Fri 8 Aug 2008
It is hard to approach a dish with an open mind when the service has you so fuming that you consider walking out of a restaurant before you’ve even ordered. And this Chef Rachel Yang, is my concern.
You are a genius. An absolute flavor genius. The way you infuse a Korean sense of balance in to your dishes inspires and delights. Especially to a couple who lived in Seoul for 4 years and ached for a bridge between the popularity of foreign restaurants and the local cuisine. Your wild boar bacon with roasted corn and pickled onions? A masterpiece. As was your short rib egg roll with jicama and mole sauce. Those perfectly tender morsels of short rib dressed with the smoky mole wrapped up like precious jewelry in a silk scarf was dynamite. I don’t even have words to describe the bison hanger steak and a chimichurri sauce except that it was by far one of the best bites I’ve had all year. Expertly cooked, rosy and tender in the middle with a beautifully browned crust dotted with salt and this slices of preserved garlic gets Joule my vote for best steak house (not to mention elevated the status of preserved garlic from bench to starter in my playbook).
But the service? I’m dumbstruck.
After making a reservation we were given the absolute worst seat in the house, segregated in the very back. All throughout dinner I my gaze was met by the exposed wiring under the reach-in. We brought our own wine, nothing I’d save for an Open That Bottle Night, but we had pre-chilled it at home, here it was mishandled to the point where it sat out for 20 minutes before even getting in an ice bath (if you call filling an bucket with ice then trying to jam the bottle into it an ice bath- i’m thinking ice+water, or put the wine in first, then cover with ice). We sat for 20 minutes unattended to with those sitting well after us having their order taken at least 5 minutes before ours by a more attentive waiter, and after a sweltering wait, my husband had to finally ask a passing server to open out wine- which she did, soundlessly, no excuse, no apology.
As Joule is not white tablecloth, I can’t expect 5 star service. Joule was busy last Friday with a full house and at least one seating turnover while we were there. I’d like to think it was an off night. Perhaps your staff was stressed, or disorganized, or some other excuse that is logical to someone who works in the industry, but their complete lack of customer awareness had me seething. Rachael, your food is one of the most standout in our city, please inspire you servers to carry your passion for excellence into their service.
I greatly look forward to my next visit to Joule, this time though, I’m sitting at the counter.
April 19th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Hey Mary, I wanted to let you know that your kimbap article was a big hit in the magazine and I’ve seen quite a few ragtag copies being carried around by newbies. E-mail me your address and I’ll send you a copy. Also, I just wanted to let you know that Rachel Yang will be visiting Seoul to be the special guest at a rice cake fair. I’m sorry to hear that the service wasn’t all that great, but I’m sure if you drop hints that you had been in Seoul she’ll bump you up.
Thanks!
Dan
7th Seoul International ‘Tteok’ Fair
The 7th Seoul International ‘Tteok’ Fair, held on May 8th and 9th, will be a celebration of this time-honored Korean delicacy. Tteok or Korean rice has significant importance in Korean culture. The rice cake is eaten on the wintry, New Year’s Day to signify luck, purity, and another year of life. It is decorated with flowers to welcome spring. To battle the summer heat, rice cake pearls swim in honeyed water with pine nuts. In fall, red bean tteok is eaten to ward off bad luck.
This year’s fair will have seminars, exhibitions, and activities for all ages. This year will truly be an international competition because it will have the first international rice cake competition. This competition will be open to non-Korean nationals and the first place contestant will win 2 million won (1,800 dollars). This competition will be on May 8th at 3pm. There will be competitions for Koreans as well on both days.
The special guest for the event is Chef Rachel Yang. Her Seattle restaurant Joule (www.joulerestaurant.com) was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123639056889058949.html). Her dish, Dorade with Almond Piccata, was picked by Food and Wine as one of the best dishes of 2008. (http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/best-restaurant-dishes-of-2008)
Her restaurant Joule has won awards and accolades from many publications in Seattle including the Seattle Times, Seattle Post and the Seattle Magazine. Chef Rachel Yang was also a semi-finalist for the 2009 James Beard award.
This graduate of Brown University has worked at the prestigious Alain Ducasse restaurant in New York and she has also had the good fortune to work with Chefs Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller. This French-trained chef will be giving cooking demonstrations of her Korean inspired dishes on both days of the fair.
Doors open at 10am and the event will be held at the aT Center in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, South Korea. Please visit http://www.kfr.or.kr for more information.
Contact Soo Hyang Choi at soochoi@paran.com or call at 02.741.5477 / 010.4272.1900 to ask questions and to make reservations for the rice cake making classes.