SFReview

Suragan

Go to Suragan in the Tenderloin and you’ll end up learning more than a few facts about how to wash herring or store peaches in the winter. Every dish on the 12-course menu is based on ancient Korean cookbooks that date all the way back to the 1600s. So naturally, with each course, you’ll get a card translating the corresponding cookbook text, and a description of how they modernized the version that’s now staring you in the face. Info cards aside, we really love this place because dishes are a masterclass in subtle flavors that shine: pan-fried sea bream rests over a sweet soy-butter emulsion, and buckwheat mandu get a nice crunch from mild vegetable kimchi. This is a dinner to save for nights when you feel like blowing $200+ on an interactive meal that’s as educational as it is flat-out impressive.