Bicena

"Jup (汁)" refers to the juice extracted from fruits or vegetables. Infused with the refreshing spirit of summer, we cold-press green grapes and Korean peppercorn(sancho), then blend them into Green Grape Juice. The result is a gentle sweetness with a light acidity and a subtle aromatic hint of sancho. This clean and invigorating sip opens the palate and welcomes the meal with the first breath of summer sunshine.

Traditionally, mulhoe is a coastal summer delicacy of raw seafood mixed with spicy gochujang. We refine it highlighting the squid's natural sweetness and texture with a clean soy-based dressing instead of gochujang. This results in a delicate yet vivid flavor where each bite lets the ingredient's essence shine through. A sip of the summer sea, chilled and crisp.

A tribute to the humble potato pancake of Gangwon-do, this dish elevates the original by finely layering and pan-frying the potato until crisp. It's served with a mild, creamy salted squid sauce made with garlic and Cheongyang chili, offering a rich interplay between crisp potato and savory seafood. A dish that awakens summer appetites with familiar comfort and subtle complexity.

Jeungpyeon is a fermented rice cake made with makgeolli. At BICENA, we grill it until crisp and sandwich it with thin slices of beef striploin, shiitake, and truffle mushrooms. The grilled exterior, tender beef, and aromatic mushrooms create a layered taste and texture, melding fermentation with fire, evoking a warm, refined summer.

Inspired by saeujang(soy-marinated shrimp), this version uses sweet shrimp lightly marinated in gochujang and aromatic herbs. The shrimp are combined with barley rice and yam, then wrapped in a crispy laver chip(gim-bugak). The earthy crunch of the chip, umami-rich shrimp, subtle spice of gochujang, and nutty barley together express the refined depth of summer seafood in one bite.

Pyeonyuk is tenderly boiled and thinly sliced beef. Here, we compose it with delicacies such as beef shank, abalone, octopus, cucumber, and Korean melon, all harmonized with a savory soybean purée. The combination of tender meat, chewy seafood, and refreshing vegetables creates a cooling yet substantial opening, delicate yet nourishing.

Inspired by saseuljeok, an ancient skewer where fish and meat alternate, we interweave croaker like a summer health food and beef, seasoning them in soy sauce and grilling gently over charcoal. Each bite reveals the interplay of land and sea, delicately perfumed with smoke. A refined take on the hearty foods enjoyed during hottest days of summer called "Korea's boknal".

A soulful reinterpretation of Korea's beloved sundaeguk. Our handmade sundae is filled with blood and pork, paired with slowly dried and fermented pork loin, all immersed in a creamy perilla-seed and beef bone broth. Cabbage pickled in a soybean paste called "doenjang" adds a tangy counterpoint. Served with quinoa and millet rice, this dish is a bowl of warm nourishment grounded in tradition and finished with elegant restraint.

Our interpretation of samgyetang begins with deboned young chicken, stuffed with deodeok and fragrant black mushrooms. It is accompanied by two broths: one simmered from red ginseng steeped for 48 hours, and another from a clean chicken stock. Earthy, sweet, and lightly bitter flavors unfold one by one, layered, warm, and deeply restorative.

A tribute to Gochang's traditional grilled eel. Eel is first seared over rice straw with sansho powder, then steamed for tenderness, and finally glazed with a wild raspberry(bokbunja) sauce. Crisp burdock chips and a pine nut sauce with Korean wild herbs accompany it. The result is a harmonious composition. Smoky, savory, and layered with subtle sweetness and fragrance.

This is a frozen dessert created with carefully blended tea base, Hwayo makgeolli, maesil(plum extract), and lime — a refreshing summer sorbet. The use of makgeolli lends it a sweet, snow-like texture and smooth mouthfeel, gently spreading across the palate to cool and compose the senses. The subtle aroma of tea, the tart sweetness of maesil, the crisp acidity of lime, and the deep, smooth nuance unique to Hwayo makgeolli harmonize delicately to leave a light yet refined impression, even in the height of summer.