64 WORLD’S BEST RESTAURANTS SEPTEMBER 2019
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A VAT OF COMFORTING SOUP and a
plate of crispy potato pancakes: That
is why you go to Samcheongdong
Sujebi. It’s why everyone else goes
there, too, and why there’s usually
a line trailing down the street. Once
inside the straightforward dining
room, those are the two things you’ll
see on almost every table. And they
are the things I keep going back to
in my mind, even after some rather
exemplary Korean barbecue and
elevated bites elsewhere in Seoul.
The soup in question is sujebi,
wheat-dough dumplings floating in
a broth made from anchovies, ginger,
kelp, and clams. The soft dumplings
retain their structure but aren’t even
a tiny bit chewy, the broth so com-
forting in its umami-rich austerity it
feels elemental.
The gamjajeon, or potato pancake,
comes in a few variations, one of
which is made with potato and no
other ingredient besides the oil it’s
fried in. It’s the texture that makes it
so special, a juxtaposition of crispy
exterior and soft interior. Waitresses
bustle around you, helpfully pointing
to the condiments you might use.
Samcheongdong Sujebi has been
open for almost 40 years. It doesn’t
play particularly well on Instagram.
It is simply a place that does two
wonderful things better than any-
where else.
SAMCHEONGDONG
SUJEBI
SHREE THAKER
BHOJANALAY
THE SIGN ON THE WALL at Shree
Thaker Bhojanalay says, “Please don’t
waste food.” It instructs you to order
only what you will eat. It’s a noble
sentiment, but it becomes hard to
honor as the hosts enthusiastically
insist you try just one more thing.
“No, no, I’m full,” you’ll say.
“Yes, yes, just try. You must try.”
In a crowded neighborhood
through a nondescript doorway and
up a small staircase, this Gujarati
vegetarian thali restaurant has been
serving Mumbai since 1945. Once
seated in the tile-floored dining
room, a thali plate is placed before
you, then quickly filled by waiters
carrying trays and vats containing
chutneys, snacks, assorted breads
drizzled in ghee, and an endless vari-
ety of vegetable preparations. There’s
dal, pulao (pilaf) made with fresh
young coconut, vegetable curries,
creamy okra, bitter gourd studded
with cashews. There are fritters filled
with fragrant herbs, paneer pat-
ties, and fresh buttermilk to wash it
all down. For dessert, I enjoyed the
aamras, a silken mango puree so
bright and perfumed it tasted like
summer. The hard part was convinc-
ing the host that I didn’t need three
more desserts. I lost that battle
completely. “You will try,” he said
firmly. Resistance was futile.
THERE IS A no-phones-on-the-
counter rule at Sushi Yoshitake. Still,
at some point during my meal, I
managed to take one surreptitious
under-the-counter note on my
phone. It said, “Lean tuna: meat,
ocean, air, grain, flowers, life!”
Despite the rule, the eight-seat
sushi counter is more relaxed than
many of its counterparts. Chef
Masahiro Yoshitake exudes far more
welcome than he does strict formality
and will happily help you choose a
sake and smile as he hands you each
delicately formed piece of nigiri.
A parade of appetizers starts the
meal, including a tender steamed
abalone in a velvety liver sauce that
has become somewhat of a signature
dish. But it’s the sushi that had me
agog, from that piece of tuna that
somehow encompassed all of nature
and the universe in its deep-red
flesh, to a stunningly sweet and
meaty aji, to the tiny creamy uni. For
the first bite of sushi of the evening,
Yoshitake’s assistant cut a squid
lengthwise into tissue-thin sheets,
then stacked and scored them for a
texture so soft it left me breathless.
While I was happy to follow the
sake suggestions, the couple beside
me turned to the wine list. (They
ordered a 1978 Bollinger and a cult
Burgundy.) Sushi Yoshitake stands out
as much for its wine as its remarkable
seafood and hospitality.
SUSHI YOSHITAKE
“
”
SHREE THAKER BHOJANALAY
IS NOT ONLY ONE OF
THE GREAT VEGETARIAN
RESTAURANTS, GREAT INDIAN
RESTAURANTS, BUT QUITE
SIMPLY ONE OF THE GREAT
RESTAURANT EXPERIENCES.
—DAVID PRIOR
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
MUMBAI, INDIA
TOKYO, JAPAN
An assistant
plates ikura
(salmon roe).
The sujebi is served with
vibrant condiments,
including a fragrant,
piquant kimchi.
PHOTOGRAPHY (FROM LEFT): JUN MICHAEL PARK, ADAM GOLDBERG
