[Culinary Class Wars 2] Restaurants of the Hottest Chefs : Round 2 - Black&White one-on-one matches (1)

Start high above the city where the room smells faintly of roasted seaweed and warm broth, and plates arrive like moving poetry. On Black & White Chef 2, the team built a quietly luxurious dish around ox tongue, potato, and truffle, and that same restraint shows here in polished courses that feel personal and seasonal.

• Order this: Seasonal tasting with abalone flower steam and late-autumn fruit accents; request open-kitchen seating for the live performance.

From skyline calm to a romantic salon just downhill, the mood turns intimate and concentrated. On the show, the kitchen proved nerves of steel—finishing a dish to perfection, using every last second—and that precision translates into courses cleared and reset with clockwork grace.

• Order this: Lunch for value or dinner for depth; pair with their curated beverage program for a softer landing.

A few subway stops east, the energy turns Italianate—olive, butter, and the perfume of fresh pasta rising from the pass. Black & White Chef’s “Three‑Star Killer” chose to play steak over showy tongue, earning praise from Anh Sung‑jae; that same clarity powers PERIGEE’s confident grill and lucid sauces.

• Order this: Steak and a seasonal pasta, then say yes to pairing if you want the kitchen’s full arc.

Slide across the ridge into Jangchung and the air fills with wok breath and aged stocks. In the one-on-one, Fan Master shared that Palsun was where he began his culinary journey 20 years ago, setting the stage for a mentor-versus-protégé showdown. But despite the emotional appeal, he was ultimately defeated by Hu Deok-juk, who impressed the judges with a dish of hand-picked crab crowned with creamy fu-yong silk.

• Order this: A crab course with a nourishing soup and seasonal greens for balance.

Trade city lights for sea breeze and charcoal sweetness. On the show, Fan Master fused Korean and Spanish instincts with a paella attempt and missed the win, but at his counter the focus is classic japonica eel: lacquered, smoky, and sigh-inducing with each lift of the lid.

• Order this: Unajū set—watch the steam carry soy, sugar, and smoke before the first bite.

Back in Seoul, evening slows to the rhythm of a three‑table ritual—toasted sesame on the nose, immaculate seafood, and a turnip miso soup that feels like home. In Round 2, the chef was defeated by Chef Im Sung-geun, who made a dish made with vegetables and wraps in a wheat pancake bottle with cheonggukjang.

• Order this: The set with tilefish, indigenous garlic beef patties, and fish‑roe noodles; ask for makgeolli pairings.

End where stillness is an ingredient: a four‑pyeong hanok serving native rice as the main event, with tilefish, seven‑year turnip miso soup, and side dishes tuned to the grain. In a tight Black & White face‑off, the chef’s cheonggukjang crepe wraps bowed out to Im Sung‑geun, but fans come precisely for this quiet, rice‑first conviction.

• Order this: The day’s grain bowl—ask about “Red Chararak”—with grilled tilefish and seasonal banchan.