Mingles 밍글스

Trees fill the windows of this second-floor dining room in Cheongdam, where a single tasting menu applies French technique to Korean ingredients. Each plate is only a bite or two, but there are enough of them that nobody leaves hungry, and a single dish often shifts in flavor from the first taste to the last. Some plates lean further into French interpretation, such as golden-eye snapper with oyster foam, chonggak radish and perilla oil. Diners pick hanwoo beef or lamb for the main and either jang-trio or neungi mushroom ice cream for dessert, and the jang-trio's gochujang ice cream lands sweet and salty at once. Staff explain the ingredients and method behind each plate, and a traditional Korean liquor pairing is offered. Tables book out months ahead, valet parking is available, and the restaurant is 400m from Apgujeong Rodeo Station. The meal ends with Jerusalem artichoke tea or an americano and an anchovy-stock pack to take home.