Starred Gastronomy in Seoul: The Bold World of YUN

A Refined Address in Gangnam for Epicureans

Now located in the heart of Gangnam after moving from Mapo, YUN restaurant offers a unique gastronomic experience in an elegant and modern setting in Seoul. Upon entering, guests are welcomed into a lounge area where they can enjoy a welcome drink while browsing a vast selection of carefully chosen wines and spirits to accompany their meal, if desired.

The intimate ambiance of the main dining room, dominated by a large rounded counter, invites conviviality, with guests seated side by side, sharing the culinary experience. In this refined atmosphere, large dry-aging machines, visible from the dining area, evoke a laboratory where every detail is controlled to ensure unique flavors. At YUN, dry-aging is not limited to beef and duck but extends to fish, mushrooms, and even some fruits, offering a palette of novel textures and flavors for an unforgettable tasting.

Behind the Scenes at YUN: The Art of Fermentation and Aging

YUN is a unique establishment, proudly holding its Michelin star since 2022, revealing a distinctive vision of Korean cuisine. This restaurant offers a gastronomic experience that is both sophisticated and authentic, where familiar Korean dishes are subtly transformed by bold and innovative touches. The perilla oil noodles, homemade from Korean wheat, bring an exquisite nutty flavor, while the carefully aged fish and umami-rich Korean beef illustrate Chef Kim Do-yoon's refined culinary direction.

A passionate autodidact, Kim Do-yoon honed his craft by exploring Japanese, Italian, and French cuisines since 1992, without attending classical culinary schools. His expertise is thus built on rich, varied practical experience that fuels his mastery of fermentation, aging, and drying techniques—pillars of Korean gastronomy that he reimagines with creativity. Nicknamed “ingredient enthusiast” by his loyal clients, Chef Kim cultivates a genuine love for quality products, which he seeks with an almost obsessive precision.

At the heart of YUN Seoul lies a space echoing Kim’s artisanal approach: a vast refrigerated laboratory where over 500 ingredients are meticulously stored, labeled by year of production and origin. Among them are pickles, dried vegetables and seeds, as well as meats and fish aging sometimes up to seven years. Kim Do-yoon keeps nearly 90 varieties of sesame and perilla seeds here, showcasing his continuous quest for authenticity and excellence. At YUN, each dish becomes a culinary exploration where respect for the ingredient marries boundless creativity.

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Chef Kim Do-yoon and the Quest for Perfect Ingredients

Chef Kim Do-yoon embodies the spirit of a true culinary explorer. With 32 years of cooking behind him, his enthusiasm for discovering new ingredients and techniques has only grown. Just after his restaurant earned a Michelin star, he made the bold decision to close it for eight months, dedicating this time to the in-depth study of ingredients. Kim traveled across France, Germany, Italy, and other regions to perfect his understanding of ingredients that could elevate Korean flavors, especially those for his noodles, to which he pays special attention.

Kim's noodles are more than just a dish; they are the expression of an obstinate quest to produce additive-free noodles that retain a natural aroma and a unique soft texture. During his travels, he collected samples of wheat from France, Turkey, Italy, and various Korean provinces, each variety bringing a distinct nuance to his creations. Korea, due to its climate, does not favor wheat cultivation, making the choice of the right flours even more challenging. Nonetheless, Kim took on this challenge to offer artisan noodles with a unique hazelnut taste, enhanced by perilla oil.

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Our Dinner: A Discovery of Fermented Flavors and Surprising Textures

The menu at YUN is a true gastronomic journey, designed to surprise and delight the senses at each stage. The meal opens delicately with a dish of fermented foods, inviting diners to gently explore the authentic and complex flavors of fermentation, a central process in the restaurant’s cuisine. This prelude sets the tone, preparing the palate for the subtlety and richness of the following dishes.

Then, the oyster makes its entrance, captivating and refined. Marinated with care, it is adorned with frozen olive oil, adding an icy freshness and touch of texture. Next come the tartlets: one with raw beef and potato, the other with eel, offering an exquisite mouthfeel. The Juk, a Korean rice porridge, then appears, enriched with fermented melon and red bean paste. The sweetness of the melon and the light aroma of the red bean give unexpected depth to this classic dish while respecting its essence.

The much-anticipated noodles arrive next, a minimalist dish that immediately draws attention with its pure simplicity. Yet what seems to be a modest dish turns out to be an intense experience for the palate. The deep buckwheat flavor envelops the senses, with a unique texture offering an unexpected contrast. This dish embodies the essence of minimalist cuisine, where every element is meticulously considered to elevate the main ingredient: here, the noodle, which becomes a true star, far from merely an accompaniment.

Following this, we move towards even bolder horizons with bone marrow, accompanied by caviar and a subtly sweet cream. This dish, combining the richness of the marrow with the saline burst of caviar, is a pure delight for those who appreciate rich, creamy textures.

The Gacksaek Uechae, a dish composed of seafood, then transports us to incomparable maritime flavors. In this generous plate, shrimp, octopus, scallops, pancakes, and terrines come together for a symphony of marine tastes and textures.

After the dumpling, the seasonal fish arrives, accompanied by various types of rice and a punchy pickle. The meal continues with a refreshing pause in the form of a peach sorbet, offering a light, fruity interlude that renews the appetite for further exploration. This sorbet leads to a pork dish of exquisite tenderness, accompanied by crunchy pickles. The melt-in-the-mouth pork contrasts beautifully with the crispness of the pickles, creating a balanced and flavorful experience.

The Korean beef, a star of the restaurant sourced from their own farm, is then presented with truffled potatoes and morels. This dish embodies the generosity of YUN's cuisine, where each element is carefully selected and prepared to enhance its flavor and quality.

The traditional Korean meal, called "Meal," beautifully concludes the savory part of the menu. This final dish includes a plate of rice, accompanied by a broth and a selection of various side dishes, offering a comforting and authentic touch reminiscent of family meals.

For dessert, the chef offers a selection of unique ice creams, including black garlic and deodeok, remarkable for their originality and rich flavors. This final bouquet ends with tea accompanied by sweets: a rice cake and a meringue that add a light and elegant touch to this feast. The dinner thus ends on a poetic note, leaving a memorable impression of refined, bold, and perfectly executed cuisine.

My Opinion

This dinner at YUN was a culinary revelation, where each dish told the story of Chef Kim Do-yoon’s passion for Korean flavors elevated by bold fermentation and aging techniques. From the attentive welcome to the first bites of fermented foods, to the noodles, which were a true favorite of mine, and refined creations, every moment immersed me in a world of unique textures and flavors, orchestrated with precision and a love for ingredients that made this evening memorable. A unique dinner in Seoul!

Practical Information

Many thanks to YUN for the invitation to discover their establishment. Of course, I remain free in my opinions in this article!