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Heart meets Seoul in Downtown Crossing at Jamie Bissonnette’s new Somaek
"[E]ven if you’ve never had Korean food, everything here is relatable.”
The glasses were raised high at last week’s opening of Jamie Bissonnette’s Korean restaurant Somaek 소맥 in Downtown Crossing – and the combination of what they were toasting with wasn’t lost on the chef.
There’s the namesake somaek, made with a shot of distilled rice liquor ($15) in a lager-style beer ($8). And then there’s creative cocktails like rum-based, lime-tinged jjinppang ($14). The glass is lined with red bean paste and black sesame, inspired by the ubiquitous fluffy steamed buns of the same name that are found at just about every Korean home and street corner.
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At Somaek, classic meets contemporary in the best possible ways, said Bissonnette. “The somaek is like your dad’s boilermaker, it’s a Korean classic that’s just really refreshing. And then the cocktails are creative but approachable. We had a guest from Seoul tell us that the jjinppang evoked the essence of his absolute favorite street food, and that’s a really big point of pride. But even if you’ve never had Korean food, everything here is relatable.”
In the heart of Boston’s transportation nexus where all neighborhoods come together, there’s something for everyone from the most well-heeled traveler to homebodies to those who rarely leave Southie, says Bissonnette. “The globalization of food in the past 10, 20 years is amazing,” he said. “What you can find in the grocery store – even if you haven’t tried it – has really reshaped awareness.”
Dishes like the steamed dumplings with pork and kimchi ($18) will sound familiar to most, as will the soy-kissed and pepper-laden bulgogi grilled pork ($18), and grilled beef short rib ($25). Then there are others like yukhoe, steak tartare with chili-spiced pickled mustard greens and gim bugak, and rice-paste coated fried seaweed paper ($19); and banchan side dishes (three for $14/five for $22) like burdock, a braised root vegetable, and fermented perilla leaves with a flavor between basil and mint.
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Korean striped bass sashimi with leafy vegetables and sweet, tangy and spicy chojang sauce ($18) – while reminiscent of the globally inspired crudos at Little Donkey, part of his former restaurant partnership with Ken Oringer – are decidedly more inspired by the homeland of his in-laws. Bissonnette’s mother-in-law Soon Han is credited as Somaek’s consulting chef, and his extended family gifted the Korean art that graces the restaurant’s 16-seat dining room. He and his wife Song cooked up the leafy logo after admiring flower temple art in Seoul – a bit of kismet since his new restaurant is at 11 Temple Place. And utensils, rice bowls, spoons, forks, and chopsticks were picked up on a recent trip to East Asia with the James Beard Award-winner and his new business partners, Andy Cartin and Babak Bina, who own jm Curley, Bogie’s Place, and The Wig Shop.
Their new partnership forming BCB3 brings more diversified mixology, dining, and entertainment concepts to Downtown Crossing with the concurrent opening of Temple Records next door to Somaek. The 32-seat “listening bar” has an analog sound system built by Bissonnette, whose massive vinyl collection is featured with an audio-friendly drink list from Cartin. Shaken cocktails were left off of his curated lineup to remove potential distractions from the musical experience. Guests will find one of the city’s longest lists of Japanese gins, wine, sake, shōchū, beers and whiskeys. Just below the cocktail bar, Sushi @ Temple Records swings more eastward for East Asian cuisine, introducing nigiri, moriawase, sashimi, and makimono around a custom 22-seat sushi bar made of Hinoki wood imported from Japan.
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Somaek is open 5-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, at 11 Temple Place, Boston. Temple Records and Sushi @ Temple Records are located at 17 Temple Place in Boston. Temple Records is open everyday from 5 p.m.-2 a.m., and Sushi @ is open Tuesday-Sunday from 5-10 p.m. www.somaek.com
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