The Shilla - Continental (French)

I am transcribing my first review here

Hey everyone here is my first Restaurant Review!
Since this is my first it might not be well thought out.

This my review of Continental, a French restaurant inside the Shilla hotel in Seoul.

Atmosphere
When i first walked into this place, I was immersed by lots of red and white colors that gave a sense of luxury and class. As I sat down by the window i was also then greeted by the pleasant melody of the piano and the cello. The lighting was perfect as there was a nice glow on the diners faces but still dim enough give a nice aura around the diners. I have to say, it was very romantic. I you have lovers, definitely check this place out for a romantic evening.

Service
The service was good. I couldn’t find anything to complain about. All the servers were very responsive to our questions about the menu and the choice of wine. Most of all they didn't lose the smile. They poured water when we were running low (but not the wine... bummer). I guess there’s nothing to really complain about in terms of service.

Food
The food was excellent; every bit was crafted with great care and precision. They had a very simple presentation of the food though somewhat aesthetically pleasing: each component came through my eyes without any struggle (I didn’t have trouble trying to figure out what i need to eat first). There are pictures of the dishes i had tonight below! Check it out. The funny thing is, the bread was one of the highlights of this restaurant. Although i cannot say that it was the best meal that i had but would definitely come here and dine again.

Price
Price Range: $80-$200 dollars per person
The price range was a bit steep. Fortunately, I went with my parents so i didn't have to pay a dime. We had three six course meals and a glass of wine and it came out to be about $450 USD. Considering the food and the atmosphere I felt that it was a bit overpriced.

James' Score
Atmosphere: 10/10 (Romantic)
Service: 8/10 (No complaints)
Taste of Food: 7/10
Presentation of Food: 5/10 (Nothing Special)
Price 5/10 (Bit expensive for what you get)

Over all 7/10

Will I come back? YES

Sign out side of the Door

Chateau Lafon-Rachet
The wine i had, tastes like Cabernet Sauvignon but little bit of smoothness to it. I liked it.

Amuse-bouche
Very light. perfect way to start off the meal.

Foie-gras Terrine with Fuji Apple Confiture
This was a simple Foie dish which was complemented very well with the sweet caramelized Fuji Apple.

 

These bread sticks were the bomb! it was lightly crunchy on the outside and very soft on the inside. I could have these all day.

Saffron Flavored Lobster Soup with Jardiniere Vegetables
Rustic flavors! Just a simple Lobster soup.

Red Mullet a la Plancha with Sauteed Artichoke and Fennel.
The Mullet was crunchy which was very well complimented by the bitterness of the slight sauce. The texture profile was very good with the fennel and the crunchy surface of the Mullet. However.. i am asking myself... where was the artichoke????

Char-grilled Australian Wagyu Beef Tenderloin with Shallot Sauce
Perfectly cooked medium rare steak. Nothing more to say!

White Chocolate Mousse with Yogurt Ice Cream
Incredibly soft mousse with yogurt ice-cream on the top. Everything literally melted in my mouth..

Ritz Carlton Hotel - The Garden (Italian)

This is my review of The Garden, an Italian restaurant inside the Ritz Carton Hotel in Seoul (South Korea).

English Website
Korean Website

Atmosphere
Very vibrant. The restaurant is immersed in a beautiful garden (It was possible to dine outside but the weather was very warm) that makes you want to stand up and just take a long walk. Also the whole dining experience is accompanied by live classical music that is worth paying for. However, the decor was a bit dated... the restaurant lacked the luxurious feel that the price was crying for.

Service
Service was not bad... The only problem i had is that, they didn't allow me to taste the wine before ordering them which was a big minus for me. For the price i was paying which was 20 dollars for a glass of wine... it was bullshit

Food
Food was pretentious and awful. They basically had dog food and placed other crap around it to make the food look better than it tasted. The flow of the course had no connection and each flavors were miss matched in every possible way and the meat was over cooked to %@#$ and tasted like rubber. Most disappointingly... the deserts were bought in.. And it was quite obvious. The food here made me want to stand up and take a long walk… maybe that’s why it is in a garden =_=


Price
Price Range $70-$150
This place is a rip off! Only thing that was good was the garden and the music.

James' Score
Atmosphere: 8/10 (Garden accompanied by great music)
Service: 5/10 (No wine tasting before being served)
Taste of Food: 1/10 (Rather get a Burger at In-n-out for 2 bux)
Presentation of Food: 1/10 (Pretentious)
Price 0/10 (Real gouge in the eye for what you get)

Overall 3/10

Final Comment
WOW seriously... I left the restaurant feeling defrauded. I cannot believe place like this can charge this much money and still be in business. There was nothing Italian about this place.... This place is a big middle figure to the Italian cuisine to call itself an Italian restaurant.

Will I come back? HELL NO

Sign at the Door

 

Simple white bread... nothing special

Mediterranean Appetizer Plate (Halibut Teriyaki, Asparagus with Parma Ham, King Crab Tomato Caprese, Balsamic Baby Onion, Foie-gras Tart, Salmon)  - This dish was complete disaster. First off i was totally confused of what to eat first. Second, none of the components really came together. It was like having five separate samplers than an appetizer that is supposed to have some sort of harmony. Each component itself was very weak and something out of those “luncables” I use to have for lunch in elementary school where I put random crap together, but here with exotic ingredients. Also my 5 year old cousin can plate this dish better, all you need to do is hide the ugly parts with Italian parsley ^_^

Chef Special Soup - There was nothing special about the soup. The taste was sweet and sour... i rather have the sweet and sour soup from a Chinese restaurant. At first i thought it was a bowl of cream and piss in front of me. Presentation = extremely dull.

 

Lobster, King Prawn, Sea Scallop - This prawn was the best thing i ate that night... but how can you screw up such an amazing prawn that you can even eat raw. The eggplant on this dish was cooked perfectly. However, the scallops were seared improperly which created a slimy texture which killed my excitement for the whole dish. Also the lobster had barely any meat and it was dry.

Australian Beef Tenderloin, Australian Beef Rib Eye, New Zealand Lamb Chop, Grilled Vegetables  - Ok.. so.. I swear i had something on this dish that was close to cow's testicles. All the meat was over cooked to !@#!@ and it was tough as rubber. The lamb chop had that district lamb smell to it which was very unpleasant.

Selection of Desserts - Bought in deserts... That cheese cake? was dry and the melon wasn't even sweet... it was like chewing through a cardboard.