Taste of Seoul showcases unique flavors from top restaurants

The 2023 Taste of Seoul showcased a collaboration menu by four renowned Korean chefs. The menu featured 10 unique courses from Jua, Central, and Jungsik Seoul, offering a rare opportunity to enjoy signature dishes from all three restaurants.

From left, chefs Kim Jeong-ho, Kim Ho-young, Jeong Sang and Yim Jung-sik collaborate for a nine-course menu at Jungsik Seoul in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [LEE JIAN]

The 2023 Taste of Seoul brought together the pioneers of Korean fine dining on Tuesday.

Yim Jung-sik and Kim Jeong-ho of Jungsik Seoul, Jeong Sang of Central, a fine dining restaurant in Lima, Peru, and Kim Ho-young of Jua, a Korean restaurant in New York, showcased their special collaboration menu at Jungsik Seoul in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.

The four were part of the very first team of chefs at Jungsik Seoul upon its opening in 2009.

Jungsik Seoul revolutionized the local restaurant scene by introducing elegant tasting menus with wine pairings at a time when the industry wasn’t even familiar with the term “fine dining.” In New York, Jungsik is what made the success of Korean fine dining restaurants, like upscale Korean restaurants Atomix and Atoboy, possible. It opened in Tribeca in 2011, after seeing huge success with its Seoul store.

Poster for 2023 Taste of Seoul [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

"It's great to be working all together after 14 years," Yim said Tuesday. "I hope many people enjoy the meal."

The collaboration menu titled "One Root" consisted of 10 courses. The mackerel and ok dom (tilefish) were crafted by Jua, Chinese white shrimp, corn soup and dessert cacao tree by Central and songyi mushrooms and dumpling soup, hanwoo (Korean beef) steak, green tangerine palate cleanser and dolhaeubang ice cream dessert by Jungsik Seoul.

A mackerel dish served as part of the collaboration menu at Jungsik Seoul in light of the 2023 Taste of Seoul week. [LEE JIAN]

The menu is described as a "harmonious blend of unique flavors, which started from the same roots and formed big waves on the global stage around the world." It was served only for lunch and dinner on Tuesday and was a rare opportunity to taste signature dishes from all three restaurants.

Central's dishes stood out the most, incorporating bold and vibrant tasting notes with traditional Peruvian ingredients. Jua's dishes featured an understated elegance, while Jungsik presented well-grounded, concentrated flavors in its main dishes and its desserts.

Dessert served as part of the collaboration menu at Jungsik Seoul in light of the 2023 Taste of Seoul week.[LEE JIAN]

Taste of Seoul has organized several similar pop-ups, with Mosu chef Ahn Sung-jae and Vicky Cheng of Hong Kong's Wing and Vea on Monday; Japanese chef Kanji Kobayashi and Korean chef Kim Eun-hee at the Green Table in central Seoul on Tuesday; and Los Angeles brunch cafe Sqirl and local coffee shop Fritz on Wednesday in Jongno District, central Seoul.

Reservations can be made through the local restaurant app CatchTable or through the Taste of Seoul official website.

Taste of Seoul is an annual event hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. This year marks its fourth edition, which kicked off on Sept. 16 and is slated to run through Friday.

Sixty-seven restaurants in the city, all of which are listed on its official website, are offering new special items in light of the Taste of Seoul week.

The event also organized various activities such as cooking classes and tours around bars, traditional tea houses, Gwangjang Market, Euljiro alleys and the Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market. There are English-speaking guides for all of the events. Reservations can be made on the official website of Taste of Seoul.

The government last month also published a Seoul restaurant guide book "100 Taste of Seoul 2023" in a bid to promote the city's dining scene. The English version is available as well on the Taste of Seoul 2023 official website.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]