Mingles

After exploring Seoul and Busan for about a week our trip to South Korea concluded with a couple of days staying in the Gangnam area of Seoul. Of course, no visit to a new country would be complete with a visit to a few of its higher-end establishments. The Michelin Guide recently started rating restaurants in Seoul. While this was an exciting new chapter for South Korean food, the guide’s early iterations were not without some controversy, particularly when it came to restaurants awarded the coveted 3-star rating.

Controversy aside I was excited to try a few of these restaurants during my trip, as I wanted to experience this type of meal (tasting menu) but based around Korean cuisine. The first restaurant on our Michelin guided tour of Gangnam was Mingles with two Michelin stars. Here is what we had for dinner on October 17, 2019:

“Fall” - Seasonal mackerel and snapper

“Bites of Mingles” - Vegetable bites assorted by chef, caviar, Eo-ran (Korean bottarga)

“Vegetable” - Anchovy cream, acorn jelly, Korean pear

“Sense of Autumn” - Vegetable mandoo, morel, Hanwoo beef consomme

“Seon” - Steamed abalone

“Fish” - Red mullet with kimchi sauce

“Korean Chicken” - Non-antibiotic chicken, ginseng, morel, truffle

“Crisp” - Seasonal fruit tart palate cleanser

“Meat of the Day” - Sous vide then grilled lamb chops marinated in Korean soybean

“Hanwoo” - Korean beef steak, seasonal greens

“Guksu” - Delicate noodles in broth served with banchan

“Dark Garlic” - Cheese, dark garlic, makgeoli

“Sesame” - Sesame oil, sweet corn, yakgwa

“Jang Trio” - Ganjang, doenjang, bochujang

Overall I enjoyed my first Korean Michelin-starred experience. Service was excellent, albeit a bit awkward at times when there were some limitations with English. A few of the courses were quite good. I particularly liked the “vegetable” course that felt like it was exactly the representation of Korean-influenced fine dining I was looking for. The red mullet dish was also quite delicious.

That being said, I could see where some people felt the Michelin guide was too easy on its first few editions in Seoul. While a delightful meal, I didn’t feel it was up to par with other two star restaurants I had been to. Based on my experiences, I’d say Mingles would have been more appropriately rated as one Michelin star.

 

Mingles
19 Dosan-daero 67-gil, Cheongdam-dong
Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
+82 2-515-7306
www.restaurant-mingles.com