I think that a thoughtful welcome starter is one of those nuances that makes a good restaurant seem great. I’ve destroyed some delicious bread baskets in my lifetime (Commerce in New York comes to mind), but the bread platter at Anna Bini proably tops it all with its assortment of breads, grilled garlic and a thick slice of roasted sweet potato.
It was actually the wind chill and being at the right place at the right time and not the good press or word of mouth that sent my friend and I ducking into Anna Bini last week during our survey of Cheongdam, a ritzy neighborhood in Seoul. For a fluke restaurant, however, it did not disappoint.
We split a fillet on a bed of risotto blanco and tomato sauce (47,000 wons + 10% VAT) and spaghetti with fresh mozzarella cheese (22,500 wons), both of which were thoroughly enjoyable but slightly overpriced for lunch.
The sweet potato bread (the reddish, half-eaten morsel pictured above) was so good that my friend bought a whole loaf from the restaurant’s bakery on her way out…and finished it within a couple days.
Anna Bini (closed daily between 2:30-5pm)
89-1 Cheongdam-dong, Kangnam-gu
Seoul, South Korea
+82) 02-3444-1275