Chef Son Jongwon strives to capture a taste of contemporary Seoul in every bite at L’Amant Secret, his first fine dining restaurant in the South Korean capital. In Eatanic Garden, he is more playful, blending the culinary and the botanic (‘eatanic’ is a play on the word ‘botanic’ in Korean), and daringly redefining classic Korean pairings, such as with his abalone and beef dish, accented with charcoal smoke. Son Jongwon was living in New York when a glimpse of students in uniform at the Culinary Institute of America showed him his calling, but after training all over the world, he found his gastronomic identity in Seoul and in creating 21st century expressions of Korean cuisine. Street food becomes gourmet in ‘Small Bites of the Namsan Trail’ with chestnut-stuffed choux and truffle and comte potatoes. Korea’s BBQ culture is expressed in grilled lamb with Ssam greens, while a rhubarb dessert highlights sweet and sour flavors together. Herbs come from a rooftop garden and, as the name suggests, L’Amant Secret’s interiors are sultry and romantic. Think of both L’Amant Secret and Eatanic Garden as more than restaurants. They give access to chef Son’s passionate culinary journey while offering a deep dive into the heart of Seoul's evolving gastronomy.
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