Last Spring Jeju — Restaurant in Jeju

Not sure how this place has such good reviews. Food was alright albeit not great, but the service was terrible. Much better food and service elsewhere in Jeju for the price.

We went out to take pictures before the meal started and the waitress insisted very rudely that we return for dinner. Another table (caucasian Americans) did the same and were not rebuked in the same manner, and in fact were consistently given much better service than us. We booked using an app and prepaid. After paying, we realised that we might have been overcharged if the amount on the app was not refunded. When we went back 5 minutes later to clarify, the same rude waitress asked in a curt tone if we had problems with the bill and asserted that she had other customers to tend to. Her facial expression also implied that we were raising issues because we had trouble paying the bill. We were informed that we had to order a drink. We were not shown any drinks menu or price list. As my dinner companion was driving, we requested for a non-alcoholic lemonade. When the bill arrived, the bottle of simple lemonade was more than USD 60--the most expensive lemonade I've ever had. There was nothing special about it either.

Edit: Reviewed the comments below from the restaurant and the management is clearly unapologetic and uninterested in any feedback that isn’t entirely positive. I’ve since edited my review from 2 stars to 1 star in light of their comments below: if their concern was sticking to the time limit for dining they simply could’ve said so instead of reacting rudely when patrons go out to take photographs at a sea view restaurant—we would’ve been happy to oblige—indeed as acknowledged by management it was an arduous drive to the establishment and we spent over 2 hours commuting there and back to our hotel. Even if we were around 15-20 minutes late to the restaurant, it is entirely reasonable that a grace period be allotted to customers for slight delays in travel. Moreover, it is quite common for customers to begin dinner with drinks before proceeding to order food courses and their impatience in the matter is bewildering and made the dining experience entirely unpleasant. This later spilled over into our enquirers over the bill and the server’s rude responses to our queries. She even went as far as to assert she had other customers to tend to and did not want to initially engage discussing the items on the bill. The response from the establishment further makes clear they have no qualms charging insane prices for their compulsory drinks order with no price list, as stated in my original review, they charged over USD 50 for lemonade. It is not that we were not willing to pay for drinks. It is that the restaurant engages in unreasonable pricing and practices. When this is highlighted, their response is that customers should be prepared to pay for drinks, with no response whatsoever as to the lack of provision of a drinks list with transparent prices provided. It would be one thing for the establishment to charge USD 50 for a bottle of wine. It is quite another to charge over USD 50 for a bottle of lemonade without first informing the customer...

I’m a tourist from south east Asia. I was very certain I wanted to experience fine dining in Jeju. I did my research and chose Last Spring. It’s one of the best and most memorable dining experience I’ve had because it’s so different from the Western influenced fusion cuisines I’ve tasted (Michelin star restaurants!) Most dishes tasted very Asian and exquisite. Chef Kang doesn’t use western ingredients except for butter and cheese, that explains its Asian flavour. I can be a vegetarian here because all the vegetable-based dishes were so delicious! The restaurant manager could explain the dishes in perfect English so we knew what we were eating. My only gripe is that every table must order either a bottle of wine or sparkling wine. I want to go back and I hope the restaurant would give me an option to order more dishes if a minimum table order is required. I can always eat more haha but I don’t want the beverage. Oh I love the ambiance...

The restaurant looks out to an amazing view of the bay. We were early for dinner and grateful that server Chloe did her best to accommodate us. The menu isn’t extensive with produce sourced locally. Chef Kang cleverly combined traditional Korean with western having worked in Nobu and Joel Robuchon. The cold noodles with sesame dressing was light with an explosive flavour. We really enjoyed the fried butter fish. Though simple and humble in its presentation, the fish was marinated with a beetroot seasoning and extremely fresh and flavourful. The second main was black pork on an ala Robuchon potato mash . The pork was tender and smoky eaten with a special kimchi . The travel to the restaurant took a good 45 min but was well worth...