worthy of making a reservation, so she called on a favor from the owner to get us a special booking at Chef’s Note (see generally 6.194 Lobster Spaghetti with Rose Sauce).
The food was good, but the set fell way short of the à la carte spread on our initial visit.