My wine group had its September gathering at Petit Cave, the small wine-centric sister restaurant of bistro Ottimo in Cheongdam-dong. They are in the same building, with Petit Cave aptly in the basement.Whereas Ottimo is a light and breezy atmosphere like a seaside café, Petit Cave is like an English manor out of a mystery movie. (We were told that the furniture was indeed imported from England.)
Soft lighting + point-and-shoot camera = blurry photos
The menu is shared by both restaurants.
We started with a bunch of appetizers and some bubbly. Not champagne, but a casual Cremant d'Alsace.
The pastas were excellent. The most unique being a sea urchin and sea squirt (ascidian) pasta, which was like eating a mouthful of fortified sea. We were told that even hardcore seafood lovers had different opinions about it; an acquired taste, either you hate it or love it. I personally loved it.
Vongole pasta with a helluva lot of shellfish and salmon cream pasta with citrus fruit. The lamb was pretty good as well.
Their wine cellar was small but stocked with a great selection, with emphasis on wines from Bourgogne, which are quite popular in Korea at the moment. They had a pupitre on display.
The Petit Cave's manager and sommelier is Lee Jae Kyu, who has won awards in this field. Ultra-friendly and very knowledgeable. 
What we consumed that night. Guess which one is the Shiraz. (Too obvious, eh?)
Neither Ottimo nor Petit Cave have a homepage yet. Situated in the Cheongdam district but more commonly thought as in Apgujeong, it's in the Burger King alley right across from Rodeo Street. Reservations recommended.
Tel : (02) 518-1946 or 1947
1 comment:
Asides from eating it at western restaurants, is lamb readily available in Korea. I am a sucker for it and would prefer it to beef anyday of the week.
Post a Comment