When it comes to where to eat in Charleston, South Carolina, there’s no shortage of great options. I implore you, though, to make R Kitchen one of them. Eating dinner at R Kitchen was by far one of the most unique and most fun dining experiences I’ve ever had.

The concept is simple: there’s no menu. The chefs decide on the menu that day and cook whatever makes them (and the diners) happy. You simply show up and eat what they put in front of you. As R Kitchen describes itself: “we’re a kitchen, not a restaurant.” Every day, they create a completely different five-course tasting menu inspired by seasonal ingredients and the chefs’ imagination.

When we all sat down to dinner, Chef Lee and Chef Alex explained how the menu works, adding, playfully, “This is our kitchen. That means you also have to listen to our music.” They put on a Spotify playlist.

At R Kitchen, they source ingredients from local suppliers, a reminder that came up again and again throughout the evening. It also means that the menus are seasonal and always changing in accordance with what’s available, what the chefs are inspired to make, and what plays well with any dietary restrictions the diners might have.

First course: corn chowder

We kicked things off a soup course that had been bubbling away in a large stock pot on the stove since we arrived. The chef removed a bundle of herbs from the pot and started ladling soup into bowls. This corn chowder, laced with guajillo chilis, was lighter and brothier than the usual thick and creamy chowder. The subtle heat from the guajillo chilis lingered in my mouth, taking the soup in a spicy southwestern direction that was a welcome twist to the old chowder format. Finished with a garnish of scallions and an herb oil that would become a through-line to the whole meal, this light corn chowder really evoked the flavor of summer.

Second course: Chicken meatballs

In what was to be the first, but definitely not the last “huh, that sounds weird” moment of the night, the second course was billed as chicken meatballs, but was so much more than that. Chicken meatballs sat atop a bed of greens that had been dressed with the same herb oil from the previous course. The chef drizzled on a bechamel sauce and topped it all with a gremolata made of dill, cilantro, parsley, lemon zest, and sunflower seeds. The occasional pop of acid from a caper or crunch from a sunflower seed kept the dish punchy and interesting. It turns out the chicken meatballs also contained bacon bits and bacon fat, which tied it all together.

I never would have thought to put meatballs and bechamel on top of a salad, but it definitely worked. Despite the bechamel and the bacon, the overwhelming impression of this course still felt very light.

Third course: Steak and brown butter gnocchi

Luckily for me, sitting at the end of the bar, I had the best seat in the house. The third course was a joy to see come together, full of unexpected twists and surprising additions. I watched as the chef lined up all the plates on the counter and returned to the lineup countless times to add one more ingredient, one more element, an additional garnish. It was so cool to see.

We knew a steak course was coming, because we could see the steak resting off to the side during the previous two courses, but there were so many additional plating elements to come. A swoop of cauliflower onion soubise coated the bottom of each dish. Nestled on top of that bed were the gnocchi, tossed in brown butter and juices from the steak, and some beech mushrooms. Slices of New York strip steak rested on top of the gnocchi. The chef added a dusting of Parmesan to each dish, and at this point I thought we were done—but no. He then added a breadcrumb topping. Finally, a swoosh of herb oil, and the plates were ready to be served.

As you might expect from a dish that involves mushrooms, brown butter, and steak, the effect of the whole dish was savory, bolstered by strong truffle notes. The steak itself was a perfect medium rare. The soubise was so smooth and creamy, I never would have guessed it was made from cauliflower. The toasted breadcrumbs added a much-needed crunch on an otherwise soft dish.  It was a stunner—the Platonic ideal of a comfort meal, elevated.

Fourth course: Pork tenderloin in golden raisin gravy

Every dish we had was delicious and memorable, but the golden raisin gravy was the real star of the night, and the reason I’m still talking about this dinner, weeks later. The creativity!

The fourth course included yellow squash cooked in white wine and butter, a pork tenderloin, golden raisin gravy, and a spicy pecan crumble with Korean chili flakes, garnished with scallions. As we started this course, the chef explained, “I made a golden raisin… gravy. I don’t know what else to call it.” That gravy was made from golden raisins, mustard, a soy sauce reduction, and coconut. And as I said many times while eating this dish, that golden raisin gravy was insane. It retained the sweetness from the raisins, but the mustard and umami from the soy sauce made it savory. This sauce was by far the star of the evening. It was so weird, so unexpected… but it worked.

I don’t particularly like summer squash or pork. My dining partner doesn’t like golden raisins. We never would have chosen to eat any of these things on their own, or put them together. The result was mind blowing. We could not stop marveling at it during dinner. We couldn’t stop talking about it for days. When I think of eating at R Kitchen, this is the memory I keep coming back to.

To me, this was a sauce dish. Everything else was the supporting cast. (Although the spicy pecan crumble definitely shares the stage with the sauce.)

Fifth course: coconut mousse

For dessert, we had a coconut mousse with a strawberry coulis and lemon sabayon. The strawberries were sourced from a local farm and cooked down in vinho verde. I had never had a coconut mousse before—it was light and fluffy, with sweetness from the strawberries and a hint of tartness from the lemon. It felt like a cross between a dessert and a palate cleanser and made for a beautiful ending to the meal.

A dinner to remember

Dinner at R Kitchen was one of the coolest dining experiences I’ve had in my life. It was fun, memorable, delicious, and above all, a beautiful reminder of the joy of dining and the sense of fun in cooking that is too often missing from today’s food culture. It was an exercise in creativity. It delivered a tasting menu that leaves one feeling full and satiated rather than craving a burger. It broke down walls between chef and diner, making it easy to joke around with the chefs during dinner, thank them directly, and express just how good the food really is.

Less The Menu, more R Kitchen, please. I would make the trip to Charleston just to eat here again.