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Kwak Yeon-soo

Hansik Goo, the one-Michelin-star Korean fine-dining restaurant in Central, Hong Kong, introduces a seasonal journey through Korean cuisine in its autumn menu.
At the feast’s centrepiece is gaesal jatjeuptang, created by the restaurant’s soon-to-be head chef Park Seung-hun and founding chef Kang Min-goo.
This stand-out dish is a harmonious blend of aromatic pine nut soup, hairy crab, Korean zucchini and tofu, and captures the essence of the season in each bite.
When Park first came to Hong Kong to help launch Hansik Goo in 2020, he didn’t imagine that he would lead its kitchen three years later.

His promotion, announced recently by ZS Hospitality Group, follows the imminent departure of the restaurant’s former head chef, Steve Lee.
As one of the founding figures at Hansik Goo, Park has been instrumental in elevating the restaurant’s stature. Despite opening in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, the restaurant moved to a new, larger venue and earned a Michelin star in 2022. As of now, it is the only Korean restaurant with a Michelin star in the city.
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“Hansik Goo’s restaurant brand and food quality developed a lot over the last three years. We survived the pandemic, moved the restaurant from Lyndhurst Terrace to The Wellington in Sheung Wan and sought transformation by offering a higher-end dining experience,” ” Park says.
“Earning one Michelin star was meaningful because we’ve gone through a lot together.”
Park’s culinary journey began when he was a teenager and worked at his mother’s restaurant in Uijeongbu, just north of Seoul.
“After school, I would help my mother, who worked seven days a week non-stop. She taught me about mental toughness,” he says.
“By the time I was a high-school junior, I had to choose a career path. My uncle ran a Western restaurant around that time, and he offered me a job in his kitchen.”

His passion for cooking ignited then and led him to major in hotel culinary arts at Kyungmin University. After graduating, Park worked at a number of places, including Sorrento, a popular Italian restaurant chain in Korea.
A pivotal moment came when he read about modern Korean restaurant Mingles online during his military service in South Korea.
“The story about Mingles was directly in my line of sight as if it was calling out to me. It was even before contemporary Korean cuisine gained traction. So I went to Mingles, tried the food and fell in love with it instantly. It was my first fine-dining experience,” he says.
Park secured an apprenticeship with Mingles’ chef-owner Kang and, two months later, transitioned to a full-time role, making his entry into the world of fine dining.
Two years after that, Park shifted his focus to traditional Korean cuisine, joining Mama Lee Market, a Korean homestyle deli led by chef Song Ha-seul-lam, a former culinary director at Mingles.
In 2020, chef Kang invited him to join Hansik Goo for its opening in Hong Kong.
Korean cuisines taste the best when using Korean ingredients. Even with simple cooking methods, it tastes good when we use quality ingredients
Park Seung-hun, executive chef at Hansik Goo
Asked if moving overseas required a great deal of commitment, Park says: “Not really. As a young chef, I have always thought it would be nice to have international experience. It was about cooking Korean cuisine and working with chefs I have known for years.”
Park initially had difficulty adjusting to the new environment because it was his first time as a sous chef as well as living abroad.
“When I first came to Hong Kong, my English was really bad. That caused many communication problems in the beginning,” he says. “My English improved over time and the team, consisting of Korean and local staff, came to understand each other better.”
Park recently collaborated with Kang to develop Hansik Goo’s autumn menu, with starters including perilla seed porridge with caviar, and raw beef with mushrooms, followed by autumn hweh, a seasonal seafood dish spiced up with aged kimchi and Korean sancho pepper.

Then there is geumtae gui – grilled blackthroat sea perch glossed with gochujang (Korean pepper paste), with picked mustard greens and garlic chives; and hanwoo, or Korean beef, served over pyogo mushroom rice with the day’s banchan (side dish).
Desserts include iced persimmon or ginseng ice cream, while the signature Jang trio offers a blend of flavours with its doenjang crème brûlée with ganjang pecan and gochujang powder.
Park says the most popular item on the menu is the gaesal jatjeuptang. “It’s hairy crab season, and locals like eating offal.”
“Korean cuisines taste the best when using Korean ingredients. Even with simple cooking methods, it tastes good when we use quality ingredients,” Park says. The restaurant sources its seafood and seasonal produce from Korea at least once a month, apart from venturing to Hong Kong markets to find inspiration.
Describing the flavours of Hong Kong as “rich and strong”, Park recognises the need to enhance dishes to cater to Hong Kong palates.
“Korean cuisine is often deemed to have a ‘clean’ or ‘pure’ taste, but it could be ‘bland’ or ‘tasteless’ for some foreigners. So we prioritise enriching the taste of dishes,” Park says.
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Park sees an increasing appetite for Korean food. “The growing popularity of Korean culture has been driving a boom in Korean cuisine. It’s been underrated for too long, and I’m glad it’s finally getting more attention,” he says.
Although Korean food hasn’t traditionally been viewed as high-end in Hong Kong in the way that Japanese cuisine has, Park observes a shift in perceptions.
“Before, Japanese culture was highly popular in Hong Kong and people thought of Japanese food as an elevated cuisine. Nowadays, Korean culture is loved all around the world and Hongkongers have been turning their eyes to new things. I want to take this opportunity to showcase Korean food as a refined cuisine,” he says.
Park’s ultimate goal extends beyond just operating a decent Korean restaurant abroad; he wants to bring the authenticity and innovation of Korean cuisine to the forefront.
“Sometimes, I get feedback from Korean customers who say our food is too pricey or lacks quality. I want to prove that Hansik Goo is a place that offers authentic, high-quality Korean food,” he says.


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Food and Drinks

‘Korean food has been underrated for too long’: Michelin-star Hansik Goo in Hong Kong’s new head chef Park Seung-hun

Gaesal Jatjeuptang is a blend of aromatic pine nut soup,  hairy crab, Korean zucchini and tofu. Photo: Hansik Goo

Chef Park Seung-hun is the new executive chef at Michelin-starred Hansik Goo in Hong Kong. Photo: Nicholas Wong Sixteen Photography

Gaesal Jatjeuptang is a blend of aromatic pine nut soup, hairy crab, Korean zucchini and tofu. Photo: Hansik Goo

Park Seung-hun is the new executive chef of Hansik Goo in Hong Kong. Photo: Hansik Goo/Nicholas Wong Sixteen Photography

Hanwoo (Korean beef) is served over pyogo mushroom rice in one of Hansik Goo’s autumn dishes. Photo: Hansik Goo

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Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Hansik Goo is Hong Kong’s only Michelin-star Korean restaurant, and its newly promoted head chef is on a mission to celebrate high-end Korean food
Park Seung-hun talks about his journey from working at his mother’s restaurant in Korea to helping open Hansik Goo and earn it that Michelin star


Park Seung-hun, the new executive chef at Hansik Goo, Hong Kong’s only Michelin-star Korean restaurant, talks celebrating high-end Korean cuisine in the city and how he got started in the kitchen.


Hong Kong chefs

Hong Kong Fine Dining

Gordon Ramsay

‘Korean food has been underrated for too long’: Michelin-star Hansik Goo in Hong Kong’s new head chef Park Seung-hun

Hansik Goo is Hong Kong’s only Michelin-star Korean restaurant, and its newly promoted head chef is on a mission to celebrate high-end Korean food Park Seung-hun talks about his journey from working at his mother’s restaurant in Korea to helping open Hansik Goo and earn it that Michelin star

Hansik Goo is Hong Kong’s only Michelin-star Korean restaurant, and its newly promoted head chef is on a mission to celebrate high-end Korean food

Park Seung-hun talks about his journey from working at his mother’s restaurant in Korea to helping open Hansik Goo and earn it that Michelin star