When I was in Vancouver, I had an amazing dinner at Kingyo and they said they had a sister restaurant in Seattle, so naturally, I had to give it a try.  It was Nutkin’s birthday – so it was the perfect excuse to try.  It’s not quite as good as the one in Vancouver, but they do get my respects for their take on Japanese Korean fusion.

uni shooter – sea urchin with seaweed, raw quail’s egg, topiko, and rice; similar to the uni shooter at miyabi’s, but with rice, which makes it a little more difficult to shoot, but it’s tasty none the less. Maybe a little too much rice though – it gets stuck at the bottom long after you’ve devoured the uni

lotus root – spicy, crunchy, served cold with sesame and seaweed vinaigrette; a new way to each this Asian vegetable

ramen salad – firm ramen noodles with cucumbers, peppery arugula, pork bits, and a hint of lime; one of the best dishes of the night

hamachi Carpaccio – think slices of yellowtail, drizzled with a sweet sesame sauce topped with topiko for texture and spring greens to balance; not bad, but the sushi can get a little lost in all the competing flavors sometimes

toro battura – a roll with tuna, jalapeno, a sweet red sauce, and sesame; again, lots of different flavors going on in this roll but it has a nice balance so that none of them is overwhelming

pork belly bi bim bop – rice in a stone bowl with pork belly chunks, seaweed, and a raw egg on top; Korean fusion at its finest. A must try!

Pork belly karage – (not pictured) battered chunks of fatty pork belly with a wasabi or mustard dipping sauce; it was consumed immediately and hence there was no picture. It was delicious – the pork fat blending with the meat being cut by the mustard and contrasting with the subtle crunch of the batter. Thankfully, the batter isn’t too thick but it holds everything together. Even though this is an appetizer dish, it arrived last and well after we had already eaten the other dishes, so save room for it if you order it!

The atmosphere is a dark trendy black in a small space where the bar occupies half of the restaurant. You’ll be able to hear your tablemates talk in here because it doesn’t hold that many people, but there’s minimalist feel to the sparse decoration. The wait staff is friendly and attentive.

Overall, I enjoyed our meal in the company of good friends. It’s creative, yet not entirely too ambitious, and still comforting when it comes to Japanese/Korean food.  It’s not Joule – it doesn’t try to push boundaries or work with too many ingredients, but it is still delicious and worth a try. Perhaps, most importantly though, I want to wish Nutkin a Happy Birthday and hope that we get to have many more dinners like this together to celebrate!

SUMMARY
Overall: happily ever after
Highlights: ramen noodle salad, pork belly karage, bi bim bop
Footnotes: make reservations as the restaurant is tiny; if you like Suika, then you MUST try Kingyo in Vancouver