‘Sundae,’ Korean street food reborn as fine dining
US-educated chef believes ‘hansik’ has it all to charm world’s taste buds
Korea’s beloved street food “sundae,” a dish of steamed pig intestine stuffed with various ingredients, is typically not associated with the upscale ambiance of fine dining. Instead, it is a staple of bustling markets, served hot and ready to fill the stomachs of hungry people.
Choi Ji-hyung, 37, breaks the stereotype and brings Korea’s “blood sausage” to the level of haute cuisine with a nod to his heritage and childhood experiences under the guidance of his grandmother, a North Korean refugee from Hamgyong Province.
His sundae omakase, a course meal where the chef’s selections of dishes are served, restaurant Lee Buk Bang, in western Seoul’s Mapo District, reminds visitors of the comfort and nostalgia of a grandma’s kitchen. Century-old wooden tables, a large traditional Korean cauldron and kettles encapsulates the culinary journey that the chef aims to deliver to his guests.
“My grandmother was a great cook. She made sundae, ‘myeongtae sikhae’ [or salted and fermented pollack] and salted pollack roe. It was all too natural for me to help her out in the kitchen. I washed the intestines and went out the field to get vegetables for sundae fillings as a child,” he said at his restaurant during a recent interview with The Korea Times.
“I wanted to make a place where people can get the energy to heal the daily stress of today from my simple but warm dishes like grandmother’s homemade meals.”
Armed with a master’s degree in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University, Choi has worked as a chef at renowned French, Japanese, Italian and American restaurants in the United States since 2010, including two-Michelin-starred Marea and three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park in New York.
Returning to Korea in 2017 to care for his ailing grandmother, he launched Seogyo Gourmet, specialized in sundae and modern Korean dining, the following year. His restaurant earned a Michelin Plate distinction in 2019, first as a restaurant serving sundae, and it maintained the accolade after relocating and changing its name to Lee Buk Bang in 2021.
“However hard my job was working at Western restaurants, I often thought that it doesn’t compare with my hard work and efforts to make sundae. From preparing it to serving it as a dish, it takes more than 20 hours of intensive work,” the chef said.
“Then I asked myself why it cannot be treated as proper, fine cuisine representing Korea,” he added, explaining how he thought of elevating the simplicity of street food to the elegance of haute cuisine.
Sundae dates back to the 918-1392 Goryeo period when wild boars were used in the dish. Traditional sundae, stuffed with blood, minced meats, rice and vegetables, was an indulgent food for special occasions. After the 1950-53 Korean War, when food became scarce, the meat filling was replaced by more accessible “dangmyeon” (glass noodles), transforming sundae into an affordable street dish.
11-course sundae meal
Choi serves five varieties of sundae for his course meal served at Lee Buk Bang.
Three types of sundae — pi sundae (commonly known as blood sausage), Abai sundae (big blood sausage named after the Abai village in Gangwon Province where many North Korean refugees settled after the Korean War) and baek sundae (sausage not containing blood) — follow the traditional recipes of Hamgyong Province, paying homage to the chef’s grandmother who fled North Korea during the Korean War. Two other varieties — duck sundae and lamb sundae — are more innovative, adding herbs and other ingredients to cater to modern customers seeking culinary adventure.
Pi sundae contains 15 percent of blood and a lot of dried cabbage, more than typically seen in South Korean-style pi sundae, while Abai sundae is 35 percent blood. Sundae dishes are served with four condiments — salt, shrimp, black bean paste and bean paste mixed with nuts and honey.
During the two-hour dinner course, the restaurant offers some 10 to 11 course meals. When this reporter visited, apart from main sundae dishes, chef Choi served dishes made from fresh seasonal ingredients. They include “seolya myeokjeok” (grilled snow-aged beef topped with pear slush); raw tuna sashimi; hot noodle with matsutake mushrooms and pork broth; pork-head slices; fermented pollack sikhae; and pine nut ice cream.
Seolya myeokjeok, named after a Goryeoera aging method in which beef is grilled repeatedly and buried in snow for tenderness, is grilled meticulously at varying temperatures and crowned with pear slush, symbolizing snow.
Fermented pollack sikhae, another recipe from his grandmother, is made with Japanese sandfish eggs, radish and millet. The North Korean side dish serves a similar role to kimchi in South Korea.
Each dish is accompanied by the chef’s detailed explanation, covering its origins and stories, along with recommendations on which of the four condiments best complements the sundae served.
Memories of sundae
Customers at Lee Buk Bang vary in age groups. Young guests visit to try something new, while older guests seek the comfort of nostalgic flavors.
One Korean customer in their late 50s recalled a childhood memory of picking pine nuts upon seeing the pine nut ice cream.
Another couple from the U.S. said they weren’t expecting such a modern restaurant.
“When you think of sundae, you don’t really associate it with the word ‘sophisticated,’ but the atmosphere was trendy and hip,” said Jenna Kwon.
“We wanted to try something new. We are both very fascinated by North Korea, so we wanted to try North Korean food. This place brings together two of our interests: North Korea and fine dining. We really wanted this omakase experience. But we also wanted to try a food that isn’t too common but still within the Korean cuisine.”
Her friend added, “Korean food comes off as being healthy, balanced and filling as well as tasteful. That is the biggest strength.”
Chef Choi said one of his restaurant’s frequent customers is an older man from North Korea.
“When he tried my food, he shed tears. He said the food reminded him of his childhood and his mother’s home-cooked meals. It was really touching and I felt proud of myself,” he said.
He emphasized his commitment to preserving this culinary art.
“The older generation — albeit not so many of them — make sundae the traditional way. But when these people pass away, and young people don’t take up this hard, labor-intensive job of sundae-making anymore, may be the next generation would have no other choice but to put factory-made sundae on their plates. So I have a sense of duty about my profession.”
Choi is confident in the global appeal of “hansik,” or Korean cuisine, noting that 20 percent of his patrons are international.
“On the surface, East Asian cultures look very similar. But the cuisines from Korea, Japan and China are very distinctive. Because of this uniqueness of hansik, it has potential to charm global taste buds looking for something fresh and distinct. Many Chinese restaurants permeated into the global culinary scene and Japanese restaurants are perceived as fine dining. Hansik also has potential for its uniqueness.”
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However hard my job was working at Western restaurants, I often thought that it doesn’t compare with my hard work and efforts to make sundae. From preparing it to serving it as a dish, it takes more than 20 hours of intensive work.
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