After much success at its first location in Shuangjing, Korean-fusion barbecue favourite Iki has lost no time opening a second location in Gongti. Iki means ‘together’ in Taiwanese, and the warm glow from inside invites this sentiment. The door opens into a friendly atmosphere where every waiter chimes in to welcome diners, while speakers mingle the velvet tones of Nina Simone with Swedish electronic jazz band Koop.
The aesthetic – hip, but not offensively so – extends to Iki's ground-floor bar, which serves soju (rice wine) cocktails, and the Apple Store-esque glass staircase, which ascends to a spacious dining loft (but lacks grip, making us a little nervous when our soles are wet or icy). The layout is thoughtful; the restaurant never feels crowded, even with a full house.
The owner of Iki extends the concept of togetherness to the drinks, by fusing flavours from his Taiwanese home with Korean marinades, soju, 17 different flavours of mojito, Chilean wine, and more. Somehow, these varied flavours never get muddy – a successful marrying of world flavours that’s worth a Nobel Peace Prize.
Start with an order of sensually slippery fresh octopus, each bite packing kimchi and jalapeño heat with pungent slices of fresh garlic (Iki is an ideal dating spot, so encourage your dining companion to go easy on the latter or risk killing your kiss).
Sweeten the heat with homemade Taiwanese black-pepper pork sausage. Arriving sliced in half, lengthwise, these meaty treats then sizzle and curl over the grill. Chunky with juicy, lean and toothsome tendon, they’re a welcome change from the mostly Korean offerings on the menu.
Every table at Iki is outfitted with an inlaid grill, with exhaust vents to keep the smoke away, and the waiters tirelessly turn the meat while attending to your other requests – an impressive level of service. Marbled slices of Seoul-style marinated boneless chuck-rib or thinly sliced pepper-and-salt wild hog ooze with fatty succulence and dip deliciously in the trio of dips served with every meal: sweet and savoury Korean soybean paste, granules of sea salt and sesame soy dressing. If you don’t mind a little gristle, the sweet, LA-style marinated short ribs are fun to tug and chew off the bone.
Obviously Iki is a meat lover’s paradise but vegetarians aren’t without sustenance. The shiitake mushrooms are lusciously buttered and seasoned with black pepper and salt – a simple, yet divine way to enjoy the fungus. Grilled asparagus with sea salt and black pepper are tender spears touched with lemon, and recommended to lighten Iki’s richness overload. For mixed parties of carnivores and herbivores, the servers are happy to grill both meat and veggies on dedicated sides of the grate. After our waitress realised she had accidentally grilled the mushrooms on the meat side, she immediately – and without being asked – got us a replacement half-portion of mushrooms, a fine example of the hyper detail-orientated service.
Source: timeoutbeijing.com
