7.199
22 (Fri) July 2016
Mineo & Myeongran Muchim
3.5
at Pungwol
(see most recently 6.347 Amaebi Avocado Maki)
-Oksu, Seoul-
with IZ
The Home Stretch : Day 8 (see previously 7.198 The Best MNM…).
At long last, the time has come. Arrived in Seoul last Saturday. Here for a week to pack up and ship our stuff to the Philippines, where we’ll be reunited to live as a family after 2.5 years. Flying back together to Manila … tomorrow!
Pungwol opened around early 2007, not long after I got married, which I distinctly recall because I was grateful to have a getaway/hideaway when I needed a well-deserved break from the In-Laws, who live down the street, even when visiting for a couple hours.
The food is consistently good, constantly changing menu, more fusion than traditional, but in a thoughtful way that takes Japanese fundamentals tries to create something distinctive with Korean ingredients.
Like the featured dish above, an intriguing muchim (salad) of delicately creamy mineo hoe — currently in season (see most recently 7.193 Mineo Hoe) — with briny myeongran (pollack roe), plus shaved nori for wisps of umami and a touch of sesame oil for nuttiness. At its best, fusion = synergy.