Bill Granger’s famous eats in Seoul

Australian celebrity chef Bill Granger’s famous eggs have arrived in Seoul.

Praised time and time again by the press, Granger’s scrambled eggs are one of the star items on the menu at his global, multioutlet eatery Bills, which first opened in Sydney over 20 years ago and launched its first Korean branch on Oct. 17.

Though less than two weeks have passed since Bills opened in Lotte World Mall, word has spread fast.

Tables are buzzing with diners digging into stacks of towering, impossibly thick ricotta pancakes, another of Granger’s popular breakfast eats.

Even well past the lunch hour, seats, especially those near the floor-length windows, stay full, and even though it is closer to dinner than breakfast, judging from the number of pancakes getting ordered, it looks like a large majority of the crowd still craves brunch-centric grub.

As befits a place that garnered attention for its morning-friendly eats, breakfast-only coconut bread, made in-house with shredded coconut and only available till 11 a.m., merits an early trip to the spot at the newly minted mall in Seoul’s Songpa-gu.

“We sear it to order,” said Bills Korea executive chef Kim Sang-bum, 38.

Two slices, over an inch thick, dusted with powdered sugar and topped with a pat of butter, are served up warm, slightly crisp on the outside and moist and bready on the inside. 

The whole thing tastes like coconut cake-meets-zucchini bread (minus the zucchini), sturdy, fragrant and just sweet enough to call for an extra-bitter, superpotent cup of morning coffee.

Coffee is sourced from Seoul-based Anthracite Coffee Roasters, which supplies the new restaurant with its Butter Fat Trio Blend, a roast that, according to Kim, possesses the ideal balance of tart and round flavors.

The blend lends itself well to brews like the piccolo lattes, flat whites and long blacks on the drinks menu.

Piccolo lattes are served in tiny clear glasses, with a wisp of foam on top and are strong and creamy through and through.

Long blacks, which are crafted with two espresso shots, are powerful without being unpleasantly bitter, landing deep and round on the palate, a great foil to all those eggs and toast.

Fans of almond milk can try the masala chai, which is brewed with a hefty dose of the housemade nut milk.

While the breakfast hour, when other morning fare like five-grain porridge made with soymilk is also served, is a great time to try all of Granger’s classics, Bills is open from morning to late at night and serves eats that can also be enjoyed for lunch and dinner.

The coconut chicken salad, for instance, makes for a great light lunch, melding the tartness of lime with creamy green goddess dressing and shredded coconut-infused chicken breast and rich avocado. Jalapenos add a nice piquant kick to the dish while anchovies add pleasant pops of salinity to the greens.

Meanwhile sumac-seasoned zucchini fritters dunked in the yolk of fried eggs, topped with cool, thick tahini yogurt and paired with halloumi cheese, thin circles of crisp radish and light, citrusy greens works well as a light meal as well.

Kim promises that when corn is in season, Granger’s famous sweet corn fritters will be added to the repertoire.

Also, Kim revealed that when spring rolls around some seasonal changes will be made to the menu as well. 

By Jean Oh (oh_jean@heraldcorp.com)


Bills

1F Lotte World Mall 300, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul
(02) 3213-4185; billskorea.com

Open Sundays to Thursdays 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fridays to Saturdays 8 a.m. to midnight

Fruits, grains and toasts for breakfast cost 5,000 won to 15,000 won; classic dishes for breakfast and lunch cost 12,000 won to 22,000 won; salads, burgers and sandwiches for lunch cost 14,000 won to 22,000 won; big plates cost 14,000 won to 39,800 won; drinks cost 5,000 won to 12,000 won