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Category: Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: WallingfordTue-Thu. 5:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 5:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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I'd like to say that I came here for dinner with absolutely no pre-sleuthing done on yelp or even word-of-mouth opinions. The dishes we had were the following: cucumber kimchi, spaetzel mac & cheese, duck breast, mackerel and baguette with bacon butter.
That's right. You heard me. I said bacon butter. The millisecond I saw that, I knew I had to have it. This is 'Merica so we love bacon in anything & everything, all the flippin time. Boy, let me tell you; though it sounds simplistic, the butter was really quite bacon-y (and damn tasty). You must try it on some warm baguette!
The cucumber kimchi was lovely; crisp & cold with a slight kick in a cute little French canning jar & baby tongs. I ordered the whole mackerel because I loooooove it at Korean joints. It came whole (head, tail & all) and so that was a bit of work to eat. The duck breast was sliced and quite resembled seared tuna. Can I tell you how absolutely amazing the duck was? Like butta (a la Linda Richman from SNL's 'Coffee Talk'), I kid you not. If you love duck, you MUST try this. Sooooo good. The mac & cheese was really unique as well. Made with spaetzel instead of regular ol' noodles & topped with bread crumbs....oohhh it was cheesy heaven presented in an individual Staub casserole. Oh and I can't forget the dessert. We were going all out so we decided to try the most unique-sounding dish they offered. That had to be the white sweet potato mousse. It had the consistency of ice cream almost but wasn't as cold and was starchy to the tongue. Slightly sweet and a hint of creaminess. All in all, I felt the service was attentive and the dishes were unique.
"If I buy it, then I'll eat it," once said a modern day philosopher. This principle holds true at Joule: if you buy the bacon butter, spaetzel mac and cheese and cucumber kimchi all at once, then you will surely eat it. Don't mind the odd pairings of food and potentially awkward looks from the servers (though ours surely did not judge us).
The atmosphere of Joule is lovely and loud. Lots of chatter that reverberates through the wooden floors and walls. Our table was located in the back of the room and annoyingly rocked from side to side. I was tempted to fold a napkin and put it underneath one of the legs, but I didn't.
I tried the duck breast and it almost melts in your mouth. The mackerel comes out large and charred (in a good way) on the outside, and super moist on the inside. The potato mousse was unique and full of flavor. We ordered a sangiovese and it paired so well with the dishes that we proceeded to drink the entire bottle.
Overall, a very helpful staff and lovely food. The Korean influences aren't to be found as often or as much as I would've liked, and the food didn't invoke a life-changing experience (though few have), but it was memorable. Especially the bacon butter. It's just such a good idea.
yum. seriously. just yum.
smoked tofu + savory mochi + sparkeling sake = happy belly.
i loved everything, my only regret is that i don't get in here often enough- food is always great and how can you not love to sit at the counter and look over the kitchen? i recomend joule to anyone... mostly those that say they don't like fusion food- obviously, it just works here. thanks for an awesome meal, guys. we'll see you again soon!
The food at this cozy Korean fusion restaurant on 45th in Wallingford is original, satisfying, and incredibly tasty. The 2 of us walked in without reservations on a Friday night and were seated at the counter right away around 6:30pm, but I'd recommend making reservations if you go any later than that. By 7pm, the place was full. We ordered the whole grilled mackerel with puttanesca sauce, mizuna salad with blue cheese, roasted cauliflower with currants and dukka (cumin, coriander, lemon peel...it's a spice mixture with a middle-eastern/Indian flavor), and a Joule box for dessert. The Joule box consisted of tapioca in coconut milk topped with ruby grapefruit sections, and after a light scatter of crystalized sugar the top was caramelized - just like a creme brulee - and dusted with lime peel. The result is light and palate cleansing, and nothing short of mmm, mmm, mmm.
Joule is one of the best restaurants in Seattle, bar none. I have had the pleasure of eating here four times and never, I repeat never, have I been disappointed with anything on the menu.
Sure, some things have been better than others - the cornbread is unlike any I've ever tasted, the wonton soup was surprisingly rich and flavorful, the mac and cheese is a dream and I live for the whole cooked mackerel - but really, here, it's all good.
Joule is also moderately priced, meaning you can get out of there with multiple dishes and a bottle of wine for less than you would at most other restaurants of similar quality (though don't mistake me, it's not 'cheap').
To top it off, the chef remembered me - by name - after just my second meal here, despite the fact that I sometimes (regretfully) wait months between visits. If that's not amazing, I don't know what is!
I had a really lovely dinner at Joule last night. The service was attentive and speedy. I also liked the size of the menu, enough choices, but not too many. The food was delicious and interesting. Highlights were the lamb, smoked tofu, and broccoli rabe. We tried 3 deserts which were all unexpected combinations. My favorite was the tapioca and grapefruit, the chocolate espresso cake was not as impressive. We drank a Trempranillo which worked well with the variety of food we ordered. I highly recommend Joule!
We went last night, and admittedly, we were a large and unwieldly group (16). However, our service was horrendous. Our waitress took the initial drink order right away but did not come back to our table for at least 20 minutes. I watched her spend 10 minutes preparing a french press, that should have taken 1 minute. During the time she never looked up, never made eye contact. I was very unhappy. She was slow to take our order and slow to get our order in. Then the food came out very staggered so that we were not able to eat together. Very staggered. Like 20 mins apart staggered. WTF
I was also not impressed with the food. While everything was cooked properly (I had the octopus, which was tender), the flavorings were not either french nor korean. Simply adding kimchi to a dish does not make it Korean. Morever, labeling something in French does not make is French.
Overall, very disappointing and I have no plans of ever going back. Even for the weekend bbqs.
YUM!! We really enjoyed our evening here.
We didn't have a resi and the restaurant was obviously packed with people waiting. The server who greeted us was quite gracious and checked end to end to see if we could get us a table for 4 before turning us away for other night. Pleasantly they were able to fit us in quickly, especially since it's a fairly small establishment.
We started drinks with the Parisian Sake. Get me an IV of this and I'd be happy for the evening. It was delicious!
We started dinner with simple bread and seaweed butter. I love good fresh bread and this was great. I was already happy.
Dinners around the table consisted of the duck, pork chops, lamb, and mac&cheese. The duck was by far my favorite and delic'! The lamb and duck both were cooked to perfection and both very good lean cuts of meat. The pork chop was cooked great, but cut was a bit fatty for my husbands tastes. Still in the 'good' scale for sure however.
We had the sweet chile profiterole with the last of our glasses of barbera wine. A surprisingly nice pairing of spicy and sweet.
Our total time at the restaurant was 1 1/2 hours. I think we ate in a normal time. But again...the place was packed and we were in no hurry at all so didn't care a bit. It was nice to relax and savor our drinks and food. I think if you go in with the expectations of a evening out for dinner it's fine. I never really understand the fast paced herding of typical American dining anyways.
The good food and all around gracious service made it a very nice dining experience. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to friends and eat here again.
My wife and I always seem to choose Joule to mark a special occasion, and no different earlier this week. As usual we sat at the counter, the better to watch Rachel and Seif in action as well as enjoy their hospitality. Aside from accidentally lighting the menu on fire with a candle, all the excitement was in the flawlessly prepared plates, including a wonderful whole mackerel with a smokey puttanesca and a fine lamb steak with tamarind yogurt sauce. Parsnip soup and trotter wontons were also well received. We already are planning our next visit.
I went to Joule on a whim with friends recently, and my, was this place quite the find!
As I understand their weekend menu is different from their regular menu - we went on a Sunday so we got BBQ instead of the regular Korean fusion. The choices were fairly limited, however, that doesn't necessarily mean bad. The main course seemed to be their Joule BBQ chicken, either half or a whole, and a lovely list of side dishes which we wound up feasting on instead.
Shared a haricot vert salad between three people, and everyone had the stacked Macaroni and Cheese (which Joule has turned delightfully non-childish with a rich cheese and the addition of chicken grease.)
Also tried their chicken liver ice cream which is as inventive and crazy as it sounds, but also delicious. The prices are very reasonable, and the portions are satisfying but not huge.
As far as food goes, it was spectacular. Decided next time to get chicken with the sides.
As far as the atmosphere and service goes, it's a bit hit-and-miss. We were put on a waiting list, and told we could probably be seated in about 15 minutes. Wandered around and came back, and they gave us a choice of bar or table, we chose the bar and it was spectacular to watch the chefs do their craft. The place was definitely crowded and the atmosphere somewhat boisterous, but not unpleasantly so. It looks like they can reasonably cater to large groups, but it may not be the best idea - it's not huge.
The waiters were friendly but a little bit inattentive, it took a few tries to get their attention to order a dessert. The chefs were skilled and considerate, and gave us a complimentary plate of (delicious!) deviled eggs for having to wait for our food to come, and honestly the wait wasn't even that bad.
Overall a great experience, and I plan on returning in the future and checking out what the fusion menu looks like.
I went here after reading about it in several "best new" lists, and having the foodie at work tout it as a place I needed to try. And my own impression was that it was solid if not spectacular. All in all I thought it was nice, but I have had better fusion food (maybe Korean shouldn't be fused) and I found the chefs to be a tad heavy handed with the salt. I wished that it was better, but it just missed on too many things. Here is a more detailed run down of what I tried.
Kimchi- Outstanding flavor with out being too spicy like some real kimchi I have had.
Bread- Again very good
Spicy Beef soup- rather forgettable and a touch too salty
Octopus- Perfectly cooked, the broth was ok but again really salty
Prawns- My wife had these, she liked them. I thought they were a tad overcooked.
Several sides- Cornbread- was not a fan of the gouda it gave it a burnt cheese flavor; mac and cheese- not any better than other high end M&C; glass noodles- salty and not very creative; Dumpling- this was the only side I really enjoyed..
I had a white wine that was completely forgettable and too tart. The wine list as a whole looked very accessible and reasonably priced.
Also, the place got pretty noisy (I blame this mostly on the 6-top of 30 something ladies that looked like too much wine got them into shrilly girl mode). I probably wouldn't be back with so many other restaurants to try.
i thought this place had a beautiful interior, dimly lit, candles on the tables, very intimate, perfect for a bromance :) they also had really cool contemporary glass and flatware, i wanted to steal everything in sight! but that voice inside told me not to (he doesn't let me have any fun)
i came to this place hoping it was a more modern twist on classic korean dishes, but i didn't really sense any korean things happening on the menu...i actually didn't understand the menu at all, it's format was a little confusing, but after staring at it for awhile i cracked its code and i found the word "breast", so i had to have it! so i ended up with a new item on the menu, the Duck Breast, and then i got a kick to the crotch, the entire menu is a la carte! so to go with my breast, i ordered the gnocci. my buddy ordered the prawn because it was described as similar to a lobster tail, and he got the most expensive mac and cheese in the world.
portions were pretty small for the price, but damnit did it taste amazing! my duck breast was flavored great, a little gamey, and oh so juicy, i thought i was in heaven as i dipped into that breast! but then i found salvation in that gnocci, i've had gnocci at a few places, and i never really crapped my pants over it, but my god, this gnocci literally melted in my mouth. my friend's insanely large prawn was good, but a little overcooked, and the mac and cheese....yea......not even gonna go there
overall: it's smack yo mama in the face good! but it lost a start due to a horrible price/ portion ratio. i'd go again just to try the bison hangar, come on, how can you pass on eating something called a bison hangar!?
Wallingforders are lucky to have two wonderful bistros right on 45th, Joule and Smash. This one is a sparkly jewel with creative (but mature) dishes. I don't know them, but Joule (like Smash) has serious owner-chefs who love food. Joule is situated in a sweet, small, pretty store-front. If they're serving chicken in any form, I have it and relish the experience. Same goes for the 'sides.' And if you're dining alone, sit at the kitchen counter and watch the action. Thank god Joule is not downtown where the prices would be double....
And please permit a reply to Marlyn C's review of 7/15/09. I think it's best never, never to go to a restaurant, especially not an intimate bistro like this, with a group of 16 people. No restaurant (other than Dick's or a pizza place or a big restaurant with a large kitchen staff and a private room) can handle that. Only disappointment can follow for your group, and chaos for all the other diners, too, because an oversized group affects the whole restaurant.
So I popped in for the summer BBQ which they run on the weekends. And it was good. It didn't feel like a BBQ, but it was fun none the same.
And the food is good, very good. Maybe the best Korean I've tried. Then pop over to Trophy for a cup cake.
Everything was overpriced and a la carte; the servings were small and the food was mediocre. I was really excited by the concept of mixing French and Korean food, but after trying it - I'll just go to a good Korean or a good French restaurant in the future. The mackerel was good, but the Korean pancake was tiny and not nearly as good as the ones you get at actual Korean places... The lamb was underseasoned and boring.
We ordered appetizers that we LOVED: a lovely "mac and cheese" and mochi dish with oxtail. Both were superb. The cornbread was a little odd with the preserved garlic on top but I think it's because I'm not a fan of things getting soggy.
I had the poussin dish that had a hot sauce. i wasn't a fan of the plating but the chicken really did taste quite good. Hubby's pork chops were soo good that I will order that the next time. The bison hanger steak was good...but I think I just wasn't in the mood for it.
I asked for iced tea and all they had was their sweet corn tea - and I LOVED it. What a lovely beverage to drink on a sunny day!
The only negative really is the cost compared to the size of portions. Although, I really didn't feel hungry after all that.
I'm puzzled by folks who don't know how to categorize Joule. Yes, fusion cuisine already feels like an 80's hair-doo or a hula hoop, but we can't keep eating the same dishes over and over again in the name of authenticity or tradition. I tasted things here I'd never tasted before, and a few of the dishes -- the smoked tofu, the edamame-shrimp potstickers, the gouda corn bread -- were stunning. When a restaurant is merely eclectic it's just different without actually being better, and when a menu is eclectic it probably means each dish works well but the meal somehow comes together all wrong, like a Las Vegas buffet.
That wasn't the case here. Somehow, Joule delivered a weird, delicious, cohesive meal, as if it all came from a single tradition on a planet I'd never visited before. And that's why we go out to eat isn't it?
Why not 5 stars then? The meal was mostly exquisite, except I thought a dourade dish was ably done, rather than mind-blowing.
I finally made it here! I had heard good things about Joule and had actually tried to come once before without reservations and wasn't willing to wait a couple of hours for a table.
Bad news....the place was virtually empty. There was only one other couple in the entire restaurant. I'm not really sure whether it's a sign of the economy or people are no longer enticed by the food.
I had to try the pickles, which were kinda disappointing. However I thought the bison hangar and the short ribs were excellent. The bison was cooked to a medium rare and the short ribs melted in your mouth.
Staff was attentive but not intrusive.
I'm not sure what to make of Joule. I expected to have my socks knocked off and that didn't happen. We were really thrown off by how quiet it was and maybe this should be a 3.5 star rating. But it's not because my socks are still on.
i came with a few out of towner friends after reading about the place in T&L.
this is my second korean fusion joint ive patronized, and i am beginning to realize that korean fusion just cannot work. korean food is meant to be strong and flavorful. fusion just makes korean food taste weak and bland.
that said, the food at joule wasnt spectacular but it was bad either. the smoke tofu worked really well. the spicy beef soup is actually yookyejang with fresh cream. that worked too in a mild form of its original self.
the kimchi pancake, mochi, and the mac and cheese were eh, but the shrimp and edemame dumpling was superb. they should continue to build on this item and mix and match various korean ingredients.
as for the main courses, the octopus, daurade, and the poussin were good to eat but nothing to die for.
some people may really like this place. if youre in the area and you got no serious plans, come try it. im prolly too biased to accurately gauge korean fusion food.
The only thing missing from Joule's Urban BBQ is...well, the BBQ. But if you can get past that fact the experience is worth having.
I stopped by for the Spanish Tapas this past Sunday. The music welcomed us in off the sidewalk and kept us going over our leisurely lineup of small plates. The best in the bunch was the Octopus stuffed with beacon. But you also couldn't go wrong with the sardines that started the afternoon off.
A bucket of ice cold beer to choose from along with some chilled wine rounded out the affair. The owners were very personable and added to the good vibe of the festivities.
Even without the promise of the char from an outdoor grill -- I hope to make it back for another Urban BBQ before the summer ends!
I've always been very apprehensive about places that broadly announce that they are fusion. I think it's like a stupid way of saying, "I have no rules and can do whatever I want now." Instead, I much prefer places that have standard menus but would have an odd ingredient that the chef believes is a much better use than conventional ingredient.
I ordered the side dishes - lasagna, pancake, and steamed tofu. The pancake is not something I'd pay 9 dollars for. The flavour wasn't there, consistency was lacking even if I judge it from a korean style seafood pancake or a taiwanese style seafood pancake - not there at all. It tasted fine, but I wouldn't call it a "OMG" experience. The steamed tofu was just odd. Again, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't great. You cannot taste the freshness of the tofu because it's smoked; so it has a hint of smokiness to it but it also does not add to the flavour. The side mushrooms also had no flavour.
Finally the horrible lasagna - shitake and blue cheese. It deserves a paragraph of its own. Just think, there are a lot of ingredients out there that you put them together and you say, "hm, interesting." This one is like, can this possibly be good when shitake has such delicate flavour? I don't know why I ordered it, I think I was feeling more adventurous. But it was horrible.
Lastly, service was really really s-l-o-w. We waited for a long time before ordering; all the while the restaurant had 6 other people in there. It's a little hard for me to imagine this restaurant lasting.
Upstart precocious Korean French fusion restaurant seeks adventurous diners with a distinguishing palate for romantic evenings over dinner.
Now that's if Joule could write its own personals ad. Truly, this place won't suit everybody. If you're one who looks for bold, imaginative cuisine that combines incredible flavors from two contrasting culinary traditions, this place is for you. Go back in time nearly 30 years ago and think about the now ubiquitous Japanese French cuisine and how those culinary pioneers forged a celebrated new style. Restaurants like Joule are on the cusp of a budding new wave of Korean French cuisine.
While the restaurant itself is humble borrowing the french mustard yellow hues on its walls and Asian motif window hangings, the food that emerges from the bustling open kitchen is far from humble. Flavors are salient and bold. Our group ordered several appetizers. My two absolute favorites were the sesame mac and cheese with truffle oil and oxtail ragout mochi. I've had many a mac and cheese around the country and can honestly say this is in my top 5. The oxtail ragout was a unique twist on a classic Korean dish - very good. Most of the table opted for one of the whole roasted fish dishes, which stirs the "wow" factor when these giant fish arrive at the table. I opted for the octopus in chili broth and was blown away. Octopus was extremely fresh and the chili broth had a tantalizing spice that I still can't lock down. Coupled with a partially filtered Hitashi East Japanese beer, I was in flavor heaven.
Get in on the Korean French fusion train at its infancy at places like Joule so that years from now you can sit back lazily in your chair and recount how your taste buds had sampled the beginning of a culinary revolution.
The reviews would have your believe this evening is going to be amazing, no so. Really inexperienced wait staff and the food while interesting was over seasoned (way to much salt from the kitchen) and the short ribs fatty. Small portions so over priced.
Worth one try (maybe) given the unique menu, but once is enough for us.
had heard great things about Joule since its arrival and touting as the best restaurant of 2007. really looking forward to it.
got there with the place 1/2 empty. sat in the back and had 10 mins before a water even dropped water off, which was literally dropped off.
then when he came back and started to take our order and after my wife started to order her food, he abruptly said, "i'll be right back" and walked away. We were stunned. I mean, after 10 mins of having no contact, we were a bit concerned, but now we were sure the place could not have had a good reputation based on its service.
our sides of dumplings and zucchini pancake were good, but the Nigerian Prawn was overcooked and pretty avg. at $19, the single pork chop with one carmelized chippolini onion was good, but not great.
again, maybe my expectations were too high, but i thought this was something i could've gotten in the ID, at Tamarind Tree or something like that.
And the service was bad. Sorry, I know they probably were trying, but it was bad.
I was hesitant to try this place, but a friend really wanted to go. So we found ourselves wandering in on a Saturday night. I should have known by the fact that the place was completely empty at 8:30pm, that we weren't in for a great dining experience.
The menu was confusing. Billed as Asian Fusion, but more than half of the items were Mediterranean derived, with buffalo, beef and seafood being the primary meats on a very small menu. To be honest, nothing sounded very appealing to either of us, but we settled on two appetizers to start - the blue cheese lasagna and the kalamata olive gnocci. The lasagna was stellar. Amazing flavor with a slighty crunchy topping - I could have eaten three of these myself. The gnocci however, left a great deal to be desired. The flavor was quite good, but the texture was disturbing. Completely mushy, to the point of being unappetizing. ick We initially thought about trying more things after the apps, but decided that for the price and the 50/50 split of liking what we'd had, we'd be better off going elsewhere.
That said, I don't really recommend it.
The only way I can characterize my experience at Joule is by saying that I was supremely disappointed. I had heard glowing reviews, and I love Korean food of all sorts, so I thought I couldn't go wrong with Korean-fusion - an intriguing new concept to me.
First of all, however, I have to agree with many of the reviews here: Joule simply doesn't know what it wants to be. Looking at the menu, you can see elements of many different cuisines, but nothing that I had was a surprising or even particularly good combination of diverse flavors. As an entree, I had the wild boar spare ribs. The sauce was decidedly-kalbiesque, but the ribs were so fatty I could barely eat them. They were accompanied by an odd-tasting side of greens and what we thought were potatoes. I also had the daikon and Asian pear kimchi. Not bad, but not very good as spicy, delicious kimchi goes either. The almond cake for dessert was nothing special either, although the coffee was quite good - the best thing I had all night.
In short, everything was average (if that). Service was slow, the restaurant was incredibly noisy, and the prices were unreasonably high for the experience. So disappointing.
Do NOT take your midwestern steak and potatoes mom and dad here when they visit from out of town. The coolness and outside the box-ness will be lost on them. Go for a sexy date with your beau or a girls night out for sure. Amazing, unique food, great service, good wine recommendation...bustling, cozy atmosphere. As delicious as my hanger steak was - the portion was teeny tiny. Get the short ribs instead. Go here!
This restaurant isn't sure about what direction it wants to go in, and that confusion is passed on to us via the menu.
While definitely Korean-inspired, there were also Mediterranean dishes that confused the whole experience, and we ended up with a mish-mash of tastes on the table.
No one dish really stood out. The bison hangar steak was very good; tender and high quality. The beef shortribs were OK if boring; char-grilled and a bit greasy, with no sauce. The cassoulet side that the waitperson recommended was forgettable.
Kimchi sides are available and we ordered both kinds, the Asian pear and daikon and the cucumber with mushroom. The tiny portions come out in their own cute little jars, but they were just fair. I think if they had been served chilled rather than cool, their textures would have been much better.
Speaking of tiny, you'd better either eat beforehand or plan on getting a substantial dessert afterwards. The portions are Lilliputian. To quote Rodney Dangerfield in "Back to School"..."I hate small food!".
Service was pleasant.
We left still somewhat hungry and yearning to go to a real Korean restaurant. I'm dreaming of pan chan already....
If you like to explore new flavors & aren't afraid to experiment, you must go to this Korean French fusion place
Bacon butter.
'Nuf said.
Coupage was one of my absolute Seattle favorites and I believe that was widely due to the chefs and their innovative palate over, say, the atmosphere or wine list. So when the chefs made a move to Wallingford to start their own restaurant, it was time for date night. My wife and I caught "No Country For Old Men" over at the Guild 45th, and then popped down to Joule for some highly anticipated fusion.
(Side note: we sat next to the two hot girls from "Smallville" who 1. are hotter in person, 2. were bored to tears by their agent yammering on, 3. mean that Joule is already widely recognized as a must try in Seattle)
While I agree that the menu was a bit befuddling, the servers were extremely nice and helpful. I highly respect a server that gives input on wine selection when it's obvious I tend towards the "throw the dart" method. She steered us towards a wonderful and quite affordable red to complement all the various tastes we had coming our way. I say "various" because, unlike the French cuisine from which Joule takes its cues, there is no elegant dance of flavor interplay between courses. Rather, it felt as though the American/Korean influence dominated with all the elegance of a boxing match landing dish after dish as independent blows to your tongue. Not to say this was not an enjoyable experience, but I would deem it slightly more "challenging" than your mainstay Seattle restaurant.
There were clearly winners and losers on the menu, but such is the case with most new restaurants. There were, however, numerous dishes I wanted to try but could not, due to being bludgeoned to death by enormous portions. We rolled out of Joule fat, happy, slightly electrified and wanting to come back after they find their rhythm.
I was prepared to be wowed by this local, cozy restaurant. The kitchen-based artisans had impressed me before when they worked at Coupage At that visit, chef Rachel Yang even came out and warmly thanked us for coming.
Unfortunately, for me Joule is still a work in progress. First challenge was reading the menu. Now, for as long as humans have ordered food, the principle of bundling food items along the lines of "appetizers-salad/soup-main course-dessert" has always been an accepted practice. Sure, the Europeans have moved the salad/soup to follow the main course, and I realize the Italians have broken the main course up into a primo and secondo -- but in practice, we as humans have been coached to think of a meal as a quantitative bell curve, starting with small bites, reaching a crescendo at the main course, and lightly concluding dinner with a sweet something.
Joule's menu breaks the choices up into categories: "crisped", "simmered", "sparked", etc... My mind was all a jumble trying to figure out the logic. Do I start with something "sparked" or will it fill me up for my "simmered" dish? Too many "what if's".
One of my appetizers, a Kalamata olive gnocchi was listed under crispy. Alas, it was not really crispy (more oily), and ultimately not very tasty. My lamb sirloin (which by virtue of its price I was able to determine to be my main course) tasted good, but was somewhat fatty and served in a sloppy manner, piled up at one end of the plate in no particular order. The swirled sesame leaf emulsion had an unintentional swish through it (finger?), destroying any feng shui moment that might have been intended.
My wife had the spicy beef soup, which we both liked. She was also very pleased with her mackerel, which, because it is served on the bone, played to her instinctive desire to fully participate in the eating process by using her fingers extensively and sucking and spitting out bones and cartilage -- Jabba the hut style.
I wouldn't write Joule off just yet, but some further work needs to be done in order to tighten up the quality of the experience.
If three stars is average, then I give Joule three-minus stars. I wanted it to be a five star kind of place since I'm a big fan of Wallingford and want hip, eateries to open up on N 45th. I thought it would be a five star kind of place with an eclectic menu and fabulous chef. It just wasn't.
We made a reservation for a Friday night dinner party with another couple. We were seated promptly, but then ignored by our waitress. We were disappointed that there wasn't a full bar (no martini's to start) so we adjusted and orderd wine. OK, fine.
Our group is all about sharing so we orderd several small dishes to share. Part of the problem was our fault for ordering so many fried dishes, but those looked most intriguing on the menu. The Crisped/fried cornbread was dry; the Crisped/fried lasagna was undercooked, the Crisped/fried black beans with pork were OK, the Crisped/fried port dumplings were a bit cold. Then we went onto our Sparked main entres. The prawns were good, but why didn't they take the shells off? The short ribs were again, just OK. They could have been so much better.
At the time, we weren't annoyed by our inattentive service or lack-luster meal but we started talking about it after we left. Yes, we had high expectations, but it should have been better. If you want an outstanding place in Wallingford where you can share small plates...go to Tilth.
Sorry, Bill N. but my Sunday night dinner at Joule was far from awesome. It started with one of my biggest pet peeves. I ordered iced tea and was told they didn't have any. I had to play the Five Easy Pieces game of "do you have tea? Do you have ice? Can you put them together?" Our server ended up bringing me a cup of hot tea and a glass of ice. Come on, people.
The food was good but not great. I had the kalamata olive gnocchi which was tasty but swimming in oil. The pork dumplings were very run of the mill and also in a pool of oil that soaked through the skins so they completely disintegrated when I tried to eat them. My husband's spicy beef soup and grilled prawns were much tastier but also swimming in oil. Desserts were a chocolate espresso torte and apple and squash galette. Both were pretty good.
We were one of two occupied tables and it took for-freaking-ever for our food to arrive. Our server was forgetful and spent the entire time hiding in the back of the restaurant.
I live in the neighborhood and was hoping that this could be a new favorite. As it stands I won't be back for a while unless I start hearing better things about the food and service.
YUM! yum yum and yum. Came here with my cousin and we shared everything. I feel bad for her because it was so good that I think I ate most of it. I'll have to take her here again when I'm not so hungry so she can have more.
Joule is my favorite new restaurant. While I typically eschew anything "fusion," Joule's interpretation of fusion was, despite its name, not shocking, but rather subtle and wholly pleasurable. While my friend and I shared several dishes, all excellent, my main course - Madagascar prawns--embody what is so genius about Joule. The gargantuan prawn was served grilled, topped with candied walnuts and is accompanied by vanilla mayonnaise: a reinvention of a classic Chinese favorite of mine, honey walnut prawns, beautifully executed, subtly fusion.
Menu is a mix of Korean / American. Had the octopus...it was HUGE! Overall a good food experience.
If you must slog through dining at Joule at least reward yourself with the highly unusual "Joule Box" dessert. You'll love it. Or you'll hate it. No matter what, you'll remember it.
We had been meaning to go here because we really enjoyed coupage. However, I was disappointed for a variety of reasons. I agree with the other reviewers regarding the food. It is not asian fusion, korean-french fusion, but rather an odd mix of food. The food tasted okay, not mindblowing for sure. The service was rather poor for a higher end restaurant and there was no A/C. Won't be back.
Given the very positive reviews our experience at Joule was a bit of a disappointment. Weak service, overlyloud, small portion size and over-priced entrees. The short ribs were fatty and over seasoned, the signature octopus was interesting but less than perfected. The one outstanding entree was the grilled mackerel, the skin was amazing.
In summary worth a visit but not a return.
Neighborhood: Wallingford
Category: Vegetarian
Neighborhood: Wallingford
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Wallingford
Category: Coffee & Tea
Seattle, WA
Category: Mexican
Seattle, WA
Category: American (New)
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