It's hard to believe that my last time out to a restaurant was November 19, 2020, but after being vaccinated and hearing about Chef Danny Lee's wonderful fundraiser for EmbraceRace last night, we HAD to go. We had been to Anju before when it was called Mandu and also did take-out from there last year, but the Dupont Circle spot is now fresh and bright as Anju with wonderful artwork and spaced tables on the second floor dining room.. We were in the back room where only three tables were served by a group of servers working to move the meal along(there were two seatings at 530PM & 8PM!) and our lead Emma was superb. We never felt rushed and everyone was having a really great time.
Ten or more chefs worked together to produce 8 beautiful courses that were so beautiful you did not want to disturb them!
The first two courses were room temperature and were on the table at arrival and a glass of Conquilla Brut Rose Cava came soon thereafter, not to mention a refill for the second course! We chose to pair the drinks/wines as well for an extra $60(the fundraiser dinner was a mere $225 each!).
Chef Boby Pradachith from Thip Khao was first with a plate of three "large amuses;" Kanom Krok or Coconut Rice Pancake with Uni, Sauce of Slow cooked egg yolk and Maggi) was simple and I wanted more "wow" from the uni, but the Sakoo Yadsai or Crispy Tapioca Cake with Salted Radish & Wood Ear Mushroom Caramel was a "mouth explosion" according to Will! The Som Mak Mai or raw Green Mango marinated in Chili & Lime was the perfect palate cleanser. Chef Erik Bruner-Yang who agreed to come on board just a day or two prior whipped up a masterful Raw Bay Scallop on White Asparagus(yes the ones so rare from Europe!) and Dry Scallop Dashi with Caviar. The emulsion was out of this world!
Smoked Duck Egg came from Chef Eric Sze of "886" in NYC and featured dried prosciutto, cilantro & caviar as well. Al Thompson of Thip Khao &N Phil Anova of Anju were the mixologists and this course was paired with a wild Jasmine Tea Negroni made from Jasmine infused Barr Hill Gin, Mancino Vermouth, Don Ciccio & Figli Ambrosia with Luna Amara. YUM! It made me ready for my Sbagliato this summer as it warms up1
Braised Daikon came from DC Chef Masako Morishita and had a very salty Chicken Dashi with Melted Brie on top & garlic chives, chili and Shishito pepper. The overall dish was wonderful, but you had to get broth with daikon to avoid it being too salty. A brilliant wine paring was an Empire Estate Dry Riesling 2018 from the FInger Lakes in NY.
Pipa Tofu is a creation from Chef Lucas Sin of NYC's Sin Kitchen and featured a quenelle of whipped dace(a fish related to the minnow!!) with Jinhua ham(dry cured), Rooster superior broth and Scallop XO. The accompanying drink was Bar Hill Vodka with Coconut Soda & Calamansi (a Philippine citrus) that was delicious and not sweet at all.
It was a great treat to see Chef Rock Harper who is now at Queen Mother's in Arlington and brought his Duck Fat Fried Chicken on a White Cheddar Biscuit with Watermelon jam. The dish had pickled onion, cabbage and a duck fat dressing for extra indulgence! We know we will head over to Arlington soon for some more of his yummy fried chicken!! The wine was a Scarpetta Barbera del Monferrato 2019 from Piemonte.
Mu Guk was a real treat created by the Anju team (Chefs Angel Barreto, Scott Drewno & Danny Lee) featuring a large disc of Pressed Oxtail in Beef Bone Broth covered with Poached Radish & Caviar dollops. The chef explained it was a combination of two Korean soups and indeed this rich broth was a love letter of Korean ingenuity that took 7 days to make! Side plates of rice and Chef Lee's famous kimchi were condiments and most welcome as I adore kimchi! The full bodied red was a Bodegas Raul Perez "Ultreia St. Jacques" 2018 from Bierzo, Spain.
The dessert was another work of art from Chef Paola Velez laden with edible flowers and nasturtium that made it just so gorgeous. Miso Dulce de Leche Mousse looked like a garden of earthly delights with salty crumb and Sakura Blossom coulis!! A "boozy" Passion Fruit & Raspberry Infused Soju or rice alcohol was wonderful as well.
What a way to come out of quarantine and what a spectacular way to raise money for such a worthy cause. We hope that many more nights like these are ahead as we emerge from the dark.
