(Photos courtesy of One Stop Writing Shop)
If you haven’t experienced the magic of Joe Kim’s culinary talents, you’re missing out. After years of spearheading the 5 Fusion kitchen, he and his wife, Laura, opened Yoli. There, Joe, a three-time James Beard Foundation nominee for Best Chef Northwest, honors the flavors from his childhood in Korea, focusing on more traditional offerings at lunch and his modern take on elevated Korean cuisine for dinner.
Since my restaurant review posse and I love Joe’s originality, we opted for the latter. We had intended to have a full meal and share at least a couple of main dishes. We never made it past the starters. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this full on appetizers,” my friend Deborah exclaimed.
Blame it on Joe.
We started the evening by asking if he would be willing to indulge us with a taste of his creative whimsy, which is on full display in the 12-course chef’s tasting menu that’s available Monday through Friday with 24-hour notice. Joe presented us with two dishes — a sizzle platter with pieces of A-5 wagyu and strips of Kalbi short rib for us to sear, along with a bowl of rice and homemade soy sauce and gochujang (savory, sweet, and spicy Korean chili paste) for us to make our own fried rice. Having gone upscale, he then took us to the fair with huge Korean corndogs, a preview of the food truck they’ll be launching next year. Think wagyu wieners surrounded by gooey mozzarella, perfectly panko-crusted and fried, and served on a stick with saffron ketchup and Korean-inspired truffle ranch dressing. Amazing. And I don’t even like corndogs.
Once we turned to the regular menu, I immediately wanted to try all three raw fish ribbon starters. We all loved the delicate strips of silky yellowtail mixed with scallion-citrus pepper oil, crisp Fuji apple and nori caviar. I would happily eat that daily.
The oh-so-tender wagyu beef tartare, with expertly uniform knife cuts, provided a whole new spin on the traditional appetizer, with its crunchy pine nuts, wasabi crème fraiche and sweet pear.
Hard to believe that the best was yet to come, starting with the caviar juk, which featured ostera caviar atop black truffle porridge. Creamy, salty, and smoky, with the perfect amount of lingering truffle, it was divine. And yes, I closed my eyes to better savor each bite.
The Korean fried cauliflower, crusted in rice flour and tossed with gochujang sauce, was both mildly spicy and sweet, and utterly addictive. Ditto for the deliciously balanced kimchi and scallion pancake served with a vinegary sesame-chili sauce.
Still, it’s hard to top the foie gras and brioche toast. With its dots of passion fruit, cherry kimchi, and miso, and small crusty chunks of Korean granola, it was a feast for the eyes as much as the palate.
Yup. Classic Joe. I can’t wait to go back.