ATHLEISURE MAG #63 MAR 2021 | The Art of The Snack Jungsik

This month's The Art of the Snack takes us to Tribeca's Jungsik which is known as a culinary experience when dining at this Michelin 2 starred new Korean restaurant. We talked with Executive Chef Suyoung Park and Pastry Chef Eunji Lee, 2 women that continue to helm this experience through their menu. They talk about the restaurant, signature dishes, cocktails and desserts that we should enjoy when there.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Before we delve into Jungsik which we had the pleasure of attending an editor event for Sweet Seoul early last year, how do you define New Korean cuisine?

EXECUTIVE CHEF SUYOUNG PARK: The definition of new Korean cuisine is as follows: It is based on traditional Korean food but combined with various ingredients and techniques of the world. We’d like to introduce different tastes and a variety of new Korean cuisine.

AM: Jungsik is a 2 Michelin star restaurant. What does it mean to have this distinction and does this affect the way that one operates when having this?

EC SP: The authority of Michelin is well recognized in the world. Thanks to the grade of Michelin, people come to visit our restaurant because they expect steady taste and service. And even some people come to taste our food owing to the grade of Michelin. So I guess the grade of Michelin has had a positive effect on us. And especially when it comes to New York, 2 Michelin star grades are worth more. To that extent, we have more responsibility to keep the taste and quality.

AM: What can guests expect when they come to dine at Jungsik?

EC SP: Jungsik of New York has been rated as a 2 Michelin star restaurant since 2013. I guess people come to our restaurant because they expect our steady efforts, unchanged taste and our own way of giving good service.

AM: When we attended the Sweet Seoul editor event, we enjoyed the cocktails and array of soju that was offered. What are 3 cocktails that we should try when visiting?

EC SP: At the moment, we are about to launch a new cocktail, "Busanhaeng". (Calvados, absinthe, Ango, Port/Omita Molasses) an updated variation of our Su-Jeong-Gwa old fashioned with Islay scotch, rye, and a spiced (Su-Jeong-Gwa) syrup. The last has yet to be named, but will be a tom collins style cocktail with Damsol (pine) soju, quina wine, calamansi, and soda.

AM: Due to the pandemic, restaurants have had their operations change to accommodate the way they interact with guests. How has Jungsik, which is truly an experience when you’re able to eat there, been able to serve guests in terms of indoor dining and how have you incorporated pickup and delivery?

EC SP: We offer our guests three different ways of service now. Indoor, outdoor and delivery service. When we provide our guests indoor service, we keep the tables separated from each other by 6 feet. And all of our staff wear masks and gloves all the time when they work in the restaurant. We offer our guests cutlery wrapped separately, hand sanitizer and the QR code menu because of Corona Virus. Jungsik has built some personal outdoor rooms and we are doing our best to give safe and private fine dining to our guests. We started offering delivery to our customers that they can enjoy our fine dining service at their home. It consists of three courses, starting with salad, they can have rice, a main course, dessert and Petit fours within their own private places.

AM: Prior to coming to New York, you apprenticed under Jungsik himself in Seoul. What was it like to work with him and how has that affected how you operate today?

EC SP: Chef Yim is a very creative chef, and he took me in the world of fine dining as a pupil. Thanks to him, I became a chef. I learned a lot of things from him. He taught me leadership and how to create new techniques in cooking Korean cuisine.

AM: Tell us about your culinary background and how you came to Jungsik.

EC SP: I actually got my start into the food industry by studying Food Styling and working as a Food Stylist in Seoul, Korea. I found that it didn’t suit my creative mind, and started as an intern at the Millennium Hilton Hotel in Seoul, Korea. I honed my skills at the hotel and started to look for other, more ambitious kitchens, and found a place at Jungsik Seoul in 2013. For the next four years, I widened the breadth of my skills and rose from the position of line cook to Sous Chef. To further my knowledge and experience, in 2017 I worked overseas at Ms. G’s, a high regarded Two-Hat restaurant in Sydney, Australia. Here I expanded my knowledge on all types of Asian cuisine, particularly Southeast Asian. In 2018, I came stateside to work at ATOBOY, Chef Junghyun Park’s first restaurant venture. After traveling the world and gaining invaluable experiences in different metropolitan cities, I returned to Jungsik New York’s location as the Chef de Cuisine in 2019.

PASTRY CHEF EUNJI LEE: I moved to France in 2006 for baking and pastry, INBP (The French National Baking and Pastry Institute) and Ecole Ferrandi. Then I worked for 3 years in Ze Kitchen Galerie, a one Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris under Chef Williame Ledeuil, a 4 years in Hotel Le Meurice a three Michelin-starred restaurant in that period (it now 2-stars) under Chef Alain Ducasse and Cedric Grolet. And I got an offer from Chef Jungsik Yim so I finally came to NY as an executive pastry chef at Jungsik in 2016.

AM: Back in 2019, you were named a New York Rising Star by StarChefs and you won the Art of Presentation Award, why were you drawn to working with pastry?

PC EL: I have always loved art and eating, and I think pastry is an edible art. And love to see people’s face when they’re tasting my desserts. It makes me happy. I personally look for sweets when I get gloomy or stressed, so the reason why I love my job is being able to spread the happiness in the world via my sweets with not only visually but also with flavor, in our not-soeasy lives.

AM: How do you define your style of cooking?

EC SP: My principle of cuisine is to stick to the basic and make consistent dishes.

PC EL: Korean heritage french techniques and acclimated to New York.

AM: When creating the menu, can you tell us where the inspiration for your dishes come from?

EC SP: All my inspiration comes from the ingredients and dishes I like. We all become creative when we make the best use of the past memory. All the best menus start from what we like or enjoy. They will gain popularity or recognition if we do our best with what we like and what we are able to do.

PC EL: I get inspired anywhere, anytime, by anything. Sometimes by seasonal fruits and ingredients, sometimes by visual objects, sometimes by Korean culture and food, and sometimes I get inspiration from a strange flavor or ingredient that I’ve never used so it is challenging and exciting.

AM: What are 3 appetizers that you suggest?

EC SP: Our signature appetizer would be Fried Oysters with Seaweed Aioli. Secondly, it would be our Octopus; braised octopus with Gochujang Sauce. Thirdly, it would be Korean beef tartare. The guests love our dishes because of their distinct Korean style and taste.

AM: What are 3 signature dishes we should order?

EC SP: We have the 5 and 7-course menus as our signature. Especially, as mentioned earlier, Octopus, Crispy Kimbap and Wagyu Galbi are our representative menu.

AM: Are there vegan and vegetarian dishes?

EC SP: We also give a vegan or vegetarian menu. Vegetables Jeon and Crispy veggie kimbap would be their best choice.

AM: What are 3 desserts that we should try at Jungsik?

PC EL: The baby banana, our signature dessert. It is banana cremeux, dulcey mousse, and banana baileys cake. The NYSeoul, which is one of my favorite dessert because it exactly expresses my mingled identity, it is Korean brown rice cream, French puff pastry choux and American style of corn cookie dough. Our truffle cone is another seasonal signature dessert only for truffle season, made with black truffle ice cream & cream, in a chocolate waffle cone.

AM: What is your process like when you’re working with each other?

EC SP: We always share our opinions with each other when we try to make a new menu. Chef Eunji helps me a lot and participates in helping me make decisions for the restaurant. Chef Eunji always cheers me up and gives me strength. PC EL: We discuss about ingredients that we’d like to use and thoughts for the menu, then taste dishes and share ideas together.

IG @Jungsik_Inc

@Eunji.Leeee

@Iam__SuYoung

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | Dan Ahn