RnD Table

Wow, very impressed! I’ve never had food like this and I think Mike Kim is starting something great. I was there last night and here’s the breakdown:
Sashimi (Hwe Dup Bap) — It’s amazing that even though it’s «deconstructed» korean food, it still tastes very much korean and adds more complexity to the flavors. Sashimi was very good quality and loved the sauce.
Oxtail Dumplings — Are you kidding me? Mass produce this and sell this at Costco! I’ll buy it! I really wish there was more on the plate because it was that good. The peppers it came with really complimented the dumplings. Yum.
Granita (Dongchimi) — Very needed course after the oxtail dumplings. It was very refreshing and a great palette cleanser.
Seafood Waffle — Again, another brilliantly deconstructed dish. Especially the scallop was perfectly cooked.
Chicken risotto (sam gye tang) — Complex flavors… a hint of ginseng but doesn’t overpower the dish. That risotto was so addicting.
Thai Iced tea dessert — There’s nothing korean about this, but who cares. It was yummy. I’ll never be able to «drink» thai iced tea again because the icecream was heavenly. One minor criticism here: A lot of strong flavors in this dish. Lemongrass panna cotta, spiced cherries, ginger snaps, thai basil…
Overall, the experience was very intimate and fun. We got to meet the Master Chef, his partner in crime, and a few other cooks/​servers who are volunteering their time. I felt the chef’s passion for food and I’m sure he’s going to do some amazing things in the culinary field. ‘Nuff said.

I’ve been wanting to try this place since I heard about it, and I love the concept. A experimental test kitchen atmosphere, with promising up and coming chefs who have a passion for food? What more could be better?
Note: the menu is constantly being tweaked and changed from patron feedback. They’ve made some adjustments and substitutions from the first tasting a month ago, I’ve been told. Chef Mike and Chef Conrad with the current menu have been playing with their interpretations of Korean food, mixed in with modern «Westernized» cuisine.
Course 1: Fried Croquette and Fried Oxtail Dumpling. Anything fried is good in my stomach, and I’ve eaten plenty of croquettes. I found the filling a bit underseasoned, and perhaps a bit too soft on the inside. I enjoyed the oxtail dumpling. It has a spicy kick and cooked well.
Course 2: Yellowtail Sashimi, with masago, nori purée, chogochujang, arugala, asian pear and shrimp chips. Beautifully plated. Separately, all the elements are delicious. The shrimp chips were airy and light with shrimp flavor. But mixing in the different components together, lots of contrasts and flavor. Unreal.
Course 3: Dongchimi «Granita». It’s a Korean cold noodle soup tangy flavored ice with tomato guts, Fresno pepper, radish, and an Asian pear. I could drink more of this stuff, it was so good.
Course 4: Chicken Risotto, with chicken, fried onions, pine nuts, scallion garnish and ginseng foam. Rich flavor from the chicken stock it was cooked in. I thought I might be in the minority thinking it was too salty. Very pretty to look at, but the ginseng foam didn’t add anything to the dish. I also think there was too much risotto underneath. I finished most of everything on top and there was still more rice.
Course 5: Shortrib, with tortilla chips, salsa, pickled carrots and guac. It’s supposed to be a Korean-​Mexican mashup, but not quite there. The meat was well seasoned, but a touch dry in the middle, the salsa could have used a bit more heat.
Course 6: Dessert. Watermelon, Coconut ice cream, honeydew cake, strusel crumble, basil, yuzu gel. Beautifully presented. I was not a fan of the honeydew cake in appearance only. Spongy delicious. All the components were outstanding separate, and even putting the pieces together was fantastic. The contrasts of textures and flavors put together was awesome.
Even though the dishes were minimalist and tiny, I was actually quite full afterwards. Kudos to both chefs and their kitchen staff on this tasting. There is a lot of talent in this band of merry men and ladies and you will see them running their own kitchens full time soon.

It looks like I have to be the party pooper. First of all, I LOVE the concept and I can feel Mike’s passion in his food and I really appreciate that. But I felt like I was paying The Bazaar prices for a less than stellar meal. I honestly expected to be blown away by the food if I’m going to pay $ 60.
1) Croquette & Dumpling — The dumpling was good but it was a bit cold when it arrived at our table. Also, the croquette was the star of this dish and that’s something you can get at Persimmon any way. I was not a fan of the slaw.
2) Yellowtail Sashimi — Wow, this one was so beautiful to look at. The flavors were also excellent but it didn’t taste all that special.
3) Granita — This was refreshing, cute and tiny.
4) Chicken Risotto — It was a tad salty but it was my favorite dish of the night, by far. The chicken was so tender and the rice had the perfect consistency. I could’ve eaten bowls and bowls of this.
5) Braised Shortrib — Ok, this was a HUGE letdown. I do love the Mexican garnishes that accompany the shortrib but the meat itself was not cooked well. We’ve all had plenty of shortribs at American restaurants, Italian restaurants, French Restaurants and Korean restaurants and the one I had at RnD was definitely below average. The rib was not tender. When it’s advertised as «Galbi Jjim,» I really expected it to be as tasty as what you can get at Seongbukdong but this version was tough, dry, and not very good.
6) Watermelon — The dessert was beautiful to look at and the honeydew cake was good. The flavors didn’t really seem cohesive to me (but hey, that’s just my opinion).
Again, I do love the concept and I encourage others to give it a try but this is no Ludobites so don’t get too excited.

Wowza!!! The menu was the same as written in the other reviews so I won’t go into detail about each one… but we had an amazing meal.
First off it was Alex’s B-​day and Mike «Q» Kim decided to let everyone know and to sing :) Nice touch. Each course was cooked to perfection and the attention to detail was outstanding. Stevie’s favorite course was the 3^rd course (Dongchmi), and Alex’s was the dessert. The concept of RnD Table (Research and Development) is great, giving aspiring chefs a chance. If there’s someone who can take Korean food to a whole new level that’s Mike and Conrad. Way to go guys, we can’t wait for the new menu!!!

6 courses, and not one miss-​step. My personal favorite was the take on Hwe Dup Bap… a yellowtail sashimi with chogochujang, perilla leaf, seaweed laver, arugula, Asian pear and masago. The carbonated watermelon dessert elicited many an «Are you f’ing kidding me?» Extremely personal service, very friendly, all-​around very well done.

Amazing tasting experience showcasing the creativity of a former Master Chef contestant, Mike Kim, in an intimate, personal environment. The chef himself provided explanations of the stories and thoughts behind every dish. The reviews above thoroughly explain the tasty dishes, so I’ll just give examples of the unique ingredients Mike mixed in:
Egg Custard (Gyeran Jjim) — topped with soy pearls, little tasty packages of flavor
Yellowtail Sashimi (Hwe Dup Bap) — chlorophyll sauce. I last thought about chlorophyll in high school biology class, but turns out it’s also an amazing topping on sashimi.
Granita (Dongchmi) — radish stored and marinated for over a month to fully develop the flavor!
Chicken Risotto (Samgyetang) — slice of fried chicken skin. Nuff sed.
Braised Shortrib (Galbi Jjim) — spicy carrots added a great Mexican twist.
Watermelon dessert (Soobak) — carbonated watermelon.
Bonus take-​home dessert from current Master Chef contestant Esther — black & tan brownie. Yes, as in the brownie contains Guinness and Bass beer.
Thanks Mike for an awesome meal and dining experience!

Last Year’s Master Chef Contestant, Mike Kim’s pop up kitchen concept. He had help from chef conrad (the bazaar) and chef lee (last year’s masterchef contestant). His 6 course dishes were amazing!
Egg Custard «Gyeran Jjim»: egg, trumpet mushrooms, lotus root, green onion, soy
Yellowtail Sashimi «Hwe Dup Bop»: yellowtail, «chogochujang,» perilla leaf, nori (gim), arugula, asian pear, masago
Granita «Dongchimi»: lobak radish, asian pear, fresno pepper, green onion
Chicken Risotto «Samgyetang»: chicken breast, sweet rice, jujube, ginseng, onion, garlic
Braised Shortrib «Galbi Jjim»: shortrib, soy, pico de gallo, carrot, cilantro-​lime crema, tortilla chips
Watermelon «Soobak»: carbonated watermelon, honeydew cake, coconut milk, yuzu vanilla gel, basil
Plus mini apple pies from chef esther (this year’s masterchef contestant).
5 Stars for creativity, plating and taste.

RnD is a grassroots organization driven by foodies and great chefs, such a cool concept!!! I had the distinct pleasure of attending the inaugural RnD sitting at Persimmon on June 12, 2011 and look forward to attending many more.
LA’s high caliber chefs working in some of the finest restaurants (ie The Bazaar by José Andrés) who are innovative, skilled, and passionate to the 10^th degree about FOOD are given a blank slate and the opportunity to curate a tasting menu that will take discerning palates on quite a ride. RnD allows us to enjoy tasty and creative food while also giving exposure and rise to up and coming chefs. It’s a win-​win for all!
The 6÷12÷11 menu, curated by Michael Kim and Conrad Malaya, was primarily Korean infused with other cultures and included 6 courses. The price was VERY reasonable considering the food and I’m already excited for the next seating.
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Course #1 — Gyeran Jjim
— Those who enjoy Korean BBQ may be familiar with the boiled egg that’s often brought to your table at the beginning of the meal. This version though was softer yet had just enough consistency and was jam packed with flavor. It was very comforting and helped to start off the meal with a «warmed» stomach. The accents included mushroom confit, lotus root, and soy caviar. I particularly enjoyed the lotus root and confit.
Course #2 — Deconstructed Hwe Dup Bap
— A very creative and pleasing attempt at modifying the traditional Korean dish that includes seawood and raw fish/​roe over rice. My eyes were wowed when the dish was presented as it was colorful yet clean. The rice was emulated by a crispy rice cracker that easily trumps any rice cracker snack pack from your local Japanese purveyor. The tuna was complimented by a variety of tasty sauces, but I particularly enjoyed the gyenip chlorophyll. I love gyenip (perilla leaf) and this contemporary sauce was one of the most creative things I’ve ever seen on a plate. All I could say is WOW.
Course #3 — Dongchimi Chaser
— A very pleasing and cleansing way to take a break during the meal. Dongchimi is a refreshing cold kimchi (without the red pepper) «soup» drunk right out of the bowl that has the right amount of salty and sour flavors. Mike and Conrad actually created a shaved ice version of the soup, which was outstanding. How cool!
Course #4 — Samgyetang Risotto
— To me, samgyetang is one of those dishes that is comforting, but a bit bland. The chefs’ rendition included some great complements including crispy chicken skin that really helped to balance out the poached chicken. The risotto was savory and done quite well. I recall really enjoying the dish by taking a bite of the chicken skin, then chicken breast, followed by some of the risotto.
Course #5 — Kimchi Chicano
— A beautifully healhy portion of pork belly is what initially caught my eye as it looked tender, warm and made my mouth water. On the plate was also a crema mexi-​koreano espuma that caught my eye second and I took a quick taste followed by a few more. Wow, that was heavenly … not too rich with just the right amount of flavor. Again, many complements on the plate allowed one to really enjoy this main dish’s culinary journey, especially the jalapeño and crispy chicharrones. If forced to choose a favorite dish, this was probably it for me.
Course #6 — Dessert
— Some people are dessert people, where they always save room or perhaps even have it as a starter. I’ll enjoy dessert if others are willing to share, but otherwise I often pass. This last course really surprised me though as it had such a wide variety of flavors, which I think is why many people share dessert. The carbonated watermelon was quite refreshing and tasted lovely.; The yuzu vanilla gel complemented everything well. The cream cheese crisp … WOOOOWWWW!
Some pictures are attached that I took and also «borrowed» from the RnD facebook page.
Thanks for a fantastic evening RnD, can’t wait for the next one!