Delicious Korean Food at Chan Seattle in the Pike Place Market

Delicious Korean Food at Chan Seattle at Pike Place Market.

 

What comes to your mind when you have cravings for delicious Korean food with sophisticated ambiance in Seattle? Where DO you go? It has long been an insider joke status in Seattle when people ask for recommendations for delicious Korean food in Seattle; you either go up north or south. Not to agonize, you can find delicious Korean food at Chan Seattle at the heart of Seattle, Pike Place Market.

Located in the courtyard of Inn at the Market, Chan Seattle offers Korean food with Westernized techniques. The owner and chef, Park, ambitiously envisioned a restaurant that will sure to please both those that long-loved Korean food and the newbies. At Chan Seattle, you won’t find the usual Korean BBQ plate in the middle of each table or banchan (diverse array of side dishes), this is a whole new experience of enjoying Korean food incorporating both the traditional dishes and flavors with modern twist. When we first heard about this new concept, we were skeptical; how was he really going to pull this together? After trying it we were blown away with what Park had in store for us at Chan Seattle.

The moment you walk into Chan Seattle, you will be welcomed by its cozy and sophisticated ambiance and we were quickly greeted and seated by the friendly staff. We felt like family already! You will like the simple menu separated by the traditional and modern dishes. Each item sounds so familiar yet interesting and inviting; but, we couldn’t order everything so we settled with four dishes including a kimchi sampler.

Anxiously waiting, the kim chi sampler came out first. This is a sampler with three variations of Korean kim chi: red cabbage, daikon, and cucumber. How clever!

Next to come was the spicy kimchi porkbelly with poached tofu. The dish had right amount of spice without burning your mouth and tofu was perfectly steamed, not raw or hard. Good start so far.

The bulgogi slider came looking like your regular sliders but don’t let the familiar look fool you! This was an interesting mix of bulgogi (probably the most popular Korean food) with micro green. It tasted like what a slider should taste like. The sauce mix in the slider was amazing. This was really addicting. Again, had enough kick for those that love spice but subtle enough for those that don’t.

We ordered grilled short rib over rice with sprouts salad, pickled daikon and egg yolk. This was an interesting twist of bi bim bap (Korean dish with banchan over rice). The short rib was the most tender and juiciest pieces of meat we ever had and this isn’t even a steak place! Everything blended to give us a refreshing dish and we couldn’t stop talking about it even days after.

The buckwheat noodle salad with mixed vegetables, hardboiled egg and spicy vinaigrette was what I ordered. Coming from someone that loves meat, this was a satisfying dish with the right amount of kick and tanginess.

One noteworthy observation was that the food didn’t come out all at once; they came out one by one at the right pace giving us time to really enjoy each dish. Each ingredient in the dishes was individually and expertly prepared yet all blended seamlessly to create a one-of-kind dish. I was very impressed at how Park pulled it off. We had the pleasure of meeting him at the restaurant as he warmly greeted each table and gracious thanked us for giving them a try. He is a truly a culinary artist who enjoys creating delicious food and making eating fun again.

A fun little adventure, this place offers something for everyone, including vegetarian and gluten free dishes. It was an unforgettable experience at Chan Seattle and we eXp Seattle agents can’t stop recommending this place to our family, friends, and clients!

Chan Seattle

86 Pine St. Seattle WA 98101

Located in the courtyard of Inn at the Market

Tel : 206-443-5443

Tuesday to Sunday, 5pm to 10pm