Gangnam fine dining jazz bar: ₩59,000 October course at Flat Nine

Unlike me, who loves pojangmacha-style outdoor drinking and ajae-kase (an ajeossi-style omakase), my boyfriend loves fine dining and live music... (Of course, I love both, haha.) He does not like outdoor drinking spots... lol

So I went on a date with him to a fancy, pretty jazz bar for a fine dining course, haha. Here is a detailed look at the course from the new head chef at Flat Nine, a great date spot near Gangnam Station.

What is Flat Nine, the jazz bar near Gangnam Station, like?

Flat Nine is a jazz bar and fine dining restaurant on the 5th floor of a building on Gangnam-daero 65-gil, where you can eat a course meal while listening to live jazz. The restaurant displays its performance schedule and the origin of its ingredients.

How much is the new head chef's course at Flat Nine?

The course from Flat Nine's new head chef is ₩10,000 off in October, so you can have it for ₩59,000 per person, I was told!

AMUSE: Katsuobushi bavarois and truffle gougère

The first plate of the Flat Nine course is the amuse-bouche, a set of gorgeous little one-bite dishes. Haha.

Bavarois is a French chilled dessert made by mixing gelatin and whipped cream into custard cream. Serving a dessert first felt really subversive and fun, and once I tasted it I understood why it came out as the amuse-bouche, haha.

It has the aroma of katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), plus the flavor of caviar and asparagus, so it tastes more like a meal than a dessert?! Haha. It's delicious! Haha. It looks like a pretty dessert, but it's savory and rich in umami, with a sea-like aroma overall, which I loved. Of course, caviar is the roe of the sturgeon, a freshwater fish, haha.

A gougère is a French pastry, a savory choux pastry made with cheese-mixed dough. This one had truffle custard inside. So you get the truffle aroma while enjoying the soft texture of the choux, which felt unusual.

BREAD: Warm brioche and Maldon salt butter

The bread course at Flat Nine is brioche with butter topped with Maldon salt. Such a cute brioche. When you split it open it's full of butter aroma, soft, rich and delicious >.< It was even better because they served it warm. Haha.

ENTRÉE: Cauliflower gangjeong and honey tuile

The entrée at Flat Nine is cauliflower gangjeong (Korean sweet crispy glazed fritters), which could pass as a vegan dish. Haha. I can't believe they thought of making gangjeong with cauliflower, such an unusual idea! Haha.

And the coating was really crispy like gangjeong, with a sweet sauce flavor too. Inside is cauliflower, which is a bit milder than broccoli. Haha. The soft texture makes it really nice as gangjeong. Pairing the honey tuile with the cauliflower gangjeong gave a nice texture contrast.

PRIMI: Beef cheek ragu and mushroom duxelles lasagna

The primi at Flat Nine is a lasagna layered with beef cheek ragu and mushroom duxelles béchamel. You get a lasagna where you can fully enjoy the flavor of mushrooms.

There's also a generous helping of little kongnip (soybean leaves) on the side. Haha. The ragu sauce looks tempting, right? When you cut into the lasagna... the mushroom duxelles béchamel sauce is tucked between the layers!

I really like the flavor of mushrooms but not so much their texture, so mushrooms turned into a sauce like this are perfect for me!!! The ragu was also very deep and rich, so this pasta dish let me enjoy the big lasagna sheets without it ever feeling bland.

CLEANSER: One-bite basil sorbet

The cleanser at Flat Nine is a basil sorbet served before the main, finished with olive powder and carbonation. They made the basil sorbet so you can pop it into your mouth in one bite like a candy. A fresh, fragrant basil aroma fills your whole mouth with coolness, so it worked well as a cleanser, but above all it was just so delicious. Haha.

MAIN: How was the Cebo de Campo Iberico steak?

This is the Iberico steak served as the main at Flat Nine. I think Cebo de Campo grade Iberico is a separate being far beyond ordinary pork, so I was so happy to see it, haha. It's full of flavor and juice, better than most beef, and I felt lucky to have it as a steak with the chef's touch.

Cheese sauce. Grilled king oyster mushrooms. My boyfriend cut them up for me so they're easy to eat.

Dipped in the cheese sauce, wow... it's really juicy, rich, deeply flavorful and so so good!!! T_T Iberico never betrays you, haha. It's by far the best pork steak I've ever had. Haha. Crispy on the outside, moist, rich and tender on the inside.

The carefully grilled mushrooms, full of mushroom juice, were also great as a garnish!

DESSERT: Dark chocolate mousse and berry marmalade

The dessert at Flat Nine is house-made dark chocolate mousse with homemade vanilla ice cream, berry marmalade and chocolate crumble. The dessert is so dainty and pretty too, right? Flat Nine is a fine dining spot near Gangnam Station that's also great for dessert. Haha.

My boyfriend, a chocolate fanatic, ate the chocolate mousse cake so happily. Haha. There was vanilla ice cream on top, and I liked the combination of berry marmalade with the vanilla ice cream. Haha. Sweet, tangy and a refreshing finish!

Why I keep coming back to Flat Nine for dates near Gangnam Station

Places where you can enjoy a fine dining course while listening to jazz are really rare. That's why I've loved Flat Nine for a long time and kept visiting. It's one of the most famous and oldest jazz bars near Gangnam Station, and the fine dining course is very satisfying too, so it's a favorite date spot of mine. Haha.