Paju – Queen Anne
Recommended by: We were raving about Revel and their brand new location to some friends. They had just tried a new Korean inspired restaurant in Queen Anne that they claim had some similarities to Revel called, Paju.
Description on the Paju’s Google page: Snug, simple restaurant offering contemporary, inventive takes on traditional Korean cuisine.
Neighborhood/Type: Queen Anne
Address:11 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109
What we ate/drank: Paju Fried Rice – Kimchi, bacon, squid ink, smoked quail egg. Yellowtail(Mul Hwe) – Fennel-Cucumber Gazpacho, Gochujang Granita. Mushroom – parmesan cheese, white kimchi, truffle aioli. Rib-eye Steak Bulgogi w/truffle flavor-crispy quinoa scallion, enoki mushroom. Blue Moon Beer.
Comments: Three of our favorite Seattle restaurants fall into the Korean fusion genre – Chan, Joule and Revel. Even Watson’s Counter, one of our favorite breakfast places, can sorta be put in this category. So when we found out another such restaurant had opened to rave reviews and long waits, we had to see for ourselves.
Paju opened in August of 2019 in lower Queen Anne near the Seattle Center and quickly garnered a following that has kept the small industrial space packed. Paju doesn’t take reservations, so when we went on a Friday evening after getting the kids situated with the babysitter, the wait was already an hour long.
We put our cell phone# on the waitlist and headed next door to good ole T.S. McHughs for drinks. We mentioned to our bartender that we were just having drinks while we waited for our seats at Paju. He said he’d hadn’t had a chance to eat at Paju but he was happy to hear that it was doing well. He lamented the demise of the previous business in the location, a nondescript sushi joint.
About an hour later, we received a call from Paju asking us if we could arrive within 5 minutes. We settled our tab at T.S. McHughs and walked over. You could still feel the remnants of that nondescript sushi joint, a very simple rectangular layout with what appears to be a former take-out counter in the back. It’s a bit dim with Edison lights and votive candles providing the lighting. The vibe is industrial and in the way of decor, it’s pretty sparse. No need to fancy up the place. Let the food do the talking. In total Paju probably seats around 40 people max.
The two co-owners have quite the pedigree, having met while working at an New York City, 2 Michelin Star, Korean restaurant. There are a total of only 11 dishes that are served at Paju, but there is a wide variety and should be something for everybody in your party. The dishes are meant to be shared and eaten family styles, so we ordered 4 dishes:
All the dishes have a few things in common. These are traditional Korean dishes with a twist. Like quinoa and truffle with bulgogi, gochujang granita and smoked quail and squid ink with kimchi and rice. Also, none of the dishes are heavy on sauces that overpower. The combination of all the flavors in each dish is very subtle, but works extremely well together.
Our first dish and the one we were most underwhelmed by was the Mul Hwe(Yellowtail). It was sort of like a ceviche. The dish was fine as a starter and the gochujang granita was innovative, but the portion was small for the price or maybe the presentation of the yellowtail spread on the outside of a large bowl just made it seem small.
Beoseot(Mushroom) is a mountain range of seasonal mushrooms with white kimchi and parmesan cheese acting as the snowy peaks. The truffle aioli adds some richness that complements the parmesan. We really enjoyed this one.
The rib-eye steak bulgogi with crispy quinoa, scallion and enoki mushrooms was a beautifully presented dish. We decided to get the optional truffle flavor. We were skeptical of the pairing of truffle and bulgogi, but it really works. Who would have guessed? We also enjoyed unusual addition of enoki mushrooms and quinoa to the dish. We really appreciated the creativity of this one.
Saving the best for last. The Paju Fried Rice contains bacon, kimchi, rice immersed in squid ink with rice with a smoked quail egg yolk in the middle. So many different textures -gooey egg yolk, crunchy kimchi, sticky rice. So many different flavors – smokey, sweet, savory, but none overpowering the others. Such a distinctive dish both visually and taste-wise. You won’t find anything like this in Seattle. This is the dish we’ll get over and over on return visits. I’d love it if they could add more quail eggs. The egg is only able to be mixed with a small percentage of the rice. Definitely, an early contender for top 2020 Dishes of the Year.
The service was attentive and friendly and when my wife mentioned we were there for my birthday, they comped my beer!
Not every dish was a home run, but we really appreciate the updated interpretation on these Korean dishes. When chefs are pushing the envelope creatively and continually experimenting there are bound to be misses, but when a dish hits, the payoff is big. They’ll be dishes so unique that patrons will want to come back over and over to see what new inventive dishes have been created.
Paju is the perfect spot for a dinner prior to going to the Seattle Rep or any other event at the Seattle Center. It will most likely be a Seattle hot spot for sometime if we had to guess.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.25
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.60
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.60
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
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- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
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