WHERE SOME TOP ASIAN CHEFS LIKE TO EAT IN SEOUL
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony attracted the region’s best talent to the South Korean capital. We asked a few for recommendations
Dozens of top chefs from around Asia descended on Seoul, South Korea, in the days leading up to the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony on March 26, armed with lists of their own – where to find the best Korean barbecue (whether Hanwoo beef or black pork), soy marinated crab, craft cocktails and fine-dining and casual comfort food picks.
We asked a few to share their favourite discoveries and what they took home.
1. Johanne Siy, Lolla (Singapore)
Named Asia’s best female chef 2023 by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, the Filipino-Chinese chef helms Lolla restaurant in Singapore. She spent much time exploring fermented foods in Seoul.
Yun (805 Seolleung-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul) run by chef Kim Do-yun, was one of Siy’s favourites. Kim is known for his fermentation, drying and ageing, and his signature wheat noodles dressed in fragrant perilla oil.
She also spoke highly of Onjium. “It was fantastic. More like a cultural centre than just a restaurant,” she says.
Coffee was a priority, and Siy recommended
Fritz Coffee Company (multiple branches, including 83 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul) and
Four Stones Coffee Roasters (5 Teheran-ro 103-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul). What she brought back in her suitcase: “Premium sesame oil, perilla oil, dried anchovies, ceramics and brassware!”
2. May Chow, Little Bao (Hong Kong)
The chef-founder of Little Bao did a guest shift during her visit to Seoul, collaborating with chef Dae-chun Kim of Toc Toc. Chow discovered the joys of Vinho (38 Hakdong-ro, 43-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul), a contemporary restaurant helmed by chef Jeon Seong-bin and sommelier Kim Jin-ho in Gangnam district.
The open kitchen allows diners to interact with chef Jeon, who crafts local Korean produce (grilled tilefish from Jeju island, pumpkin from Chungcheong province, garlic-fed quail from Uiryeong, Gyeongsang province) into meticulously presented plates.
She also recommends Camel Cafe (6 Seongdeokjeong 19-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul) for its eponymous signature drink, which is inspired by the dirty (very cold milk or cream topped with espresso) and the dalgona coffee (whipped sugar and instant coffee served over milk).
What she brought back in her suitcase: Salt bread, financiers and canelés from Flink (23 Eonju-ro 173-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul).
3. Thitid ‘Ton’ Tassanakajohn, Le Du (Bangkok)
Ton helms Le Du and Nusara in Bangkok; the former was celebrated as Asia’s Best Restaurant in 2023. The affable chef was seen eating his way around town with a small camera crew, capturing content for his social media channels.
His favourite find was Ilmi Ganjang Gejang
(367-3 Jangan 2-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul), known for its soy sauce marinated raw crabs that are full of sweet, buttery roe.
Another restaurant he’s itching to revisit is
Sancheong Sutbul Garden (114-6 Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul), a barbecue restaurant which opened in late 2023 that specialises in Korean black pork from the Jirisan region cooked over charcoal pits.
Also on his list was three-Michelin-star Mosu
(41 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list this year), which, unfortunately, was closed for relocation – its head chef, Sung Anh, said he would probably reopen by the summer not far from its original location in Yongsan-gu. What he brought back in his suitcase: Lots of freshly roasted sesame oil.
4. David Lai, Neighborhood (Hong Kong)
The chef-owner of Neighborhood restaurant in Hong Kong – which this year placed 16th on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list – wasted no time eating his way around Seoul.
Two Korean barbecue restaurants he enjoyed and returned to twice were cult favourites
Geumdwaeji Sikdang, also known as Gold Pig (149
Dasan-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul) and Ujeong (23 Dosan-daero 55-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul).
“I would have gone back to other places such as Hansung Kalguksu and Onjium but I ran out of time!” he says.
What he brought back in his suitcase: “Shinsegae department store (63 Sogong-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul) has a most excellent food market full of high-end Korean foods. They also have excellent packaging service for people who are flying.
“I brought back marinated crabs, but the kimchi was sadly confiscated,” he laments.
5. Daniel Calvert, Sézanne (Tokyo)
The British chef behind Tokyo’s Sézanne, freshly crowned Asia’s Best Restaurant for 2024, almost didn’t make it to Seoul for the awards because his wife has just given birth to their first child.
While his trip was short, it was fruitful in more ways than one, with excellent culinary experiences as well as the top honours – Best Restaurant in Asia and Best Restaurant in Japan – for his team back home.
The same as for many chefs, Onjium (49 Hyoja-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul) was his best new dining experience – helmed by chef Cho Eun-hee and researcher Park Seong-bae, this cerebral restaurant celebrates age-old Korean recipes with meticulously crafted cuisine. It is 21st on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
For coffee, Calvert was charmed by Cafe
Smallthing (16 Dosan-daero 46-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul) near Dosan Park, which roasts its own beans and serves excellent chocolate cookies.
What he brought back in his suitcase: Some Korean snacks, but “I don’t remember as I ate them so fast … Oh, and two trophies,” he laughs.
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I brought back marinated crabs, but the kimchi was sadly confiscated DAVID LAI, NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANT