Akira Back Seoul – Experience an Unforgettable Culinary Journey with a Celebrity Chef at Four Seasons Seoul

A former professional snowboarder and now a highly acclaimed Korean American celebrity chef, Akira Back has impressed the culinary world with his boundless creativity and adventurous approach to Japanese cooking. Following the world-famous Yellowtail at the Bellagio and Kumi at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Chef Akira Back’s leading-edge culinary masterpieces continue to amaze foodies around the world with 20 restaurants in 14 cities. He has recently been awarded a Michelin Star for Dosa in Seoul. Following his successes, he finally brought his energetic and unique styled dining experience to Four Seasons Seoul.

During our stay at Four Seasons Seoul, my travel companion and I were honoured to be invited to have dinner at Akira Back. Although Akira Back is an upmarket restaurant, it exudes a warm ambience and an unpretentious vibe the moment you step in. The menu features modern Japanese fare with a Korean essence that will stimulate and excite your senses. As it was our first visit to Akira Back Seoul, we were spoilt for choice. The friendly waitress highly recommended the Greatest Hits Set Menu for 2 persons (94,000krw per person). This set menu boasts all the signature dishes at Akira Back.

You have a choice of either the Tuna Pizza or the Eryngi Pizza to begin your meal. We started with the Tuna Pizza and the AB Special Sashimi. The former consists of a very crispy crust topped with thinly sliced tuna, flavoured with umami aioli and a sprinkle of truffle oil. This is a highly addictive pizza, and it’s impossible to stop at one slice.

The AB Special Sashimi, on the other hand, is a starter made up of the Chef’s daily selection. Depending on which type of fish is in season, you’ll be served the freshest spread of sashimi. We had high quality sea bream, sea bass, and Japanese mackerel.

Moving on, you can either select the AB Hanwoo Tacos or the AB Tuna Tacos. We decided to try the AB Hanwoo Tacos filled with a generous amount of Bulgogi beef drenched in Bulgogi sauce and Tomato Ponzu. The crispy tacos combined with the flavourful beef gave a burst of textures and tastes in every bite.

You can also pick between the Crispy Octopus and the Seared Scallops. We had the latter which includes fresh, sweet, plump, and juicy scallops. These bite-sized delights have a distinct buttery taste and a delicate texture. Drenched in Orange Relish and Yuzu Beurre Blanc, the seared scallops presented a refreshing twist.

As for the mains, you get both the Grilled Glacier 51 Tooth Fish and the Toban Hanwoo Filet Mignon. The grilled fish, served with grilled shiitake and soy Beurre Blanc is light on the palate while the steak, served on a hotplate with mixed mushrooms and Nanbanzu soy is simply heavenly.

The AB Seoul Roll, final savoury dish served before dessert, contains premium aged kimchi. The entire roll is dipped in a fireball sauce. It doesn’t taste spicy when you first bite into the roll, but the fiery punch hits you towards the end. The flavour of this dish perfectly represents the taste of South Korea.

As for dessert, we had the Yuzu Citrus. The smooth and thick yuzu curd goes very well with the strawberry ice cream, biscuit crumbs and meringue. On top of the Yuzu Citrus dessert which comes with the Greatest Hits Set Menu for 2 persons, we were treated to an additional Chocolate in a Cup (14,000krw). This is definitely made for chocolate lovers! The richness of the chocolate is well balanced with the banana milk foam and the vanilla bean ice cream. Moreover, the level of sweetness is just right – what a great end to dinner!

Akira Back Seoul is ideal for couples, families and even corporate parties. You can head down for a casual lunch or celebrate a special occasion over dinner.

Akira Back Seoul
Address: 97 Saemunan-ro, Dangju-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Contact: +82 2-6388-5500
Opening Hours: Daily 11.30am to 2.30pm (lunch) and 5.30pm to 9.30pm (dinner).
Website: https://www.fourseasons.com/seoul/dining/restaurants/akira-back/

Note that this is an invited tasting.