14.208 Chat Potato (Small Plate)

katch4246

Aug 2

Cycle 14 - Item 208

2 (Wed) August 2023

Chat Potato (Small Plate)

3.5

at Le Freak

-Seongsu, Seongdong, Republic of Korea-

with (CI Book Fair) staff

After quitting my job yesterday afternoon (see 14.207 Tongdak), I did W later that evening that the only way that I'd rescind the resignation would be if my mother apologized, and she appeared to sincere, and I believed that she would henceforth stop nagging/meddling - a possibility that I assessed had a 1% chance of happening. It happened. So I'm staying on. Until the next time.

Mushrooms (Small Plate) (2.5): "mushroom confit, miso butter, poached egg, corn puree, parsley" - technique was fine, but the flavors didn't quite come together.

The Chat Potato small plate was very nice. Described on the menu as "fat-fried potato, pickled fennel, spring onion, truffle oil." The unpeeled baby potatoes (chats) appeared to have been roasted, partly crushed, then deep-fried, making them extremely crispy, especially around the broken bits, while fluffy inside. The fennel provided a nice tangy counterpoint. Couldn't really detect truffle oil, which is fine because truffle oil is so cliché in Korea these days. Not too bad a price point at 7,300 won. Far superior to standard fries. (I'll label the dish as Australian, because the chef trained there.)

In the midst of my on-going potato project (see THE GAMJA PROJECT), I feel more highly attuned to the nuances of potato dishes.

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)