South Korean ingredients are becoming favourites at tables and in tipples. Here’s why
The rich flavours and storied production of South Korea’s premium ingredients such as seafood, sauces and craft soju — some difficult to obtain even in the country — continues to captivate chefs and consumers.

A four-hands collaboration between two Michelin-starred Korean restaurant Mingles and modern British restaurant Jaan by Kirk Westaway (left), and a dish created by chefs from Meta as well as Naeum.
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When chef Sun Kim was working with fellow Korean chef Louis Han on a four-hands menu that focused on premium produce from their homeland, both were pleasantly surprised.
The chefs, who helm one Michelin-starred establishments Meta and Naeum respectively, found seafood like keumtae (black throat sea perch) and galchi (silver belt fish). There were also smoked fish and soy sauces from Wangshin, which typically go through years of fermentation and more than 50 hours of smoking.
Kim said: “The seafood is not easy to come by. The artisan sauces contribute a rich and irresistible umami flavour, and they are exclusive and scarce, even in Korea. I had to change my menu to include them in.”

At a four-hands collaboration between two Michelin-starred Korean restaurant Mingles and modern British restaurant Jaan by Kirk Westaway, the latter’s executive chef Kirk Westaway created a twist on his signature burnt potato and leek soup. Korean honey chestnut sweet potatoes were mixed with the regular King Edward potatoes for a slightly sweeter yet still moreish version that was well tempered by roasted Korean pine nuts. Commenting on the quality of the produce, Westaway said: “The mushrooms and vegetables are on another level. The snow crabs came in hyper fresh, hyper clean — it was transported very well — I can see it being incorporated into my menu.”
All these ingredients were imported by Korean premium online grocer SoGoodK, who organised the meals in conjunction with Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation (aT) and Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of South Korea to highlight the country's best products.
It also recently launched a B2B arm dedicated to wholesale purchases from the food and beverage industry, a move that was welcomed by Naeum’s Han. He said: “Sourcing quality Korea products can be challenging with unpredictability in product availability and varying quality, not to mention time-consuming and inefficient, especially when purchasing ingredients in bulk. Having a reliable B2B service spares me from worries about supply disruptions and ensures consistent high quality.”

SoGoodK’s founder Olivia Lee established the platform in 2021, when she noticed that people stuck at home during the pandemic were spending more online for quality fruits and artisanal gourmet items, including Korean ones. For the past two years, Lee has been working with Korean governmental agencies to build relationships with local farmers and producers, who are already pernickety about the people they work with within the country, much less willing to export overseas.

Lee explained: “Some producers in Korea have been hesitant to export their products beyond the Korean market, particularly delicate items like Jukhyang strawberries, organic green figs and peaches. These fruits are renowned for their exceptional quality and enjoy substantial demand within Korea, making them highly profitable for producers who may see no need to expand internationally.”
Some of the exclusive products include the honey-sweet My Heart grapes, which has a heart-shaped cross-section, and the meaty Songi Beoseot mushrooms known as the truffles of Asia that are handpicked from pine forests.

Lee said: “My focus is primarily on premium restaurants and local customers who are open-minded and eager to explore new culinary experiences. We are also committed to supporting the next generation of agricultural icons in Korea in reaching international markets.”
Other restaurants that also use Korean produce include Tarte by Cheryl Koh, where sweet, crunchy Shine Muscat grapes and yuja jam are used in the Shine Muscat Tart. Three Michelin-starred Odette’s Julien Royer recently switched from using Japanese to Korean abalones. He explained: “Japanese abalone stocks were depleting, and Korean abalone, grown in the same area as seaweed, offer a clean, marine flavor. They are perfect for our signature Foie Gras Comme un Pho dish.”

Korean spirits are also gaining popularity with bars.
During a visit to Tokki Soju’s Chungju distillery last year, cocktail bar Cat Bite Club’s operating partner Gabriel Lowe was impressed by the “great care and attention to detail” and the higher-quality 100 per cent glutinous rice — known as chapssal in Korean — used in the production. It fitted perfectly with the bar’s mission to dispel misconceptions about Korean spirits.
He explained: “Soju has gotten a bad reputation with many consumers who have only experienced it as shots during late-night Korean BBQ sessions. We love to see that ‘wow’ moment when someone takes their first sip of artisanal soju and rethinks the category as a whole.”

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Jigger & Pony’s bar manager Uno Jang agrees. He said: “There are so many good soju and Korean spirits made in the artisanal way today — produced from premium rice or grains, and distilled in claypots or rice wine that is home brewed. These Korean spirits have many flavours and aromas, with lovely textures that we may not see in other spirits.”
Cat Bite Club’s Negroni-style Bitter Rind cocktail showcases the richer, meltier notes in the 40 per cent ABV Tokki Black, which is also used in Jigger & Pony’s Korean Boilermaker tipple. The latter is a cheeky take on the classic beer-whiskey cocktail with somaek (soju bomb), where the soju’s velvety mouthfeel is played up with bitter and citrusy hops and passion fruit. The barrel-aged 46 per cent ABV Tokki Gold, which has an American whiskey profile, lends a rich spirit-forward and complex note to Cat Bite Club’s Manhattan-styled I Love Gold cocktail.

Tokki Soju was founded in 2016 by American Brandon Hill, whose grandfather made whiskey during the Prohibition era. Hill was so inspired to learn the art of brewing and distilling spirits, that he went to Seoul in 2011 to learn how to make soju. When he returned, modern high-end Korean cuisine was in vogue in New York and mass produced, green-bottle soju didn’t match the refined dishes.
So Hill made his own and it was such a hit that a second distillery was built in Chungju in 2019. Besides classic and barrel-aged soju, it also has a Western spirits line, Sonbi Gin and Sonbi Vodka.Newly opened Korean-focused basement bar Ssal uses Tokki Black in its Negroni-style Roasted Sweet Potato cocktail. The soju elicits a sweet, earthy taste of rice that is enhanced by amaro and actual roasted sweet potatoes.

In a collaboration with Mondrian Hotel Seoul’s Privilege Bar during the World’s 50 Best Bars week this year, Ssal created a special cocktail menu with Hwayo Soju. This premium spirit is matured in microporous clay pots, reviving a traditional soju-making method known as Onggi-maturation that was lost when cheaper methods took precedence.
Ssal’s bartender Minji Bae shared: “The Korean drinking culture revolves around food. Korean alcohol has strong characteristics, but overall, they have a clean taste that goes well with any food. I hope to introduce more Korean traditional spirits to our guests.”
Junior The Pocket Bar’s latest Palace menu is themed around 15th century Korea with the drinks nodding to familiar traditions and snacks. Founder Hazel Long likes the clean profile of Tokki Black, which allows other flavours to shine. She uses it in her Plum and Melon cocktails where the former is a New York Sour twist with plum-infused soju, honey and bourbon, while the latter’s fruity melon flavours brings to mind the popular Korean Melona popsicle.
Long shared: “Specialist labels like these appeal to bar-goers due to a growing interest in authenticity, premium quality, and the pursuit of unique flavours not found in mass-produced spirits. We hope that this celebration of Asian spirits will expand to sake, or even arrack, and these will find its place in bars and restaurants abroad alongside Islay whiskies, London dry gins and Russian vodkas.”