Yu Yuan Lunch Delights – Four Seasons Hotel Seoul
Monica Tindall
My goodness, we have stuffed ourselves silly with Korean delicacies in Seoul over the past five days. There is SO much to eat here. From street food to cafes, back-alley hole-in-the-walls to fine dining, Korea has filled our tummies (and then some). However, there is more to the food scene than national recipes alone. For any city to hold its own on the global stage, it must also present quality international kitchens. The multi-award winning and Michelin guide Cantonese restaurant, Yu Yuan, proves that Seoul is ready to compete on the universal playing field.
Yu Yuan Cantonese Restaurant Seoul
Drawing inspiration from Shanghai’s golden age, Yu Yuan at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul reinterprets the 1920s aesthetic for today’s discerning guests. Art Deco elements, muted tones, and warm lighting create a sophisticated atmosphere. The space incorporates design details like bonsai-shaped lampshades and a metal wall installation reminiscent of a river and tree. Overall, it’s warm and welcoming, a cosy location for an intimate lunch.
Chefs – Four Seasons Hotel Seoul
Head Chef Kwok Wai To and Dim Sum Chef Qing Bing Wu lead the team. A Hong Kong native, To’s journey began at 15. His career, marked by top-tier kitchens, has solidified his mastery of Cantonese cooking. In Yu Yuan, he showcases the heritage of this cuisine, offering guests a refined dining experience. Wu is a dim sum legend. With over 20 years in the game, he’s cooked up a storm in top-tier spots across China and Korea. Growing up in a family of food lovers, he mastered his craft in Beijing before wowing crowds with his unique take on dim sum. At Yu Yuan, he’s putting his own spin on classic Cantonese flavours using fresh local ingredients. Together, they present the Yu Yuan Lunch Delights Menu (KRW 138,000 per person). This popular set includes appetisers, six kinds of chef-selected dim sum, soup, rice, and dessert.
Yu Yuan Wine List
But first … wine. As you’d expect from the Four Seasons Hotel, the wine list is extensive. A sneak peek into the menu shows four types of bubbly on ice, ready to be shared by the glass on arrival. We refresh with a glass of Dom Perignon Brut 2013 (KWR 130 000), a complex and elegant Champagne renowned for its balance and sophistication. This vintage has ripe fruit, mineral notes, and subtle toasty undertones. Its creamy texture and long, lingering finish make it truly exceptional.
Tea Ceremony
If you prefer to abstain, the Yu Yuan team also has a lovely tea selection, some of which are prepared tableside, such as the Decaffeinated Korean Jeju Yuzu Peel Tea. Our server pours hot water into the teapot before placing it on our table over a candlelight. It takes five minutes for the tea to thoroughly seep. We sip and nibble on crunchy Chinese artichokes with garlic and pistachios with spicy pepper while waiting for the first course to arrive.
Yu Yuan Lunch Delights Menu
Unlike regular dim sum experiences, the Yu Yuan Lunch Delights menu is individually plated, making for an elegant, hassle-free lunchtime meal. The line-up kicks off with a trio of appetisers.
Yu Yuan Appetiser Platter
The marinated prawn and green beans in Chinese olive sauce feature a tender, bouncy prawn with a subtle spicy kick. Due to weather conditions, the ice plant on the printed menu is unavailable today, so the chef has prepared black fungus with spicy soy sauce instead. The fungus has a satisfying crunch, while the soy sauce provides a complex profile with a gentle heat. Lastly, the Char siu, a Malaysian favourite, sees barbecued Jeju black pork belly glazed with honey sauce. The meat-to-fat ratio is approximately 1:1, resulting in a chewy texture and a rich, sweet flavour.
Dim Sum
The dim sum is divided into two courses – the first steamed and the second fried.
Steamed
Black har gow, a shrimp and asparagus dumpling topped with gold leaf, offers a visually striking presentation. The shrimp is cooked to perfection, with a firm, bouncy texture. The wrapper of the fun guo dumpling is soft but strong enough to hold the filling of four types of mushrooms and bamboo without tearing. Finally, the liu sha bao, is shaped into a cute little piglet face. The thick white bun encases a rich duck egg yolk custard that flows out like lava when bitten into. It’s a tempting seesaw of sweet and savoury.
Fried
The deep-fried series starts with a crisp, light spring roll with a warm and satisfying pork and Jangheung shiitake mushroom filling. We like this best with a splash of the spicy sauce provided on the side. The deep-fried pumpkin and white bean sticky rice dumpling has a chewy texture similar to mochi. The mildly sweet bean filling contrasts nicely with the savoury, lightly fried exterior. Last but not least, the pan-fried Jeju black pork and leek dumpling has a soft yet crisp exterior. The leek adds a bright note to the rich pork filling.
Soup
Double-boiled Jeongeup black chicken soup with cordyceps, Muju bamboo pith, and fish maw is a savoury counterpoint to the earlier dim sum. Its light texture belies a rich, complex flavour profile.
Rice
The next dish’s base is short-grain rice cooked to a light chew. The king crab and asparagus partners are gently sweet. It’s mild in flavour, so we like it best with a scoop of the spicy sauce side, which gives it a nice little kick.
Dessert
A chilled aloe vera gel topped with three melon balls and served in a champagne glass provides a light and fruity finish to a meal. Perfect for lunch, it satisfies a sweet craving without weighing us down or inducing a post-meal nap.
Coffee and a lavender chocolate polish things off and inject a little caffeine confidence to finish our last afternoon in Seoul.
Reasons to visit Yu Yuan, Four Seasons Hotel Seoul: the Yu Yuan Lunch Delights menu; expertly prepared dim sum; the yum cha food experience but in an elevated setting; great wine list.
Yu Yuan – Cantonese Restaurant
Four Seasons Hotel Seoul
97 Saemunan-ro, Jongno District, Seoul
www.fourseasons.com/seoul/dining/restaurants/yu_yuan/
+82 (0)2 6388 5500
Link to Yu Yuan Seoul on Google Maps
Yu Yuan Seoul Opening Hours
Lunch: 11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Dinner: 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Weekend brunch: 11:30 am – 2:30 pm
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