Chefs from A-OK and Buca teamed up to create an ultra-trendy Korean mash-up at l’Ouvrier
Chefs from A-OK and Buca teamed up to create an ultra-trendy Korean mash-up at l’Ouvrier
By Renée Suen | August 16, 2013
By Renée Suen | 08/16/2013
(Image: Renée Suen)
Fusion used to be a dirty word in culinary circles, shorthand for chintzy, ill-conceived dishes that subbed gimmickry for taste. Now, in the post-Momofuku era, trendy new restaurants are once again serving shamelessly inauthentic—but often delicious—east-meets west concoctions: Mexican tortas stuffed with bulgogi, fried chicken drenched in gochujang and bowls of ramen spiked with Cheez Whiz. On Monday, chef Chris Jang from A-OK Foods and Buca sous-chef Yong Soo Do took over the kitchen at l’Ouvrier on Dundas West to serve a hyper-modern Korean feast inflected with French, Italian and Canadian flavours and techniques. The result: ricotta-tofu panna cotta, watermelon rind kimchee and chilled ramen laced with black garlic and chocolate. Here, a slideshow of the six-course meal.
227934 Yong Soo Do is the sous-chef at Buca (Image: Renée Suen) Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-02-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-02.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-02.jpg 667 1000 [] https://torontolife.com/food/korean-dinner-aok-buca/slide/korean-collaborative-dinner-02/ korean-collaborative-dinner-02 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
227935 Chef Chris Jang from A-OK Foods (Image: Renée Suen) Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-03-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-03.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-03.jpg 667 1000 [] https://torontolife.com/food/korean-dinner-aok-buca/slide/korean-collaborative-dinner-03/ korean-collaborative-dinner-03 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
227974 An amuse trio to start: ricotta-tofu panna cotta topped with powdered nori and gochujang; skewered rice cakes with peanuts and chef Jang’s signature Korean Fried Chicken sauce; and a foamy potato shot garnished with a nori chip (Image: Renée Suen) Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-061-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-061.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-061.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/korean-dinner-aok-buca/slide/korean-collaborative-dinner-06-2/ korean-collaborative-dinner-06-2 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
227936 Ricotta-tofu panna cotta and skewered rice cakes with peanuts and KFC sauce (Image: Renée Suen) Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-04-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-04.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-04.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/korean-dinner-aok-buca/slide/korean-collaborative-dinner-04/ korean-collaborative-dinner-04 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
227933 A shot of foamy potato garnished with nori (Image: Renée Suen) Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-01-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-01.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-01.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/korean-dinner-aok-buca/slide/korean-collaborative-dinner-01/ korean-collaborative-dinner-01 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
227937 Nori focaccia with herb-nori butter (Image: Renée Suen) Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-05-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-05.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-05.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/korean-dinner-aok-buca/slide/korean-collaborative-dinner-05/ korean-collaborative-dinner-05 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
227939 Cold watermelon soup was poured tableside over goat cheese, lamb tongue pancetta and watermelon-rind kimchee (Image: Renée Suen) Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-07-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-07.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-07.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/korean-dinner-aok-buca/slide/korean-collaborative-dinner-07/ korean-collaborative-dinner-07 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
227942 An unconventional bowl of ramen: chilled soy broth with chocolate, black garlic and pickled cherries (Image: Renée Suen) Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-10-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-10.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/korean-dinner-aok-buca/slide/korean-collaborative-dinner-10/ korean-collaborative-dinner-10 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
227941 Halibut with watercress purée, squid ink arancini, tomato sauce and lemon gelée (Image: Renée Suen) Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-09-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-09.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-09.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/korean-dinner-aok-buca/slide/korean-collaborative-dinner-09/ korean-collaborative-dinner-09 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
227940 Chantecler chicken with toasted walnuts, smoked yogurt, chive flowers and dehydrated strawberries (Image: Renée Suen) Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-08-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-08.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-08.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/korean-dinner-aok-buca/slide/korean-collaborative-dinner-08/ korean-collaborative-dinner-08 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
227943 Dessert was a take on a <em>bori cha,</em> a Korean barley tea: barley gelato topped with faro-sesame crumbs, pine nuts, whey granita, yuzu-peach balls and tart sorrel leaves (Image: Renée Suen) Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-11-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-11.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-11.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/korean-dinner-aok-buca/slide/korean-collaborative-dinner-11/ korean-collaborative-dinner-11 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
227947 (Image: Renée Suen) Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-15-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-15.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-15.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/korean-dinner-aok-buca/slide/korean-collaborative-dinner-15/ korean-collaborative-dinner-15 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
227945 Chefs Chris Jang and Yong Soo Do (Image: Renée Suen) Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-13-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-13.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-13.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/korean-dinner-aok-buca/slide/korean-collaborative-dinner-13/ korean-collaborative-dinner-13 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
227946 Chefs Chris Jang and Yong Soo Do (Image: Renée Suen) Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier Jang-Do Dinner at L'Ouvrier https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-14-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-14.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/korean-collaborative-dinner-14.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/korean-dinner-aok-buca/slide/korean-collaborative-dinner-14/ korean-collaborative-dinner-14 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
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