royal fig harvest room, korean grill banchan (local eats)
is this a food blog? partly.... if I enjoyed it, I'll share. same as places, events and music... but this entry is all about food, pickled food.
ROYAL FIG CATERING HARVEST ROOM:
our friends over at royal fig catering have expanded to include a dining room that seats up to 40. the additional space is set up to host rehearsal dinners, office parties or whatever special event you would like. they also host a regular supper club (byob). we are hoping to attend one of their supper club events soon.
we enjoyed a small sampling of what they can offer when they hosted an open house this past week to show off the new space.
watermelon gazpacho was refreshing way to kick start the evening.
the drinks were too sweet for me, and this opinion was shared by a few yelpers we sat with. they were delicious... but one or two was enough (rasberry mint margarita and spicy guavarita). we seemed to prefer the spicy guavarita.
they pickle everything in house and this really results in a nice final product. fresh pickled... almost sounds like an oxymoron but it's what you want. any clod can open a jar and dump stuff onto a serving plate, this is where experience, training and attention to detail make an event/meal a special occasion and not just filler.
pork belly with fried oyster. the oyster was perfectly done, crispy on the outside yet not over cooked/rubbery inside. YES!
KOREAN GRILL (CHINA TOWN):
we made the day-trip to the big asian market way up north. had a quick snack at korean grill. we'd eaten there a few years back and remembered the great service we received from the young korean girl with the texas accent. we went back and were very glad we did. the kimchi pancake (center below) was delicious and we really enjoyed the banchan (all the little side dishes that come along with your meal)
the happy girl beamed with pride as we complimented the pickled items. she explained "my grandmother makes it the best!" she pointed to a few and noted what was grown in their garden at home and pickled themselves. they order the seeds from korea and these vegs can't be purchased at the big MT asian market next door. we felt so privileged.
some guys at a table next to us were also raving about the kimchi. they asked what brand it was, where can they buy some, "this is the best kimchi we've ever had!". she had to break it to them that they make their own and don't sell it "but I can box some up for you to take home, no additional charge"
yes, we all felt like family at the korean grill. I didn't care for the beef bulgogi but that should be no surprise as I'm not a fan of eating beef.