I wanted to squeeze in a meal for my Seoul trip and decided on Soigné in the end. I had plenty of time to spare since my flight landed so early so I slowly made my way there for lunch. There was actually more foreigners and locals so the staffs could speak English pretty well

You will be greeted by this big open kitchen once you enter though you will also be whisked to your seat pretty quickly

Priced at KRW220,000 for lunch, the contemporary 7 course menu focuses on traditional heritage with ingredients from 12 seasons and incorporating fermentation in the food to bring out flavours of what Soigné has to offer

They were very smart to use iPad as the menu and you could flip to see the description and pictures just in case you couldn’t understand what they were trying to say. This was very smart of them

Namul, Hoe-Deopbap, Nurungji

Namul – This was presented so prettily like a flowerbed. I liked that you could taste the fragrance of the herbs, the roasted garlic sauce and the cohesiveness of the deodeok chips that all go very well together

Hoe Deobap – Inspired by the traditional Korean Hwe-deobap, this was a vibrant mix of fresh seafood, rice and vegetables yet with a modern interpretation. This dish was more umami than the first, and you could taste the slight heat from the mustard green + horseradish custard which was a burst of flavours

Nurungji – I thought this was the best and most flavourful. The smokey flavour of the beef tartare was impactful and the chives bring out the fragrance of the dish. There were so many layers in this dish that it was actually quite impressive

Overall, the amuse bouche was all very cohesive together and all 3 dishes actually complemented each other nicely

Minari Mul-kimchi

Minari, Tangerine Juice, Radish, Red pepper, Green Chilli Oil 

The fish is good. While the broth at first I thought was a little light but the very mild tangerine came through and highlighted the striped horse mackerel that was delicately aged to enhance its flavour. The spice was well-controlled so it doesn’t overpower the entire dish. Though I felt the tangerine powder proved no use and mainly for aesthetic purpose. lol. To finish the dish with the broth was like cleansing the palate which was refreshing yet with a sweet spicy depth

Asparagus , Chopped Tomato, Bell Pepper, Nut Paste

You could tell a lot of thought had gone into this dish. One asparagus, yet multiple flavours. For the first cut of the asparagus you could taste the freshness and sweetness of the asparagus itself, then when you move on to the yuba fries, you could taste the crunch and texture. Finally moving on to the last part of tomato and bell peppers for the sweetness and vibrant flavours, yet maintaining the crunch throughout. This was a simple yet very smart dish

Shepherd’s Purse & Perilla

Shepard’s Purse, Lotus Root, Perilla Seeds, Seasonal Fish, Shepard’s Purse Porridge 

Wah. Super good. When I took a taste of the naengi sauce and the foam, it was like a burst of flavours. Fish was done very well and really just an amazing dish itself. I liked the banchan too. Fresh, sweet and a little kick that goes very well with the fish

Abalone & Gim

Abalone was cooked very well. Soft, tender with a slight chewy texture. Shaped like Mandu, packed with mushrooms and scallops and the skin itself was very thin, like soon kueh. Paired with seaweed sauce mixed with squid ink, I’m not that sold on the sauce but I thought the abalone mandu was quite good. Also, they really like the chardonnay I ordered. They spent a long time explaining the wine to me and kept emphasising this dish goes very well with the Chardonnay. I just burst out laughing

Hanwoo Beef

Personally I thought the inside of the beef was good. The meat was tender but the exterior was abit tough. Not sure if it was supposed to taste like this but it felt a little of a roller coaster ride. It was not bad, but not as impressive as the other dishes. The banchan was good, especially the pine nuts so much that the table next to me ask for a refill of the banchan

Maple & Cheddar

Maple & Cheddar, Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup Icecream, Roasted Pumpkin Seed Brioche

Can’t really taste the bourbon but the maple icecream was good. I liked the brioche with the Cheddar cheese sauce. The cheese was light enough without overpowering the dish. It was quite an interesting dessert that was sweet and savory at the same time

Truffle & Potato, Potato Mousse, Truffle Icecream (Add On)

No wonder it’s their signature. This is very good. The potato mousse was so light, wrapped around the truffle icecream. Sitting on a bed of almond, topped with caramel within and enough truffle so you can always taste the sweet and savory flavour. The generous amount of truffle in here really elevated the taste. It was packed with so much flavours. I suggest you should also give this a try

Petite 4: Melon, Green Apple + Cardamon Jelly, Sand Cookie filled with Parmesan and Basil Ganache

I was so damn full at this point. And they really like cheese in their menu. lol. But the cheese cookie was good. It was very light and you can taste the basil in it

The chef came around to give everyone a letter that’s actually a description of the menu and ingredients and the explanation behind it, and it was 3 pages full

I actually liked my meal at Soigné. It’s not your usual kind of Korean cuisine but one where there were alot of thoughts and effort made to ensure each dish has a story to tell. Also with much layers and flavours, the meal was one that was simple but yet with complexity. It’s definitely a place worthing giving a try

Soigné

Sinsa Square, 2F

South Korea, Seoul, Gangnam District, Sinsa-dong