Am I Living to Eat?...Chicken Dinner (Tongdak Party)
This past week I went to a chef pop-up with my dear friend, Peyton. The pop-up, known as "Tongdak Party", is held once in a blue moon by chef Kyungbin and his wonderful and incredible partner, Jasmine. And this event is known amongst its loyal fans for having featured plentiful drinks and delicious and different takes on Korean cuisine. The "Tongdak" in the event title refers to a traditional Korean-style fried chicken, and as such, my friends and I have come to refer to this pop-up event as "Chicken Dinner".
This was my third time attending one of these chicken dinners, having been introduced to the power duo and their amazing culinary event last Summer by my friend and colleague, Ava. However, it had been some time since the last event as Kyungbin had placed the "Tongdak Party" on an indefinite hiatus due to a new full-time engagement. But due to recent changes, such as Kyungbin and Jasmine becoming engaged (congratulations!), they've reopened their kitchen to us plebians in order to raise funds for their upcoming wedding.
The set menu this time seemed to be structured around the Korean perilla leaf as it served as the throughline for each part the meal. I love the Perilla leaf for its earthy, herbaceous flavor that it brings to any dish it's included in. It's may not be as sharp or pungent as other herbs, but it holds its own weight when integrated into a dish.
We started our meal with delicious drinks provided by the service staff @jilli. I picked the Seoul Mule while my friend tried the Pay Raise, drinks that we found to be better fits for the other person. The Seoul Mule was familiar at first blush, but one sip immediately revealed the taste of plum that hid behind the Mule disguise. The Pay Raise was a drink made with Makgeolli, Korean rice wine, cinnamon and a cream top. I was genuinely surprised to see how they were able to take such a simple traditional alcohol and elevate it in a new form that matched the tastes of more contemporary diners.
Our first plate of the night was the grilled shrimp mandu. The name of this dish did little to prepare me for what to expect. In my mind I held a vision of a classic dumpling with doughy skin and meat inside, as is expected with more traditional korean-style mandu. And yet what was presented was an entirely new dish: a whole grilled prawn, with the dumpling portion wrapped around its center. The skin of the mandu forgo the usual dough peel in favor of a perilla leaf and held together a mix of both pork and beef filling. It was an exquisite dish to open the whole night with. We were encouraged by Jasmine to bite and eat the head and the tail of the prawn. And although Peyton and I did try the first mandu in that fashion, we deigned to eat the second differently as the textures of the shells and heads were a bit tough to ignore.
The next dish was maakguksu and a personal favorite of the night. This noodle dish had a simple, light sauce made of soy sauce and perilla oil, which was much appreciated after the sheer flavor and texture bombs that were the shrimp dumplings that came just before. The crispy, fried seaweed and the sesame seeds sprinkled on top added texture that broke the monotony of the soft noodles. The herbs in tandem with the perilla oil added a depth and earthen taste that permeated throughout the entire dish. I, being the ever eloquent poet when imbibing, summarized the dish that night as tasting "like a mountain if a mountain were noodles".
The crown jewel of this course, an opinion I don't believe would be contested against by Peyton, was the pork belly. Perfectly soft while not being greasy, the pork was placed upon a tofu puree and topped with various herbs. We were doubly impressed that Peyton, a hater of fatty pork cuts, found this dish to be as enticing and delicious as she did. But it's no surprise that this pork belly was able to win her over! The meat was light and fragrant. Each bite was fresh and distinct, and impressed in a way that one would never expect from a pork dish. The experience was so new, initially, I struggled to even understand what I was tasting and if I enjoyed the experience at all. But in the end, we walked away from this dish thoroughly having our socks knocked off at the sheer genius of Kyungbin's mind.
The additional supplement to the meal was another grilled prawn dish laid upon a bed of buttery lemon potatoes. I'm not going to lie. This was good, but by this point of the night, I was fighting to breathe from how full I was. We ate half of it and then had to call it quits. And despite liking what we were tasting, I couldn't say that this dish left much of an impression as its competitors that came before it were much too strong. It was a solid dish that felt neither as creative nor innovative in comparison. She was a 7 in direct competition with 9's and 10's.
And of course we have to talk about the whole chicken that came afterwards, the "Tongdak" which serves the namesake of this entire pop-up series. It's a hit every single time without fail. The skin of the chicken is perfectly crispy. The meat is beautifully tender. And the sauces provided cover the full range of flavors to make sure that you thoroughly enjoy the chicken in every which way. And although the demons in my head wished for me to engorge upon the chicken all night, the confines of my belly could no longer accept anything more, thus leading to leftovers for another time.
And to wrap it all up, we were served a cold bingsoo. It was a solid dessert! Calmer and less intense in comparison, the bingsoo still featured a variety of textures to keep you engaged. The most memorable part of this dish was the frozen(?), candied mint leaves that served as a garnish. The cold and icy refreshing taste that would burst out of these little frosty leaves was the perfect way to wrap up this whole experience and to cleanse the palette after the flavor bombs that came before it.
For a meal that costs $50 per person, I would have to say this was an amazing meal for this price point. The experience was stellar and the flavors were new and exciting. It's definitely not the kind of food you can find at your average Korean fusion restaurant or even in standard Korean fare. And the whole night was a reminder of why we refer to the whole affair as the culinary "arts". There was so much skill and creativity on display, I feel grateful that I was able to have this experience.
If you're ever in the LA area, feel free to check out Kyungbin's instagram page to snag your own tickets. They go quickly and it's a dinner you won't ever want to miss.
Living to Eat, Eugene