Few restaurants leave a lasting impression weeks later. Setting, taste and service must all blend together seamlessly to create memories that can last years. I recently experienced this sensation at Bansang, a Korean restaurant that Chef Ethan Min and Chef Jin Lim have opened on San Francisco’s Fillmore Street.
Graduates of South Korea’s prestigious culinary institution, Woosong University, Chef Jin and Chef Ethan also bring years of experience working in the most respected kitchens of San Francisco. That skillset combined with their intimate knowledge of Korean cuisine delivers an unforgettable meal that will have you salivating weeks after your reservation…
To start things off, the Korean word ‘Bansang’ refers to the style of table setting for the kings and nobles of the Joseon, a Korean dynastic kingdom. With this knowledge in hand, you can get a sense of what awaits you as you sit down for your meal.
The food menu is divided into three sections: tapas, large tapas, and sweets. Since it was just my boyfriend and I, we selected three dishes from each section to enjoy simultaneously. Doing so allowed us to experience a variety of flavors – many of which we had never encountered before.
To start, our server brought out pickled tomatoes with basil and ume cucumber. The tomato kimchi had a well-balanced flavor and the cucumber kimchi was clean and refreshing.
We then moved on to tapas and had their famed $26 Uni Scallop Toast. The texturally interesting uni provided a buttery and sweet flavor, while creamy scallop on top of buttermilk toast, soy yolk sauce, seaweed purée, and trout roe made this dish an absolute joy to try. If you’re a uni lover, it’s worth the splurge!
Next up were some vegetables and fruits. The Broccolini and Persimmon was an unexpected combination, but when combined with charred onion vin, togarashi rice crunch, and chili, the flavors compliment one another nicely. It was a lovely combination of sweet, spicy, and crunchy.
Our server suggested that we also try the Lime Soy Fried Chicken. We found this was juicy, flavorful and while simultaneously having a perfect crunchy texture!
We then ordered the following large tapas:
Radish Kimchi Fried Rice – an elevated fried rice that’s bursting with flavor from the pork and the kimchi. A velvety egg sat atop of the rice along with parmesan cheese and when mixed in added creaminess. This is an indulgent item that’s a must-have to order.
Another must-have item is the Galbi. It’s one of Bansang’s signature dishes and the short rib has a buttery, soft texture and falls off the bone. It’s served with pine nut sauce and is accompanied by seasonal soy-pickles, and persimmon kimchi. The persimmon kimchi was so good that I could have eaten a whole bowl of it!
The Bulgogi Salad was delicious and classic charcoal-grilled bulgogi sat atop of charred romaine, sesame dressing and a rice puff.
For dessert, we settled our sweet tooth with the Banana Milk Ice Cream featuring roasted bananas, pistachio, and dalgona. It was light and flavorful. The banana milk was divine and I still dream about it to this day!
As for the service, Bansang goes above and beyond to make you feel as though you are royalty. Our server was very attentive; always refilling our waters, checking in to see how everything tasted and swapping out dirty plates for new ones. The food came out at a good pace and we got to enjoy the experience of watching the chefs and their assistants at work in the open kitchen. It’s important to note, these small but powerful touches are hard to come by in a post-Covid world.
Overall, Bansang has a fancy feel but a welcoming vibe. Its environment is moderately upscale and is perfect for date night or to meet up with a group of friends. In many ways, the setting works as a frame for the artwork that is a Bansang meal.
If you’re in San Francisco for an evening or two, definitely move Bansang to the top of your list.