Ciuri Ciuri

Ciuri Ciuri, opened by husband-wife team Enrico Olivieri and Filippa Fiorenza (Fiore), serves up authentic Western Sicilian cuisine in a brightly painted second-floor space. Seoul’s Italian community is a fan—you’re just as likely to hear Italian as Korean in the dining room. The star of the menu is arancine, orange-sized saffron rice balls with a variety of fillings, toasted golden brown and sprinkled with grated 24-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano. Ciuri Ciuri’s arancine recipe comes from Fiore’s Sicilian grandmother—the ragu filling is most traditional, followed by the prosciutto cotto with béchamel (an influence from French conquests of Sicily). The other exclusively Sicilian menu item is annelleti, a small ring-shaped pasta that they import directly from Palermo. Dense and slightly chewy, it’s served wrapped in thinly sliced eggplant and tomato meat sauce. Don’t be shy asking for wine recommendations—Enrico is an Italian sommelier and stocks his cellar accordingly.