Gastro TONG
By Chung Hyun-chae
Mariage, a French word for marriage, means for foodies the matching of wine and food. Gastro TONG, a European restaurant near Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, shows what the best pairing of wine and food can be.
The mariage at Gastro TONG started with the marriage of the couple who own and run the restaurant. The Swiss husband, Roland Hinni, is a former chef from Seoul Ritz-Carlton and Jeju Hyatt Regency, and the Korean wife, Kim Young-sim, is a wine expert who used to work at one of Korea’s largest wine importer companies.
Even the name “Gastro TONG” is the East-meets-West. It is a combination of the English word “Gastronomy” and Tong, a Korean for communication.
The couple remodeled a Japanese-style house built in the 1930s into a restaurant with a cozy garden looking like a chalet.
There are only few restaurants owned and run directly by Europeans in Korea. Kim believes that an “owner-chef” has a particularly sense of responsibility. In Hinni’s case, consistency in the quality of his food matters.
“In order to procure fresh ingredients, every day, the chef starts working at 7 a.m.,” Kim said.
Apart from the consistency in the taste, Hinni is a chef of creativity. He changes the menu every season, leaving only two or three main dishes while inventing a special menu every month. Considering that nearly 70 percent of the visitors are regular customers, the chef’s efforts are worth trying.
The chef’s signature menu is “Oven Braised Veal Shank with Saffron Risotto” which is marinated in wine sauce for a long time. In winter, you can enjoy Switzerland cheese favorites such as Fondue and Raclette.
The restaurant keeps 20 selection of the fine wines, including a more than 10-year-old vintage wine, which is carefully selected by Kim. When guests make a request in advance, Gastro TONG offers a menu and wine tailored to their requirements.
The venue consists of one main hall and two private rooms _ one caters to four people and another to twelve. These rooms can be conjoined for larger single seating.
For those looking for a real private space, there’s an outhouse named “atelier” next to the main building. It hosts only one group of a maximum of 10 people at one time. Reservation is required and it costs 20,000 won per hour. It is equipped with a computer and a projector, so guests can conveniently have a presentation before the meal.
The theme of mariage may work well for a business meeting with partners with whom you wish to continue a long-lasting relationship.
