Jeju Restaurant — Restaurant in Portland

I was really excited about dinner at Jeju. It was my birthday weekend and we love to go out for interesting foods and flavors. I got a rez for a special lunar new year menu and was stoked about snagging a table for a special event. We were sat quickly when we arrived and then waiting nearly 20 minutes for someone to approach the table. We didn’t want to be rude since it was busy, so we waited and waited. When the server finally came, there was no explanation about the process or what to expect, just a “what can I get you” diner vibe. I order a cocktail and it was truly spectacular. Really. But that was the last of it. Our first course hit the table with 4 different dishes laid out and just as we’re trying each of them, in less than ten minutes, the second course hits, crowding the table so that there was literally no place to put your plate.

I mentioned to the server running food that the pacing was too fast and we hadn’t finished anything and I hadn’t been able to order my wine pairing. She gave us a standard “I’ll mention it to the chef” platitude with a quick plate drop and practically ran to the other side of the dining room. As our second course of 3 dishes is getting cold, we’re still working through the first course when our actual server comes back to see if I wanted to try that wine pairing. Obviously not, all the food is here. I tell him the pacing has been brutal and I get the same chef platitude and never saw him or anyone else until we flagged someone for the check.

Thing is, we’re not a bunch of needy Karens. We’re food service people who like fine dining and do it regularly. We love the artistry, the craft, the taste, and the experience. I wanted to give this restaurant more of my money. But based on what I experienced tonight, I probably would have gotten better service at an Olive Garden.

Dessert was crafty and interesting but at $75 a person, why am I splitting a single scoop of ice cream and some bits of peanut nougat with my dining partner? I know the margins are small guys, but seriously.

Fine dining is more than the craft of food. It is also service and atmosphere. The food was fine, probably would have been better had I been able to eat it hot. But the service was abysmal with no acknowledgement at all of how bad it was. Even including waiting for 20 minutes for someone to acknowledge us, we were out of the restaurant in 1 hour. All our courses, drinks (such as they were), and paying in 40 minutes. Like I said, basically an Olive Garden.

I see a lot of reviews here about the regular jeju menu, and I hope it’s a good as they say. But if your service is even a fraction of what we dealt with, you’ll be paying a lot of money for home-style Korean food served with a big side of dismissal and...

All the stars of this review are for the food and restaurant look and feel. The flavors in the banchan were refreshing, we especially loved the egg. The variety of meats in the ssam were delectable and cooked well. The space felt open and lively and featured tasteful, natural decor.

However, the service was so inconsistent it left much to be desired, especially at the price point of a tasting menu + drinks ($200 for two people). To start, the host was noticeably inexperienced. We arrived early ahead of our reservation and asked if we could grab a drink at the bar. The mocktails were delicious but the environment was stale. The host never checked in on us again, and neither did the bartenders. We actually thought they forgot about us because we had to ask if our table was ready and if we could be seated.

Throughout dinner, we seemed to have one main server and other rotating staff members that brought food to our table. We overheard tables around us got warm welcomes, asking "is it your first time dining with us", thorough explanation of the items on their table, and friendly quality checks. We did not receive the same service. When our food was brought out, the tone was almost rude. Our main server also dropped off the bill while we were in the middle of our dessert without saying a word or facing us - they were actually talking to the table next to us while sliding the bill onto our table. Our meal felt rushed and the experience was offputting. In the end, another staff member offered us a bag for our leftovers and only then were we asked if we enjoyed the meal.

From the quality of food and environment, I think it's fair to expect some standard or consistency in service. But instead the vibe somehow came off as both pretentious and inexperienced. A combination I didn't think was possible, and unfortunately too noticeable to be saved by the food.

I hope Jeju figures out how to raise the bar on their service to match its incredible dishes. It would be nice to return and enjoy great food and service. And maybe curate a better playlist that doesn't repeat after 45 minutes. We heard the same song three times...

This is a fraud. Very, very little is Korean. The staff can’t answer any question, they repeat clichés. The kimchi was for racists who hate kimchi. I make it myself. If you ever had good kimchi, you will be angry.

This food is entirely for white people who are afraid of the strong Korean flavors. Kimchi has fermented seafood, ginger, garlic and pepper. Not this Kimchi. It was the worst I ever had.

They give you a serving of dry, stale, rice that they tell you is dolsot. It is not. It is neglected and reheated. I felt sorry for myself after I gave the pile of dehydrated neglect a taste. It ruined the meal.

The main course was a large Cambodian sausage, and two other unmarinated, tasteless meat you ate with the worst Ssamjang sauce I ever had. This is hard to make badly. Garlic, onion, sugar, miso, soy. I have no idea what they removed from theirs.

Overall, this is a place where white people go to be seen sampling expensive ethnic simulations they cannot criticize because they don’t know how it is supposed to be.

I deeply regret spending 275.000 on something the next door Teriyaki would have done better for a third of the price.

I asked a staff member about the grill. It looks like those used in BBQ culture in Uruguay and Argentina. I saw the chef respond to the question and shrug his shoulders. Everyone was very young and callow, ignorant of the food, of the divergence from the Korean norms in favor the fusion people would like understand.

I love Korean food. I like the way the 38th parallel, the sea and the mountains produced four seasons of food. I especially like the way the winter season prompted creativity in preservation and of the ferment that is the distinctive contribution of Korea to the world of taste.

You can imagine I felt betrayed by your confidence game. I came to taste Korea. To deduce from the food the poems of a scholar. Instead, I got a menu that shied from poetry in...