Gyoza Bar’s chef defies limits
Woo Jin puts a Whole Lotta Love into his food, melding different flavours, cuisines
Hailing originally from Seoul, South Korea, Gyoza Bar’s head chef Woo Jin has been with the Aburi restaurant group for five years — since he first started cooking.
He began at Miku, where he developed his culinary skills, then moved on to Minami, and has been at Gyoza since it opened in 2014.
Q What motivates and inspires you as a chef?
A There’s a beauty in the contrast of daily routine and repetition against the unexpected experiences that come up every day. And of course my family at home always motivates me to step forward.
How would you describe the type of food you like to cook?
Comfort food that can represent the original flavour of each ingredient in the dish. Of course, I utilize my background in Korean cuisine. However, I never want to limit myself to one cuisine.
What might diners not know about you?
As a ritual, I like to listen to Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love before work.
Describe a couple of your most recent creations.
The Yuzu-soy milk marinated yellowtail with maple miso glaze and tomato chili sauce is one of my newest favourites. Any time we can meld flavours together from different cuisines and share it with our guests is amazing.
What’s your favourite local product and how do you use it?
Any locally produced handmade noodles such as ramen noodle, or different pasta. I like the simplicity and delicate flavours only found in noodles.
If there’s one important piece of advice you might have for cooks, what might that be?
Don’t just look at the cookbook, nor only look upon the famous chefs. Study humanism, history and old literature for inspiration.