Haevichi Hotel & Resort recently opened a Chinese restaurant ‘JUNGSIM’ and a Korean restaurant ‘SOOWOON’

Brillat-Savarin, 18th century French lawyer and well-known gourmet, defined the joy of table as a ‘sense stemming from looking back on the dining experience’. Good food, atmosphere, things, and people in harmony together create special pleasure. This is the reason why restaurants that guarantee flavor and atmosphere are continuously loved by the public. Restaurants that provide both the joy of eating and dining table just opened in the center of Seoul recently. They are Haevichi Hotel & Resort (hereafter Haevichi)’s Chinese restaurant ‘JUNGSIM’ and Korean restaurant ‘SOOWOON’. We visited these places, which are already known as great venues for private gatherings.

‘JUNGSIM’, a Place that Boasts Classic Cantonese Based Chinese Cuisine

Chinese restaurant ‘JUNGSIM’ is known for its ‘slow Chinese cuisine’ cooked over long hours with love and care.

Chinese restaurant ‘JUNGSIM’ is in the innermost corner of Centropolis’ 2nd floor. As it is located inside the four great gates of Seoul, it’s literally centrally located. The name also wishes to be at the center of people creating important relationships. If you go past the entrance and into the main hall, you will first notice the gold lighting. This is the work of Italia’s renowned architect and designer Paola Navone. The black and gold interior exudes a sense of Orientalism and adds to the classiness of the atmosphere. Red chairs and tables are placed near the wall by the window. The geometric patterns create a modern, sophisticated vibe.

The restrained, sophisticated interior is outstanding.

The room interior also carries on ‘JUNGSIM’’s sophisticated concept. The dreamy wallpaper that reminds one of ink-and-wash paintings is by Lorenzo De Grandis, an Italian textile designer. The luxurious and yet restrained atmosphere is optimum for private gatherings. There are 7 rooms, which makes this perfect for a meeting between the families of the bride and the bridegroom, get-togethers with acquaintances, and business meetings.

Slow Chinese Cuisine Cooked Over Long Hours with Love and Care

JUNGSIM’s signature dish Dongporou; it contains the philosophy of slow Chinese cuisine.

‘JUNGSIM’ introduces slow Chinese cuisine, which is all about leisurely enjoying great food cooked over long hours with love and care with great people, quite unlike the Chinese cuisine we are familiar with, recognized for quickly cooked food under strong fire. The chef makes noodles from scratch and brews the stock for a long time. Dongporou is the dish that best displays ‘JUNGSIM’’s slow Chinese cuisine philosophy. Dongporou, cooked over 6 hours, is the quintessence of crunchy exterior and soft, tender meat inside. The secret to Dongporou’s crunchy skin texture is cooking it for a short while at a high temperature as if frying it. The soft texture of the meat makes it perfect even for small children and the elderly.

Taiwanese prawn fried rice with a jumbo shrimp on the top is also very popular.

Taiwanese prawn fried rice is also a must-try dish at ‘JUNGSIM’. This dish, developed by the chef himself, comes with a huge jumbo shrimp; it’s a Taiwanese fried rice which combines savory egg fried rice and the spicy sauce with minced pork. The whole jumbo shrimp allows you to enjoy fresh shrimp meat in your mouth. The way you eat this is a little different from that of the regular fried rice. You take a spoonful of the rice with the spicy sauce and eat it with a bit of jumbo shrimp to best enjoy the flavor of the dish. It’s great for times when you crave a special something rather than a regular meal you have every day at a reasonable price. ‘JUNGSIM’ also introduces a signature tea which goes well with Chinese food. Complete your meal with a Jeju green tea-based tea, blended by the chef himself.

‘SOOWOON’ Interprets the Flavor and Beauty of Korean Cuisine in a Modern Way.

Enter the Korean restaurant ‘SOOWOON’, and you will feel the modern and yet traditional beauty of the place.

The name of the Korean restaurant ‘SOOWOON’, located next to ‘JUNGSIM’, derived from the Chosun dynasty cookbook . This cookbook was written by Kim Yoo, who organized and wrote down recipes and ways to brew alcohol in the early Chosun era. ‘SOOWOON(需雲)’ refers to food culture with style and class. Once you step inside, you will recognize the interior, designed to exude traditional beauty and elegance. Traditional objects like the subtle traditional paper lighting which got its motif from the traditional Hanbok sleeves are utilized everywhere so that the customer can feel the relaxing atmosphere of margins, standing out as a contrast to the busy city outside. The big table that sits 24 people in the hall is great for a large gathering.

Dishes are served in works created by renowned Korean pottery artists for greater flavor and beauty.

Aside from the 24-seat table, the rest of the space is divided into individual rooms, which makes this place perfect for important gatherings such as business meetings and dinner with your parents. Tableware also shows off traditional beauty. Works of Korean pottery artists such as La Gi-hwan and Moon Do-bang are used, which shows how much attention goes into not just the food but also its visual grace.

Healthy Korean Cuisine that Reenacts the Chosun Dynasty Aristocrat Table

Samgyetang is nutty as it contains pine nut from Hongcheon, which used to go on the Chosun dynasty royal tables.

‘SOOWOON’ maintains the tradition of the oldest cookbook out there, , but also introduces Korean dishes that can be easily approached by reinterpreting aristocrat cuisine. They hold the philosophy of ‘Yaksikdongwon (藥食同源)’ and create food that’s good for you, which means medicine and food have the same roots. SOOWOON’s Samgyetang is the typical Yakseon (medicinal food) Korean cuisine dish. It’s known for the nutty flavor produced by adding ground Hongcheon pine nuts, which were also used for Chosun dynasty royal tables, to the long-brewed stock. The generous amount of pine nuts on top of the chicken and the thick chicken meat together create various textures.

Beef Tartare Bibimbap was served with white vegetables in a flower pot, which faithfully reflects the old recipe.

SOOWOON’s Beef Tartare Bibimbap is a little different from the usual Bibambap we see elsewhere. Unlike the Bibimbap with Gochujang sauce, it’s a soy sauce Bibimbap which uses soy sauce, made from fermented beans, as the main sauce. does not include pepper, which was introduced after the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592, and therefore the recipe faithfully reflects such historic fact. White vegetables in a flower pot and slightly frozen fresh beef tartare on a dish provide various textures when eaten together. The side white Mulkimchi is also seasoned with salt and has a neat taste. SOOWOON dishes utilize fermented sauce, salt, and other basic ingredients that bring out the original flavor of the ingredients.

The dessert made with traditional ingredients is part of SOOWOON’s course menu.

If you wish to enjoy the SOOWOON dishes even further, go for the 3-course menu where you can taste the signature dishes as well as its desserts. There are the reasonably priced lunch courses and dinner courses made with luxurious ingredients for important gatherings; depending on the nature of your gathering, you can choose accordingly. Desserts are not sold separately but are only provided for course menu. Traditional cookie made with glutinous rice and buckwheat, flavored glutinous rice made with herb tonic tea ingredients, and steamed chestnut that’s been ground finely and mixed with honey are all personally developed and made by the chef. Come and experience a table of food made with love and care.

We visited the Chinese restaurant ‘JUNGSIM’ and Korean restaurant ‘SOOWOON’ located on the 2nd floor of Centropolis in Jongro and tasted their signature menu. Their sophisticated space, decorated with a sense of moderation, deep flavors, and great location make them the optimum places for business meetings and important appointments like a gathering between the families of the bride and the bridegroom. Hyundai Motors and affiliate employees can receive a 10% discount while Hyundai Card users can get a 10% claim discount. Shinhan/Samsung card users can also get an on-site 10% discount for weekday dinners or weekend visits. Enjoy the pleasures of gourmet dishes that will fill your heart with joy at reasonable prices.

Photography by. Ryu Hyun-joon (JPG Studio)