Mingles Seoul

Culinary collaboration is much more than just putting two chefs or teams to cook together. Sometimes even you put the most amazing chefs side by side, they just don’t have the chemistry.

But for Chef Mingoo and Jeremy, I actually think they have a lot of similiarities. Their cuisine is always full of originality. Mingoo is very good at showcasing the subtlety of Korean flavors, and Jeremy is now very controlled in using African spices and flavors.

In their dishes there are always the elegant finesse AND the comforting side, and hence you can still feel satisfied even it is fine dining. As mentioned their desserts always span beyond just sweet, savory and sour, so I always enjoy their meals till the very end.

And their synergy is reflected in the dishes of this collaboration. It is amazing that even African and Korean flavors seem like they have nothing in common, you can tell where in the dishes came from Mingles and what was made by Ikoyi, but all the elements and flavors blended in so well. You don’t find a disconnection in the menu, every course had a sense of Mingles x Ikoyi which is how things should be done in a collaboration.

At the end of the day, food brings people together. It brought the two chefs to cook together, and it brought even more chefs and friends together to eat in Seoul. I was so happy to have attended this four hands, especially when I could share this meal with my bros @twins_kitchen and Taiwanese family @elsaywhattt @brian_the_lee , catching up with friends from around the world, and also revisited Seoul and explored something new in the city ❤️ Less

I always enjoy the desserts at both Mingles and Ikoyi because both places like to make “sweets” that extend the flavor profiles beyond the common sweet, sour and savory.

A TANGERINE SORBET with perilla leaf granita and vanilla (pic 3) refreshed our palates esp with the perilla leaf accent which was very Korean.

I LOVED the PEA ICE CREAM, made with heirloom field pea from UK of which the pinkish tone tunred into beautiful light color; at the bottom was rice pudding by Mingles’ team and finished with deodeok caramel (pic 1). Deodeok is an common ingredient in Korean cuisine but it is also widely used in Chinese cuisine (called 沙參in Hong Kong), mainly just for soup in dried form. Its mild bitterness made a unique bitter caramel with more earthiness. The texture was almost like a smooth and thick mashed potato in a way (pic 2). It was totally my kind of dessert.

The petits fours were also not the common variety. Pink pepper Meringue with Korean Strawberry and Pine cone marinated in 12-year-old honey (pic 4-5) by Ikoyi was so cute 😍with layers of textures and flavors from the nature.

Gamtae Joo-ak by Mingles (pic 6), a small fried doughnut made with Gamtae (seaweed) gave a savory finish (the particular umami from seaweed) in Korean flavor.

Side note: normally I would have chosen Fritz coffee (pic 7, nice cup) but they said there was an option of Jerusalem Artichoke Tea (pic 8) , I was intrigued. Turned out it was so fantastic, actually if you don’t tell me I would have thought this was from nordic countries. Apparently this is quite common in Korea, I bought a few packs now in shipment to my apt in Japan (somehow they have it in Hokkaido too!)

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After the signature plantain from Ikoyi, we had the Mingles’ signature GEUMTAE (nodoguro) with cabbage “seon” (pic 4). I remember Mingoo told me that the cabbage terrine is done by taking the thinnest part of the cabbage and cooked in anchovy and clam broth. The texture was so delicate and resonated so well with Ikoyi’s black peppercorn broth which leveraged the aroma and controlled level of spiciness.

Acorn Jelly and Abalone are common j ingredients at Mingles but this smoked abalone (pic 2) and lightly fried acorn jelly on skewer with dried anchovy and black truffle (pic 3) only happened the first time when team @mingles_restaurant worked with @ikoyi_london . Imagine the most humble ingredient under the sea and the most expensive item under the ground were put together as the toppings of this gooey fried jelly. Seemed like a crazy idea but it worked!

The last main course was HANWOO (pic 5-6) which had such a different texture compared to the beef they used at Ikoyi - It was really bouncy and tender (pic 7), more gentle in beef flavor than the British cow but complemented with lots of flavored from the chili oil & roasted pinenut, as well as the morel “mandu” and spring namul (pic 8).

We did not get a jollof rice with the beef; instead we got ABALONE RICE with Jerusalem Artichoke and Ginseng (pic 9), like the same idea of surf and turf (beef and lobster rice) at Ikoyi but instead of lobster we had Korean abalone and ginseng. The liver sauce hidden under the abalone was a surprise!

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For me the whole point of collaboration should be creating dishes contributed by each team that you cannot find in their own restaurants. Otherwise I might as well just go to those restaurants separately and the dishes are probably better executed in their own kitchens.

In this collaboration by @ikoyi_london and @mingles_restaurant , I can see the collaborative touches in each course, and with Ikoyi’s and Mingles’ flavors mingled together expressed through Korean ingredients.

For instance the array of amuse (pic 2-3) featured Ikoyi’s Smoked Yellowtail Tart with Spring namul from ulleng island; a skewer of Korean style Black Pudding from Mingles adorned with Ikoyi condiments;

Pork Belly & Kimchi Toast (pic 4) was the Korean version of the drunken chicken toast in Ikoyi, flavored with Mingles’ oiji & kimchi. It was SO SO delicious. Wow moment.

Hweh course (pic 5) comprised of “Wild Flounder, Water parsley, Jeju Tangerine Ponzu” & “Winter Mackerel, Plum Doenjang, Pumpkin seed Miso”. You can immediately tell the Korean vs Ikoyi components and they worked in such harmony.

Langoustine replaced Ikoyi’s signature octopus, fried in Wild Rice & Yeasted Béamnaise, with additional flavors from Mingles’ condiments (pic 6)

My favorite course at Ikoyi 2.0, saffron custard now made with Korean clams and squid, providing more subtle flavor, the taste of Korean sea (pic 1).

Korean juk is transformed by the two teams - Angelica & Crab Porridge, Spring onion Jangajji (video 7) was so full of layered flavors and textures. Bold yet comforting.

It does not seem to be a complete meal when Ikoyi is cooking but not having Ikoyi’s plantain. We had it here but flavored with mingles condiments. The spiciness from Korean gochujang (chili sauce) turned its identity into Asian.

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(SWIPE FOR MORE PICS) Jang Trio (Pic 1-2) is the dessert from Mingle in Seoul
since day 1. It is also in Hansik Goo. The 3 “Jang” referred to :

Ganjang (Soy Sauce)
Doenjang (Fermented Soy Bean Paste)
Gochujang （Fermemted Chilli Paste）
and they were incorporated in the dessert with vanilla I ice cream, Doenjang (Soy bean paste) Creme brûlée, Ganjang (soy sauce) glazed pecan and rice puff dusted with Gochujang powder.

You can imagine the savory, sweet and spicy taste (even the flavor is S trio 😜 ) but the more important point is Chef Mingoo’s intention to allow customers experience Korean ingredients in a way that they wouldn’t expect and imagine and how far he can go with his free style on Korean flavors.
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Dark Garlic, Cheese, Makgeolli (pic 3-4) consisted of Makgeolli ice cream with lemon juice , dark garlic meringue, cheese mousse cake, and lemon confit. When I was in Seoul last year every new style restaurant has a Makgeolli dessert. It actually reminded me a bit of sake kasu flavor when make into desserts in Japan, which I really love.

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(SWIPE FOR MORE PICS)
Palate Cleanser: Kiwi 🥝, Pickled Green Plum, Pine Nut Puree. Super sour. Freaking genius

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