Turntable x Kinn
Lord Stanley is currently hosting chef Ki Kim of Kinn in Los Angeles through September 2. Kinn is a modern Korean influenced restaurant. More info about chef Kim here.
There is an a la carte menu as well as a tasting menu, and I had the tasting menu ($144).
The tasting menu:
수박 Compressed Watermelon
The amuse bouche was a cube of compressed watermelon, with yuzu gel, almond, and some grated parmigiano reggiano. Concentrated watermelon flavor, with some saltiness from the parm and a little crunch from the almond. Very refreshing.
와규 육회 Beef Tartare
Wagyu tartare with bugak (seaweed) chips and sunchoke purée. Delicious chopped tender beef with crunchy chips, and the sunchoke purée had a lot of umami flavor.
토마토 깻잎 샐러드 Tomato & Perilla Salad
Summer cherry tomatoes, burrata, roe (I think salmon/trout), perilla sorbet, sea beans, and jelly made with tomato water. No picture because I forgot to take one before eating it 
which is a shame because it was very nice looking. Imagine cherry tomatoes halves topped with a little burrata cheese and trout roe and sea beans, and in the center an oval of greenish colored perilla sorbet. Underneath was a clear jelly that tasted of tomatoes. A cool taste of summer. Nice tomatoes.
크리스피 문어 Crispy Octopus
Octopus braised in a flavorful stock, coated lightly with corn flour and fried, with a sauce that had gochugaru and also some flavor from the octopus head. This was fantastic! The best dish of the night for me. My waiter said it was the best octopus he had ever had and I have to agree. The octopus was meltingly tender, the most tender octopus I’ve had, with a light crispy crust. The sauce was not spicy but was quite flavorful and rich. So good!
고등어 숯불구이 Grilled Mackerel
Mackerel grilled on charcoal, with grated horseradish, perilla oil, daikon, and kimchi.
Very nice, just a hint of smokiness from the grill. Meaty mackerel perfectly cooked. And some bite from the shaved horseradish.
캐비아 국수 Caviar & Oyster Noodle (+$44)
I added this supplement. Flattish udon noodles in a creamy sauce made with oysters, Dijon mustard, and cream. And topped with a dollop of caviar. A simple dish that highlighted the caviar. Delicious sauce and toothsome noodles. Worth the extra $44? Maybe? YOLO.
양고기 안장 Lamb Saddle
Lamb saddle with Bing cherries and kimchi. There is a sauce in a middle that was a chili crisp made with gochugaru chilies - this was added tableside. At the top was something that tasted a bit like a pesto. Delicious! Slightly pleasantly gamey lamb that was very tender and flavorful. The chili crisp was nice and had a lot of umami flavor. On the left side was some more crispy lamb, maybe some of the skin? It was a little crispy and fatty.
쌈밥 Ssambap
This was the final savory course and was brought out by chef Kim. Ssamjang flavored rice with pork belly bulgogi, squash blossoms. Ssamjang is a sauce made with gochujang (sweet fermented chili paste), doenjang (a salty fermented soybean paste similar to miso), and other flavorings. Also delicious. This was a nicely cooked rice bowl with pork in a delicious ssamjang that I believe is house made, topped with some delicious squash blossoms.
과일 Market Fruit
First dessert was simply slices of sweet ripe firm pluot. Yum.
오미자 Omija
Second dessert. Omjia / magnolia berry tea flavored shaved ice, a layer of milk ice cream, and a strawberry lemon foam. Light as a cloud with a little body from the ice cream. Quite refreshing.
Mignardises
I didn’t write down what everything was, but top left was a chocolate tart with a topping made with condensed milk.
Another great meal at Turntable. I like their approach of hosting great chefs from around the country and around the world, as it allows one living here to taste their cookery without having to book a flight!
Also here’s the a la carte menu:
