Today we were Keumsan, a newer authentic Korean restaurant, that I discovered just last year. I have since been raving about them and recommending to others. So today we were back in to to try their newest Korean comfort dishes, which included two brand-new Sot Bap creations from Chef Taeshik. This we had along side a curated selection of their other signature items.
It was wonderful to see how busy they were today, with a steady line of bodies waiting for a table outside.
We started with their Spicy Salmon Salad. This is fresh raw salmon over greens; drizzled with sweet, sour, and spicy dressing. This was a lovely and light way to jump start the appetite, plus prepare the palate for the flavours to come. You could taste the quality of the salmon, with its incredibly silky and smooth mouthfeel. There was so much flavour in the spicy sauce that you definitely need the greens to help buffer.
As is the case with most Korean restaurants, Keumsan too offers complimentary sides. A dish of kimchi, pickled radish, and sweet tofu to nibble on in between bites, or to help refresh the palate.
Each Sot Bap also includes a bowl of miso soup, that came to start. It was nice to have, but very salty on its own. I did appreciate how much seaweed and tofu was included, to be able to add some texture into each spoonful.
The Flying Fish Roe Sot Bap is new. It is raw flying fish roe, pickled radish, pyogo mushroom, butter-scrambled egg, seaweed, and their house Keumsan aioli. There is typically butter spread over the rice, however, my guest tonight is lactose in tolerant, so we forego-ed it for her sake.
All their rice dishes are cooked speedily with the aid of a specialty, single serving pressure cooker. When said pressure is released, it is quite the literal smoke show. This speaks to the restaurant’s goal of treating rice as more than just a side dish. They believe that when prepared with care, it elevates every flavour on the table and reveals the sincerity of the kitchen behind it.
I liked this one for its texture. The tiny poos from the eggs that tickled the tongue and sides of your mouth. Although I found it a little lean as is, so I depended on the share meat plate below, to round out the bowl here.
The other new rice dish served in a hot stone bowl was the Steak Sot Bap. This is beef steak with butter-roasted bread crumbs and Keumsan aioli. If this sounds and looks amazing, you can try it at discount on Thursdays for the promotional price of $22.95. This is while limited quantities, at a first come, first serve basis. Otherwise it is $24.95 every other day.
This was basically steak over rice, already cut into bite sized chunks, with the addition of one of their iconic soft boiled eggs that you self crack into the bowl and stir up. The egg helps to bind everything together with the crispy rice. The buttery bread crumbs offer a nice crunch, the greens some freshness, and the mushrooms umami for a fully balanced dish.
Looking for even more meat, then I suggest the Braised Beef Short rib. A plate of tender soy sauce-braised beef short ribs simmered with wood ear mushrooms, radish, carrots, and pyogo mushrooms, topped with roasted walnuts and pine nuts. Its preparation reminded me of Chinese style veggies with both a firm texture and a softness that almost melts. As is, I found the dish a little too flavourful and in need of rice as a balancer. That is where we found the above helpful and its sauce a nice add-on to the sot bap.
Another one of Keumsan’s iconic dishes is the Soon Dubu, which is soup bubbling in a hot stone bowl. Each stew includes soft tofu, zucchini, pyogo mushrooms, seasoned bean sprouts, wood ear mushrooms, scallions, and sesame oil. They vary by protein, where you can choose between beef, shrimp, dumpling, or seafood. You also get to pick your heat level between a non-spicy soybean beef broth or their regular spicy Keumsan’s spicy beef broth. We had the latter with baby cuttlefish and didn’t find it all that hot, it was more just their neon red hue. And the cuttlefish was fun for its soft rubbery chew.
This dinner was designed to give us a clear sense of the direction of their restaurant, the flavours they focus on, and the heart that they put into each dish and that showed. As taken from the press release, “After over 25 years in kitchens across Korea, Japan, and Canada, Chef Taeshik Kim concluded that true cuisine is not about dazzling techniques, but about honouring the basics and cooking with sincerity”.
The best way to enjoy their food is with guests, to be able to order multiple sets then mix and match the flavours of each. The soup with the rice and short rib was delicious together. Everything makes for a complete and fantastic family-style share meal.
Keumsan Restaurant
8363 Granville St, Vancouver, BC V6P 478
(236) 833-7896
linktr.ee/keumsanrestaurant
