Benu is an elevated Chinese affair
Okay, primarily. It draws inspirations also elsewhere, but the reference to Chinese cuisine is clear. Corey Lee, a Korea-born chef, has a remarkable understanding over Chinese cuisine, and unusually profound.
Our dinner is reminiscent of a banquet that’s not atypical at the Chinese Lunar new year’s eve, featuring:
- preserved egg: one of the most amazing Chinese delicacies that's a product of time, patience, clay, ash, salt, rice hulls and some mysteries
- shark fin soup (albeit faux): Chinese emperors' patent soup
-lobster coral xiao long bao with home made soy sauce and vinegar: shut up and sip (though i so wish i was able to try to the xiao long bao with fois gras)
-honey-glazed short rib: worth licking your fingers several times
-perfectly cooked rice: well-cooked rice is a pure luxury
The service at Benu is subdued but considerate. The staffs are rather pleasant and highly professional, unlike the robots, the swaggers, the snobs or the imbeciles that are not at all unusual in many today's starred restaurants.
An impeccable experience, that ought to remain etched in our minds hearts and stomachs longer than most restaurants that we've been.
And i couldn't help wondering why: why aren't there more Chinese restaurants/chefs pay some due respect to Chinese cuisine that it surely deserves? Bring on more high cuisines, the more serious Chinese stuff, the stuff that takes time, skill and knowledge to prepare. Even Corey Lee said that every good chef should be paying good attention to Chinese cuisine.
