Grano

We were initially planning to go to another steakhouse yet again, but to our dismay, they were closed. I was very hungry, so we decided to try an Italian place I'd been meaning to try out - Grano!

Open kitchen with a chef that has blatantly copied my hairstyle...

We went for the lunch course:

The antipasto was a Japanese Amberjack carpaccio. Perhaps not the most traditional fish for carpaccio, but it was delicious nevertheless. I hear this fish is in season now, which is probably why it tasted so great. The amberjack's taste combined very well with the shallots, capers, and vinegar.

Mmm... raw fish with shallots and capers.

We went for the pizza and pasta of the day for the main course. The pizza of the day was a margherita pizza with buffalo mozzarella. I am normally not a fan of tomatoes in general, but the taste of tomatoes in this pizza was spectacular, both for the sauce and the sliced cherry tomatoes on top. I can finally understand what people mean when they refer to cherry tomatoes as sweet. It was slightly cooked, so it didn't have the raw tomato texture that I can't stand, but it wasn't mushy. Just incredibly delicious.

Mozzarella will never be the same...

The pasta of the day was, for me, the highlight of the meal. There is just something about the combination of slightly undercooked eggs paired with truffle that is irresistible. It reminded me of the tagliolini that I had at Vía Veneto in Barcelona earlier this year. I wish I could say more about this dish, but you have to try it for yourself - words don't do it justice.

Lost for words...

The dessert was almond canoli - crunchy on the outside and rich and decadent inside... how it should be.

The only thing I would change is the coffee. I was expecting an espresso, this being an Italian restaurant and all, but we got a watered down coffee instead. But honestly, at this point I was so utterly satisfied with the meal that I let that slide.

Crunchy canoli and watery coffee

Overall, fantastic meal, and great value. I will definitely be back for more to try their dinner menu as well as a la carte items.

The Barn Prime Steakhouse - ENG

Sometime this year, I made the decision to reduce my meat intake, not because of ethical reasons or health reasons, and much less because it's the trendy thing to do, but rather due to environmental reasons. The rationale behind both sides of the argument has been widely debated, but this is not the point of this post. The point is, I knew I would not be able to swear off meat entirely. Why? Because I love a good piece of medium rare steak. And sometime last week it dawned me... I hadn't had a steak in a while, to the point that I can't remember when the last time was. So we decided to pay a visit to The Barn Prime Steakhouse, located in what is undoubtedly the fanciest part of town, Cheongdam (near Apgujeong Rodeo Station). I don't like large crowds, so we went there at lunch time on a weekday. We were welcomed by a very cozy ambiance and nice interior, with part of a wall displaying their cuts of meat being dry-aged.

Unfortunately, it didn't occur to me that I should take a picture of the meats being dry aged, but you can see part of it in this picture, on the right hand side. Having visited at lunch time, we decided to go for the prix fixe course. I have been known to spend extravagantly on food, but this time I decided to be a little more frugal (relatively speaking, as a 39,000\ + 8,000\ per person meal is still considered quite pricey for most).
On to the food... For starters, we chose a Beef Carpaccio with shallot dressing and Jamón Serrano with cherry tomato confit and orange salsa.

Jamón serrano, or Serrano jamón, according to the menu...

Beef carpaccio 

While not a bad start, I felt there was nothing really special about both of these dishes. I love carpaccio, but this one was a little too... mild? Underwhelming? I'm not even sure what would best describe it, but it was nothing to write home about. As for the jamón, I tend to prefer ibérico over serrano, but I always keep an open mind. The jamón was pretty good, but the salsa accompanying it was too sweet to the point that it overshadowed the jamón, at least to my palate. Admittedly, I am not a big fan of sweetness in foods that are not dessert.

Next up was the Soup of the day, which happened to be a mushroom soup.

This was absolutely delicious. It hit the right notes in my taste buds, with the earthy flavor of the mushroom balanced by the richness of butter and the delicate spice of the black pepper, not to mention the crunch of the croutons. My only regret is that I didn't take longer to savor this, as I devoured it in no time.

And now, the stars of the show...

Prime beef tenderloin steak

Dry aged NY strip loin steak

Oh my... if I had to choose one out of the two, I couldn't. It's like a kid being asked if they like mom or dad better. Chocolate or vanilla. Left eye or right eye.

The strip loin had this smoky flavor exploding in my mouth, but this is the sensation that makes me come back for more. The tenderloin had a texture that felt like a piece of heaven, so tender it just melted as I bit into it. Medium rare steak, I had missed you more than I realized.

Now, onto dessert...

 Tiramisu

Dark chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream

Both of these were delicious, but personally I felt there was a bit too much cocoa powder on the tiramisu. In other words, my palate enjoyed it, but my throat did not. The lava cake, on the other hand, total home run. No more words needed. You just gotta try it.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to The Barn, and I will definitely be back, this time to try the dinner food. If I have to sell some organs to pay for it, why not? I will also post my thoughts about this meal earlier, closer when I eat it so I can describe it better.

Later Alligator!