Cycle 14 – Item 209

2 (Wed) August 2023

Chat Potato (Small Plate)

3.5

at Le Freak

-Seongsu, Seongdong, Republic of Korea-

with (CI Book Fair) staff

After quitting my job yesterday afternoon (see 14.207 Tongdak), I did W later that evening that the only way that I’d rescind the resignation would be if my mother apologized, and she appeared to sincere, and I believed that she would henceforth stop nagging/meddling – a possibility that I assessed had a 1% chance of happening.  It happened.  So I’m staying on.  Until the next time.

The Chat Potato small plate was very nice.  Described on the menu as “fat-fried potato, pickled fennel, spring onion, truffle oil.”  The unpeeled baby potatoes (chats) appeared to have been roasted, partly crushed, then deep-fried, making them extremely crispy, especially around the broken bits, while fluffy inside.  The fennel provided a nice tangy counterpoint.  Couldn’t really detect truffle oil, which is fine because truffle oil is so cliché in Korea these days.  Not too bad a price point at 7,300 won.  Far superior to standard fries.  (I’ll label the dish as Australian, because the chef trained there.)

In the midst of my on-going potato project (see THE GAMJA PROJECT), I feel more highly attuned to the nuances of potato dishes.

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)