A new Asian restaurant in Aberdeen wants to put a lot on your plate.
Seoul, which opened on Crown Street late last month, doubles as both a Japanese and Korean restaurant.
It offers diners everything from sushi to hotpot and wasabi to kimchi.
The owners say they want to fill a gap in Aberdeen’s food scene for quality East Asian food at affordable prices.
But before you dive in and book a table, there is one caveat.
Anyone keen to get stuck into Seoul’s Korean food will have to wait a few days. The Korean barbecues and hotpot will remain unused until the restaurant’s Korean chef turns up next week.
For now, Seoul will be busy serving up fresh sushi using local fish as well as a range of Japanese noodle and rice dishes starting from around £10.
Manager Vincent Ho promises better quality than in Aberdeen’s many chain Asian restaurants. Seoul even has its own sushi chef, on hand to rustle up dishes on the spot.
“Before setting up Seoul we tried out the sushi in these chain restaurants,” says Ho, who is originally from Malaysia and was brought up from Newcastle by Seoul’s owners to run the restaurant.
“Their sushi is fine, but we wanted to bring something fresh and handmade, not something that is made from frozen. We wanted to give people something different.”
Go to town on Seoul’s Korean dishes
Once Seoul’s Korean menu is up and running, diners will be able to order the barbecued and grilled meats the country is famed for.
Vincent promises table-top Korean hotpots and grills that can cook meats and vegetables, all with a side order of Korea’s world-famous kimchi.
The Korean menu is designed to appeal to Aberdeen diners who prefer cooked meats over Japanese-style sushi. Indeed, Vincent says the original idea for Seoul was to run it as just a Korean restaurant.
However, owner Andy Chen, who has a Chinese restaurant in Peterculter, decided to expand the offering to give people more choice. It helps that Andy is a trained Japanese sushi chef, keen to practise his skills.
What to eat at new Aberdeen restaurant Seoul
So what does Vincent recommend to people coming to Seoul for the first time?
His top pick is the grilled Japanese eel with a soy-based sauce called unagi, which is on the menu for £13.90 including rice.
“It’s really lovely,” says Vincent, adding that most diners coming to the restaurant order the dish.
“Everyone tells me that it tastes great, and at a reasonable price compared to other places in town.”
Seoul has some sharing dishes, so the restaurant is great to visit with as many friends as possible. This way, everyone can taste a range of dishes while sharing the cost.
And Vincent is confident the restaurant is a great place for people looking to eat proper East Asian food for the first time.
“People who haven’t tried Japanese or Korean food, they should come to our shop,” he says. “That’s what we want.”
Seoul is at 13 Crown Street, Aberdeen. The restaurant is open every day from 12pm to 2.30pm and from 5pm to 10pm. Orders can be made from Seoul’s website and must be picked up from the restaurant.
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