Beijing Boyce

Three things regularly amaze me about King-Tai Chow of Saveurs de Coree: 1) he and partner Eunjung Yoo serve consistently good Korean food, no easy feat as they have to hustle between two restaurants, 2) he has not reported anyone crashing through those glass dividers inside, and 3) he continually mentions things that make me think, “WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS!“

In regard to point three, last night he showed me a huge glass container of ginseng-infused soju. That might not seem like a big deal except the ginseng has been in there since November of 2007!

That means Chow infused it when Nanluoguxiang was still an up-and-coming area, with perhaps a dozen key spots such as Salud, Plastered, Xiao Xin’s and Sandglass. The ginseng — he imported it from Korea, “because it’s the best”, says Chow — has been in there as NLGX grew for better or worse into a major destination for cafe, restaurant, bar and snack seekers. And even though my photo below is poor quality, you can see he didn’t skip on the root.

Look for this infusion to appear on the menu at the Ju’er Hutong branch at rmb40 per pour — that reflects how many years it has aged (four) and how much you get (40 ml) — and to be paired with a treat.

Chow says that when he used to serve it to customers, some didn’t like it — they found it too strong, earthy, medicinal — with those from southern China and Korea being most amiable. I can vouch that it is concentrated: taste that Korean terroir! And that I enjoyed the story behind this infusion and both trying something both new (in terms of experience) and relatively old (in terms of how long it has been in that jar).

Two other things:

• Chow has only part of one jar left, so, as they say, “supplies are limited”. Also, if you get that bibimbap set with this, a heads up that the spiciest sauce is gonna make you sweat.
• Look for the other Saveurs de Coree, up the street ini Xiang’er Hutong, to do a special deal on April 3, with either bibimbap or barbecue, plus one Korea-themed cocktail at rmb69. Also look for Stephanie Rocard of Mao Mao Chong to be behind the bar that night. More on this soon.

Welcome to part thirty-three of the Must Tries Series, which asks people working in the Beijing bar and restaurant business for the top picks from their menus. This time I went to Saveurs de Coree in Ju’er Hutong and talked to King-tai Chow. I don’t have a photo of Chow so the one below of the restaurant’s bibimbap will have to do. For more on the food, also see Taste test: The new Saveurs de Coree in Nanluoguxiang.

~

~

What is the must try starter at Saveurs de Coree?

Our sauteed tofu. It’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with our special onion sauce. It’s extremely simple and takes five minutes to prepare. It’s tasty and full of protein and vinegar, which are good for the body. The onion sauce is very yummy. I like the combination of crispiness and the sour bite.

What is the must try main?

It’d be boring to say bibimbap but it’s good because we use fantastic local organic rice, from Heilongjnang, and fresh veggies with our homemade sauce. We have three sauces–a mild sauce, which is principally fermented bean paste (doenjang), a mildly spicy sauce with red pepper paste (kochujang), and then the hardcore spicy one.

What is the must try drink?

Our house-infused pomegranate soju. It’s got this sour edge and it’s purely Korean. The whole concept is from Korea, it’s popular there. Our customers like it.

What are a few must tries at other places?

Mao Mao Chong: I like the cheese pizza, it’s lovely. Simple but extremely tasty. Some of the best pizza I have ever had,  really.

The Box: I lived in Montreal before and being able to have poutine a few minutes away from the door is good.

Note: If the above dishes sound good, try the weekday set lunch at Saveurs de Coree, as it includes both the bibimbap and sauteed tofu, as well as some side dishes and tea, for rmb59.

-

Look for Korean restaurant Saveurs de Coree to officially open in Ju’er Hutong, a few dozen meters from its first and former spot* on the Nanluoguxiang strip, within the next week. We got a group of 16 people together last night** and if what we tried is any indication expect much the same menu and quality as at the original. The sliced tenderloin marinated in pear juice is tender and loaded with flavor, the seafood pancake came topped with a generous amount of meat, and the spicy tofu (sundubu) went well with the organic rice from Heilongjiang although I found this dish too mild for my liking — bring the heat! All in all, we had six options, with the others being chicken wings (six pieces, deep fried, with diced cabbage), fried mackerel and dolsot (stone bowl) bibimbap. These dishes normally cost rmb49 to rmb69, though for this tasting the restaurant gave us a 40 percent discount, thanks to co-owner King-Tai Chow. We also had Vedett beer, from Nick Papa at Duvel Moortgaat, at rmb15 per bottle. And, in a fun twist, some of the back bottle labels included photos of some of the restaurant’s employees. All in all, a good night and another reason to head to the Nanluoguxiang area. I can myself spending a few evenings this fall in that Saveurs de Coree courtyard…

-

* A space that remains unused at the moment. Drastically raising the rent and causing the tenant to leave tends to be a good strategy only if you have someone else to take it over.

** Specifically, for a “tweet-up”, which just means picking a bar and restaurant, suggesting to your contacts on Twitter to meet there, and seeing who is game. I’ve previously organized Beijing tweet-ups at George’s, Q Bar, Nasca Cafe, Blue Frog, Bomb Shelter Bar and Switch, among other places.

-

(Photos by Peter Carney and Geraldine Cuason)

-

I posted last week that Korean retail shop Seoul Express is open in Ju-er Hutong, just off the Nanluoguxiang strip, and that adjoining Korean restaurant Saveurs de Coree should join it within a week or so. The restaurant includes three dining rooms and a courtyard, and co-owner King-tai Chow says patrons can expect food similar to that at the original NLGX spot, in contrast to the BBQ focus of his current restaurant about 500 meters away. Here are six photos of the place, courtesy of Saveurs de Coree….

-

The Saveurs de Coree team has opened a Korean retail shop that adjoins a courtyard restaurant it will launch within two weeks just off Nanluoguxiang proper. The shop is called Seoul Express and stocks instant noodles, power drink Bacchus-F, candies, frozen treats, juices, spaghetti sauce, even green tea noodles, among other items. (Seoul Express — 6401-6083 — is at 20 Ju’er Hutong. If you are at Reef Bar, walk south, turn left at the first corner, and you will soon be there.)

More exciting is the new Saveurs de Coree, just a hop, skip and jump from where the original restaurant stood on Nanluoguxiang, which was among the first to open in that area. The layout includes a courtyard as well as three dining rooms that seat six to thirty people at tables of two to four. The decor includes traditional and modern touches, in both the furniture and art, and exposed roof beams. (It reminds me of an airier version of some tea shops found in Insadong in Seoul.) Co-owner  King Tai says the menu will feature stews, snacks and other fare from the original, as distinct from the current Saveurs de Coree, another hop, skip and jump to just off Jiaodaokou South Street, which is focused on barbecue, although it does a mean cinnamon and maple syrup pancake.

I’ll have some photos of the new restaurant up shortly…

\