Atomix is a tasting menu only for 14 people at a lower level u-shaped counter. It has only been open one year and was recently elevated to a 2 Michelin star rating. The lighting is lowered in the room and small spots shine on the granite counter and light wood ceiling and walls. The bar is upstairs where you enter and then down the stairs is a small lounge area. Modern music plays in the background. Each course is presented with a corresponding card that talks about the dish and has an illustration associated with it. The dishes have a Korean influence and wine pairings are available. The menu changes 4 times a year. Without knowing what was to be served we opted to try the pairings for the meal. The service was pleasant (there seemed to be more staff than guests), portioning light and pacing moved along nicely but I never got a commrodery at the counter. Explanations are more from the cards than the staff and while I found the dishes artistic, precise and thoughtful they were mostly on the bland side of things but with very clean tastes.
A couple amuse bouche were first. A King Crab with black turtle beans was on a white kelp cracker. It had a little spice and was good.
A silver corn meringue sandwiched a foie gras mousse. It was elegant with a little sweetness and crunch.
You were given a choice of chopsticks to eat several of the beginning courses and the option of adding a truffle course. We declined the truffle, as apparently everyone else did too cause I never saw one come out.
The first course was written as a raw grouper in fig vinaigrette but it was a sea bream as grouper was not in season. Some light shrimp were with it also. The mild flavor did have some texture but I’d only give it an okay.
Raw vegetable was cucumber presented with smoked eel mousse under a pile of caviar. It was supposed to be a mix of common and uncommon. The caviar was a mildly flavored choice that went well with the creamy mousse below. This was a tough course to pair wine with but I thought the choice was nicely done.
Smoked eggplant purée was paired with abalone slices and sauce from abalone liver. Fun textures were in the dish with most of the flavor coming from the eggplant. The abalone was tender.
A stack of 3 boxes that were to accompany the next several courses was brought out.
Hake was with a rice wine infused with green oil sauce. A side of greens was very tasty and mixed well with the fish and cucumber. The sauce was added tableside and had a nice pop from some smoked trout fish roe that was in it.
A Korean pancake was wrapped around tender moist Japanese Sea Bass and with a potato dashi. Fermented shrimp and walnuts were on the side. This dish had lots of crunch and more flavor than the others. The clean tastes were quite good.
Japanese Sardine with a fried tofu skin was plated with barley rice, Japanese sea urchin, pinenuts and ginger. The sea urchin and rice were a wonderful combination of flavors that went well with the sardines. The coating moderated its usually strong flavor as did the sticky good sauce. Its pairing of a slightly sweet wine that worked well with the flavors and the tofu added a nice texture to the dish.
Deep fried quail breast was in one bowl and the leg pieces barbecued with honey was another. The breast was fried with a glutinous rice coating instead of a batter. Cherries with onion and spruce made up the dressing. The breast was rare and juicy and the pickled cherries really good. The legs were well sauced but the onion on the side was a tad hot. Another good one.
Grilled slices of Miyazaki wagyu from Japan had first been marinated. It came with a side dish of cold buckwheat noodles and cucumber. They were to be mixed with bits of the excellent beef. A small piece of squash that was peppery flavored, finished the plate. The toothsome noodles had salted cucumber on top and were in a brisket stock with white kimchi. The excellent meat was good on its own or mixed with the noodles.
The palate cleanser was honeydew melon with anise hyssop ice. The really sweet melon was lovely and the center disk was a frozen piece to be broken and mixed in. The texture of the fruit was marvelous and it was overall quite good.
Dessert was cherry bark ice cream with chocolate and peach. It was a mild sweet fix to end the meal.
