Mater, the super restaurant of chef Kim Yeong-Bin located in an upscale neighborhood of Gangnam in Seoul. Kim Yeong-Bin was trained in Singapore and in Copenhagen at Noma where he has been exploring as a chef, creating dishes bursting with unbridled imagination.

Through the process of fermentation, the chef adds a unique twist to the flavor and texture of his ingredients. When we asked the chef why he named his restaurant Mater, he gave us a beautiful explanation that Mater means a natural time of fermentation to the original taste of the earth’s ingredients, so that man and nature can reach the nearest Mater.

The restaurant was the opposite where we stayed in Seoul, so when we arrived in taxi, there was our waitress waiting for us at the entrance of the restaurant and guided us through our table from there we were taking in charge by our host and sommelier, Wooseong Kim.

For our dinner we had the menu (11 courses) for 160000 Won (110 Euros) which was amazing from the beginning to the end. The menu was masterly crafted and thought through. Each dish was delicate, savory and expertly conceived and cooked as illustrated by the chef's “Jeju Carrot” and his wonderful “Burdock Root” dessert.

We did not drink wine, but we had a look at the wine list which was well furnished and referenced. Our table was right next to the wine cellar that allowed us to have a view on some of the most notable bottles of wines and Champagnes like Salon S 1992 and Dom Pérignon Vintage 2004.

The service by Wooseong Kim and his team was attentive, friendly, and efficient. He even invited us to visit the wine cellar.

We were happy to have chosen Mater over many other Michelin starred restaurants in Seoul.

Kim Yeong-Bin's cuisine was superior even to some Michelin starred restaurants that we had tasted recently in Europe.

Mater

B1F, 16, Eonju-ro 154-gil, Gangnam-gu,

Seoul, Republic of Korea

Telephone : +82 - 2 - 518 - 5879

Sushi Hoshikai in Jeju was our best experience of Sushiya anywhere in the world even better than some Michelin starred Sushiya in Japan.

Our lunch at Sushi Hoshikai started 13:30 precisely, so we arrived ten minutes in advance, and we were invited to the beautiful waiting room by our head waitress and her assistant. When the chef was ready, we were invited to the counter, and we were seated right in front of the chef and the English menu was given to each of us. There was only one menu at 1300000 Won (90 Euros) which was an exceptionally decent price compared to Sushiya in Japan or in Europe.

The menu had five succulent Tsunami, fourteen amazing Sushi, a Warm Noodle, an incredible Tamagoyaki, a delicious dessert and a Burdock Tea. The best gourmet experience we have had in Jeju! The restaurant has a great ambience and very welcoming staff. In terms of food, the omakase course was perfectly designed by the chef with ingredients from the island, which was so fresh and tasty. Every bite was a smash hit, even the palate cleanser, a tiny Jeju lemon sorbet was a real killer. We really appreciated the kindness of the chef and his attention and care by trying to explain each dish in English for us.

The drinks, even though, we did not order alcohol drinks, we saw that the chef had an incredible Sake selection. We did order the house cocktail without alcohol, a sparkling lemonade with Jeju’s tangerine which was refreshing and delicious.

The service by our head waitress and her assistant was impeccable, they constantly lookout for us and they made sure that we feel at ease and our teacups were sufficiently refilled.

Sushi Hoshikai is a gem of Sushiya and a must visit in Jeju.

Sushi Hoshikai

90, Onam-ro, Jeju-si,

Jeju-do, Republic of Korea

Telephone : +82-64-713-8838

Chef Gon is one of the best high dining restaurants in Busan, South Korea. His restaurant situated in an alley near Jagalchi Market, and it is ideally for the chef to visit the market to buy fresh ingredients, with which he prepares the day’s seasonal menu. For this reason, He named his menus “Jagalchi Market Chef Special.”

We arrived at 12:00 on Wednesday April 10th and the chef himself came to greet us and showed us our table. The restaurant has only twenty-three seating at most. To our surprise, he managed to give us a menu in French, and we had to choose between two menus, the Jagalchi Market Chef Course (7 courses) for 68000 Kwon (47 Euros) or the Jagalchi Market Chef Special (9 courses) for 98000 Kwon (67 Euros).

We chose the seven courses menu which was amazing in terms of originality and creativity. The freshness of the ingredients, the beauty of the dishes and the food was incredibly good. Each dish served was wonder for our eyes and our palates. We can see the chef and his second prepare each dish in their open kitchen with thoroughness and precision.

The service by the chef himself was very efficient, quick and in tempo. Even though, we did not drink wine, we looked at the wine list and it was quite impressive. He even had in his wine cellar bottles of Champagne Jacquesson 742.

Everything was perfect at Chef Gon restaurant except for three things, he did not have any non-alcohol pairing, he did not serve coffee or tea and he did not have a real napkin for guests instead he was using small paper napkins which was for us not up to the standing of high-dining restaurant.

Chef Gon should be on the list of every foodie visiting Busan.

Chef Gon

1F, 12, Junggu-ro 23beon-gil, Jung-gu,

Busan, Republic of Korea

Telephone : +82 10-4585-6607