Sadu: The Perfect Fusion of Korean Cuisine
Text Stewart Johnson Photos Katrin Press
Over 20 dishes and drinks on the table, and this doesn’t even represent the entire menu of Korean fusion cuisine.
When people think of “Asian food”, images of stir-fried noodles and rice usually come to mind first. After all, these are delicious foods. But what if you combined Korean cuisine and fusion, with a healthy mix of a Michelin green star? You would get Sadu, a delightful restaurant in Tallinn’s up-and-coming Krulli Quarter.
Sadu’s head chef is Kristjan Jekimov, of Korean and Estonian heritage. Jeka, as he’s known among his friends, rightfully earned a Michelin green star at his previous restaurant. He’s invited me to enjoy the broad selection of recipes he’s created in Sadu. The menu is robust, and I’m unable to choose, so I ask Jeka if he could use his culinary creativity, and choose for me. He did not disappoint!
Twenty Dishes and Drinks on the Table
He presented several dishes just a short time later. Four of them included fermented food, such as his own style of kimchi, which he says was fermented for at least three months. It is accompanied by a bowl of white radish, something I had never even heard of. Next to it is soy onions, which have been marinated for at least two months, and soy-marinated spring beans.
It’s difficult to describe these new flavors, in a way that it would be difficult to describe colors to someone who has never seen colors before. All I knew was that I liked them all very, very much. The consistencies are also unique. Personally, I’ve always been very finicky about mixing soft and crunchy foods, for example I don’t like chocolate chips in ice cream. These fermented side dishes all had ideal consistencies.
Beef, Chicken, and Vegan on the Menu
Next was Jeka’s own vegetarian bibimbap. He offers a vegan variant as well, but ours was served with the obligatory egg. Again, a wonderful array of flavors. Jeka explains in detail how to pour on the bibimbap sauce, mash the egg, and mix everything very well.
A plate of beef ribs with salad leaves stands out in my memory of this feast. You need only a fork to gently release the grilled meat from the bones, and wrap it in a leaf of lettuce, with several accompanying sauces.
“One of the top three foods I have ever tasted in my life.”
Chicken thigh with marinated beetroot and pickled ginger, Korean-style steak tartare, and more sauces, all created by Jeka. His version of ramson chimichurri, a sauce with Argentinian roots fused with Korean flavors, is easily one of the top three foods I have ever tasted in my life.
My dinner companion and I struggled to finish this Smörgåsbord of Korean fusion food. And this is my only criticism of the meal we enjoyed at Sadu: it was too good! Even though we were full, we didn’t want to leave anything on the several serving dishes and bowls. All the dishes served range in price from €3 to €24.
Rice Wine and Dessert
We also sampled two of the rice wines from the menu. My favorite was the Yunguna Yakju, which reminded me slightly of a white Pineau des Charentes.
Dessert was a rhubarb bingsoo, or shaved ice, served with seasonal berries and a sumptuous sauce based on condensed milk.
I look forward to visiting Sadu at least a few more times this year.
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