Getting to Ki requires a little navigation. The tiny stone-walled chef’s counter, which seats just a dozen people, is hidden inside Bar Sawa and is accessible only by weaving through a series of doors, including one labeled “employees only.” The journey feels like a grown-up version of sneaking into a top-secret tree house, and it sets the mood for what you’ll find once you arrive: modernist Korean cooking that’s as exciting to watch come together as it is to eat.

A meal at Ki costs $285 per person, but despite what the price (and windowless dining room) might suggest, the dining experience is far from stuffy. Cooks shuffle to and fro to a turned-up playlist of Beyoncé and Flo Rida, while chef-owner Ki Kim plays host, occasionally pausing in front of you to show off fancy ingredients, like a giant hunk of lamb and glistening lobster tails, before they’re sliced, torched, and delicately tweezed onto ceramic plates.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

The chef previously ran Kinn in Koreatown, and while the 12-course tasting menu here is nearly twice the cost of what that now-closed spot charged, it’s also a clear level up in terms of flavor and ambition. Traditional Korean ingredients like doenjang and rice wine are sneakily and smartly remixed into luxurious creations accented with seafood and caviar, like a bite-sized snack of crispy cod milt reminiscent of kimbap, or a show-stopping crispy octopus that lands like a simplified nakji bokkeum. Some of them will make you perk up in your chair, like a crudo-like take on mulhwe that delivers a salty, acidic punch. But others are pure comfort, including truffle-topped perilla noodles that arrive right as you crave carbs, and a fatty saddle of lamb paired with stuffed morels and a warm steamed bun. 

Compared to other splurgy tasting menus, Ki isn’t the most refined experience—but what it lacks in polish it makes up for in enthusiasm and originality. The reworked traditional dishes taste exhilarating and keep you on your toes, while also capturing the spirit of casual Korean meals that happen over sizzling barbecue grills or big cauldrons of stew. The generous pours of soju don’t hurt, either.

Food Rundown

Note: Restaurant Ki serves a seasonal tasting menu that changes frequently. These dishes are examples of what you can expect.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Cod Milt, Bugak, Red Pepper

The first course is a single ball of rice wrapped in bugak (crispy fried seaweed) and topped with cod milt doused in a kimchi sauce. The sharp tinge of heat and the crack of the seaweed shell leave a strong impression as an opening bite.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Octopus, Estragon, Octopus Head

The best dish at Ki, and even better than the famous octopus dish from Kinn. The octopus leg is charred and crisped so beautifully, you’ll hear the texture of this dish before you taste it. You’re instructed to give it a drizzle of citrus and dunk it in the orange-hued sauce that’s made from the octopus’ head—a full-circle moment we don’t want to think too hard about.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Grilled Lettuce, Chungju, Caviar

We’ve never craved lettuce-flavored ice cream before, but we’d easily finish a whole pint of this on our couch while watching Love is Blind. The quenelle of sangchu ice cream is more nutty than sweet, so it pairs well with the tangy rice wine cream, and while, the caviar might not be 100% necessary, it's adds a gentle saltiness that completes the flavor trifecta.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Winter Truffle, Nate’s Olive Oil, Perilla, Noodle

Noodles with shaved truffles on the top might seem a bit boring (or at least on the nose), but we love that this simple, comforting course provides a carb-heavy reset in the middle of a theatrical meal.

photo credit: Cathy Park

Shark Fin Flounder, Big Fin Reef Squid, Aji Amarillo

Easily the most complex dish of the night: a chilled crudo-style mulhwe with shark fin flounder, squid, trout roe, tomato jelly, and yam puree, served on a leaf and decorated with edible flowers. It arrives looking like something from a jewelry case, and although the bold, punchy flavors are exitcing, the textural overload of all the ingredients is a bit much.

photo credit: Cathy Park

BBQ Lobster, Doenjang, Raspberry

Lobster and butter isn’t a groundbreaking pairing, but the doenjang here adds some lovely funk to it. The dusting of raspberry powder on top seems more for show, however, and though it brings some fruity tartness, something a bit sharper would have balanced the dish's richness better.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Omija, Cranberry, Strawberry Lemonade

Milk ice cream, cranberry jelly, and strawberry lemonade foam come together in this cheeky dessert that’s icy, jiggly, and a pure joy to eat—especially with the cutesy ladybug spoon.