This August, Bun House, the Cantonese steamed bun street cafe in the heart of bustling Chinatown, London, will welcome chef Joo Won for a 2 month pop-up from 5 August.
Fresh from a recent sell-out residency at Carousel, Won (pictured centre) will be taking over the top floor Bun House, serving his signature menu of South Korean and European inspired sharing dishes.
Hailing from Busan, Won's desire to learn more about western cooking and hospitality brought him to London in 2000 where he obtained a Le Cordon Bleu Grand Diploma in cuisine and pastry.
In 2006, Won formed part of the Galvin at Windows opening team, playing a starring role in the winning of their Michelin star and rising through the ranks to become Head Chef in 2013. It was here, in charge of the kitchen, that Won was able to experiment with the menu, bringing a subtle taste of his native Korean roots to otherwise very traditional European dishes.
Now going it alone, Won’s residency will continue to showcase his unique take on Korean cuisine, utilising the recipes and techniques learned throughout his very classic European training.
Accompanied by wife Sujin (pictured right), herself a renowned pastry chef with experience at The Wolseley and The Delaunay, the team will be serving a selection of sharing plates fit for a feast with dishes including thinly sliced, lightly cured grey mullet served in a sesame, chilli and plum soy sauce and their take on an Italian classic, a kimchi and cheddar risotto topped with poached egg and seaweed crisp.
Won’s signature 'JFC' - Joo’s Fried Chicken - will also make an appearance on the menu with succulent chicken thighs, deep fried in a secret batter, accompanied with a gochujang, ginger, honey and apple and topped with creamy cashews and coriander.
A 3-day marinated flatiron beef bulgogi, served with aromatic holy basil, spring onion, crunchy chicory and pickled mooli will offer the perfect twist on a traditional Korean Saam (“meaning wrapped”) whilst claypots of slow cooked lamb breast Jjim served in a pear and soy sauce with steamed vegetables, rice, seasoned cucumber and goji berries is a hearty, comforting take on a classic British stew.
For those with a sweet tooth, desserts of raspberry, peach and cream pavlovas will sit alongside a dark chocolate cremeaux with yuza marmalade, hoji tea and toasted grain cream.
Bun House Founder, Z He (pictured left) said, “I am so excited to finally be working with Joo - I’ve been a huge fan of his for a long time so can’t wait for our customers to try his dishes. He’s really pushing the boundaries with what Korean food looks like in London and I have a lot of time for people that like to challenge the norm!”.
Won’s residency at Bun House will launch on 5 August and run for two months until 4 October.