BANSANG — Restaurant in San Francisco

Staff was super frIendly, the Yuza cocktail matched well with the food, and the ambience wise it was packed with all tables full but not noisy.

I have been waiting to check this place out and I must say, it was worth it.

Korean fusion fine dining is one of the most difficult restaurant theme to pursue and this place has done a fine job. Some may say it's pricey but the chefs have considered the finest details in plating, sauces, combination of texture in meats, vegetables, and fruits used. In other words, don't pass on the vegetables that might seem to serve aesthetic plating purposes, it's part the full dish experience.

Overall, it felt close to a Michellin star restaurant quality and I'm sure this place will eventually get there as I can see how ambitious and talented these chefs are from the dishes I tried.

Personal comments on the menu I've tried:

Side dishes - Tomato Kimchi, Korean Pickles, Pear Kimchi, Picked Radish. I was so surprised how good the Tomato Kimchi was. Such a cool idea but amazing to see how they actually brought it to reality. Other side dishes were also really good.

Uni Scallop Toast - If you find this too pricey, don't be shy about sharing half with a friend to split the cost. It's worth it!

Truffle Quail Eggs - If you come hungry, you can pass on this and order more main instead.

Kimchi Oysters - I was surprised how well kimchi substitutes the traditional lemon, vinegar, etc.

Steamed Egg Caviar - It's small in portion but feels more like high end creamy souffle with Caviar. Don't expect the traditional Korean steamed egg. Also don't be shy to share with 2, 3 people if you are unsure about trying it out. A spoon or two is still a plenty pleasant experience.

Beef Tartare - I'm a huge raw meat dish fan and I must say this was a really good fusion between Korean / French tartare combination.

Mulhwe - This is one of their signature menu and I love raw fish, so I couldn't pass up on this. Make sure to eat the veggies underneath, I loved the texture it added with the sauce. This dish is like getting a 2 for 1 deal, you get good quality sashimi with plenty of veggies to replace a salad).

Bulgogi Salad - Feels more like thinly cut steak marinated in bulgogi sauce. The lettuce was char grilled for added flavoring. I recommend doing Mulhwe, Pork Collar, Kalbi if you are on a budget.

Lime Soy Chicken - Korean Fried Chicken with sweet and lime tangy flavor. Definitely a good choice for a starter.

Pork Collar - The texture was so soft and the sauces! This will be a dish I order next time I return.

Kalbi - I love the thick cut and the meat quality was good. Also it's my personal opinion but I believe that pan fried or grilled Kalbi at it's perfection brings out this chocolaty taste. It's hard to do because it requires the right combination of sauces and searing level, but you get that quality and experience here.

Rice Cake and Grilled Shrimp - The sauce felt like a mixture of chili paste, tomato, and cream sauce. And I believe there are many out there that really like this combination as it's quite popular in Korea. Rice cakes were fried just right and I liked how the grilled shrimp was fresh and good quality.

Kimchi Fried Rice - Hands down, must try. It's definitely an upgrade from the Kimchi fried rice Koreans are used to.

Banana Milk Ice Cream - Yes, if you like banana milk, try it! It's an upgraded, richer flavored dessert combo of the drink + caramelized banana that is not too sweet...

Korean food is probably one of my favorite cuisine, so I was really excited to try this new place when it opened.

Tip: You can book reservation through tock and there is a deposit of $20 per person + order fee. This will be refunded upon your arrival to the restaurant.

We came here on a Friday night at 7pm and the restaurant was packed. The parking was difficult to find but there was street parking a few blocks away and parking garages nearby.

We ordered a few items-

Mulhwe: Kelp-cured halibut in fermented chili broth the halibut is extremely fresh but I found the sauce a bit too overpowering for me to taste the fish. I enjoy the cucumber and pickled daikon on the side

Steamed egg & caviar: jalapeño chives vinaigrette, potato crunch I was expecting the Korean steam egg but this came completely different. I couldn’t really taste the caviar as there was competing flavor from the potato crunch, which I really enjoyed the contrast in texture.

Uni Scallop Toast: uni and hokkaido scallop This is by far my favorite uni toast in the Bay Area. The portion is generous and I enjoyed the balance among all the ingredients.

Lime Soy Fried Chicken: lime soy sauce, shishito pepper this was our favorite dish, the fried chicken was perfectly flavored and crunchy!

Radish Kimchi Fried Rice: soy braised pork, house made kimchi, poached egg, parmesan cheese this was one of the dishes that surprised me. despite its humble look, it was actually a really well done fried rice. The egg and cheese pairing really tied the tastes together. There wasn’t a really strong kimchi taste though.

Galbi: marinated prime beef short rib with Korean melon kimchi this was very disappointing. the meat was a little tough and not much flavor. I did enjoy the Korean melon kimchi- Who knew this would be so good!

Jang Cream Pasta: Rigatoni, maitake cream I didn’t find this pasta too special, to me it was just a regular cream pasta. I would probably skip this one.

Chocolate cake: Korean blackberry caramel, chocolate mousse, matcha powder This was another dish that surprised me and I really enjoyed it! It is not too sweet and not too mousse-y (i typically don’t enjoy mousse). I didn’t get much of the blackberry taste but this is one dessert I don’t mind having a second.

Overall, this place didn’t blow my mind. I found majority of the dishes too salty/overpowering to my taste. The few dishes I would recommend are uni scallop toast, lime soy fried chicken, and...

Bansang is absolutely genius. Traditional Korean cuisine tends to be heavy and "messy" due to the lost focus on getting both the main dish and the banchan (complementary side dishes) right. Bansang cuts through the chase but transforming each dish into its own identity, whether their roots were street or comfort food or delicacies for the occasion.

By doing what is described above, already it is non-traditional. And yes, Bansang is indeed Korena fusion. But I'd say 80% authentic, 20% progressive (and not the other way around). I think they got this ratio perfectly right.

So you take any tasty Korean classic - let's say the galbi or beef tartare - and obviously need to twist it a bit. Now what the chef has done is preserved the classic, but bring in the "twists" or the ingredients that suggest the reinterpretation in modular ways. For example, you don't grind or puree the mango into the beef tartare, but rather dice it. What this does is it allows your palate to understand the classic beef tartare, but spice it up when you chew through the mango. Same for the galbi where ingredients that go into the wrap are deconstructed, laid out well, with the introduction of asparagus kimchi. Again, you can add it, or not.

My favorite dish was the radish kimchi fried rice. I can absolutely tell you that mincing and dicing is the name of the game here for the ingredients. Radish kimchi is a thumbnail size affair which typically prevents it from being part of any fried rice but thanks to the mincing, it perfectly blends in. And then the half-boiled egg smearing into the rice before one digs in... yum.

Given the restaurant needs to satisfy all background of patrons, the food generally stays in the safe zone - not too spicy, sweet, salty, etc. It also chooses the more straight-forward Korean comfort food hits. Every dish is presented with love and care. My only ask would be to make a bowl of rice available for diners to eat with the dishes as it is such a "habit". It's almost taboo not to provide a bowl of rice even when you are taking away the banchan.

The service was friendly and perfect. The dining hall was classy yet modern. My family absolutely loved the meal.

Bansang is an experience that you cannot get anywhere else. Yes, it is Korean but know that it's not. It's something else but Korean. It's complicated. But you must try it. And yes, it is pricey as the portions are small. However, so worth...