BANSANG

Bansang runs Korean small plates built for a specific kind of night out — dressed-up but relaxed, shareable food meant to anchor a long conversation. Quail egg skewers buried under shaved black truffle sit next to soju cocktails, and the room backs that up: rattan lamps, a gold chandelier, warm brown tones that read more boutique hotel than typical Korean restaurant. From the people behind Daeho, it's a deliberate step up in setting without losing the point of the food.

Most nights, that formula lands. Service gets singled out as much as the cooking, and the small-plate format does what it's supposed to: keeps the table loud and the dishes coming. The flip side shows up often enough to note — some plates land flat, pricing draws real complaints, and a kitchen pushing modern twists on Korean standards doesn't always hit evenly across a long menu.

None of that erases what works here. The city recognized it with a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2026, a vote for value that mostly tracks with the experience. Bansang is worth the night out. Order carefully and let the room do some of the work.