eoul City is not your typical Korean restaurant. In fact, with designer lights, Queen West patronage, and ambient beats, its look and feel is suspiciously slick. The food and design is bright and mod - there's no missing the glass-fronted eatery on a drive-by - luring a young, not-necessarily Korean clientele to Shaun Park's restaurant.

The true skin-deepness of Seoul City is in its rhythm. The service is crisp and fast and almost intuitively aware. Chef Jonathan Leung's dishes include traditional Bulgogi and a selection of rice bowls as well as some fun items like Korean Seafood Paella and Black Cod with Miso. Ingredients are mostly local, seasonal and first-rate. Try the excellent Juniper and Peppercorn-encrusted Carpaccio or the home-made kimchi (a pungent pickled cabbage with spices). Seoul City epitomizes ambition.

Korean appetizers, like the Korean Fried Dumplings ($8) or the Oxtail Ravioli ($9), served in thick oxtail gravy, are authentic and exotic. However, you don't need to be that daring. For example, the spicy Chicken Drumettes ($8) are very chicken-wing-ish, marinated in green onions and garlic.

For mains, the Cornish Hen ($17), oven-roasted and stuffed with shisho and ginger rice, is especially good when dabbed with the ginseng ginger dipping sauce. The Braised Short Ribs ($17) didn't fare as well. The overly rich mirin merlot glaze overpowered any taste that the tough meat may have had. Even the added rice patty couldn't save the day. Nonetheless, the lightly broiled black cod in miso ($17) was truly a wonder, fueled even further with a piquant cucumber coleslaw and expertly steamed rice. The plate is embellished with bright dots of daikon. This is more interesting than rubbery short ribs any day.