As Jeju develops, so does its food scene

With more people buying up vacation homes on Jeju or moving there permanently, the southern Korean island is shifting into a destination for relaxing and eating well rather than sightseeing.

In line with the trend, many chefs from Seoul have packed up their knives and headed to Jeju, enticed by the abundance of fresh local ingredients and the opportunity to pioneer international cuisine in an area overpopulated by Korean-style raw fish restaurants and pork barbecue joints.

High-class hotels are even jumping on the bandwagon. Haevichi Hotel and Resort plans to launch Milieu, the first French restaurant to open in a luxury hotel on Jeju, next month.

"We have a goal to be the forerunner in promoting Jeju's food by presenting a new style of food inspired by ingredients indigenous to the island", said Lee Min, the resort's president. "This move will also provide a chance for young, local chefs to show off their talents and for residents to taste a different style of food [made with their usual ingredients], while we serve travelers as well".

The new eatery, set to welcome diners from June 29, will have chef Yoon Hwa-young at its helm. Yoon has already succeeded in pioneering the fine-dining trend in Busan, with his restaurant Merciel.

"The concept will be very similar to the level of the restaurants one can find in Seoul", said Chloe Yoon, the hotel's marketing strategy manager, adding that the price will be less expensive than dining at a hotel restaurant in Korea's capital.

There are plenty of other modern options incorporating ingredients local to the island that are available to try out. Here are some of our top picks.


BY LEE SUN-MIN [lee.sunmin@joongang.co.kr]



1. Le Coin Francais

Le Coin Francais is a very small French cafe that serves crepes, galettes and croque monsieur with a glass of sangria or juice.

Owner Merbah Nabil, who moved to Jeju with his Korean wife years ago, wasn't a professional chef when he opened the cafe in January. But he used to cook crepes as snacks for his son, and visitors to his house often gave him compliments on the dishes he whipped up. As a result he decided make it his living.

Nabil says crepes can be a very "Jeju-like" dish because the main ingredient he uses to make them is buckwheat from the island.

064-723-6698

Seogwang-ro 32-gil 37, Jeju



2. Aruyo

ChefKim Seung-min, winner of the first season of Master Chef Korea, has opened two restaurants of the same name in Jeju.

Aruyo offers a variety of Japanese-style dishes, such as rice over raw fish and a couple different ramen and udon dishes. It's about a 10-minute drive from the airport, meaning that many travelers choose the Jeju branch as their last stop before going home. The original branch of the restaurant is in Aewol.

064-745-4858

Singwang-ro 10-gil, Jeju



3. Sushi Hoshikai

Jeju native Im Deok-hyun used to work at Sushi Hyo, one of the most popular sushi restaurants in southern Seoul. After years of practice in the art of raw fish, Im moved back to Jeju when he saw a gap in the market for a high-end sushi restaurant.

Im's establishment is especially popular on weekends, so visitors need to move fast to make a reservation to sit at the sushi counter.

The restaurant publicizes its most recent catch on its Facebook page for customers looking for the freshest dishes. It also recently hired a new chef who worked in Seoul's popular Korean fine-dining restaurant Jung Sik Dang and the Japanese izakaya Ichie in southern Seoul.

064-713-8838

Onam-ro 90, Jeju


4. Le Ciel B

Owner and head chef Tei Kim of Le Ciel B was one of the first people to cook up Italian dishes on the island. Since opening his restaurant in 2013, good eats have sprouted up on the street around it, too.

Kim's restaurant is especially well-known for its pasta made with bomal, a brown snail found in Jeju, which is then covered with gamtae, a type of seaweed.

064-712-1427

Gonae-ri 1097, Aewol-eub, Jeju

lecielb.co.kr


5. Le Pirate

A french chef and his Korean wife, a former festival organizer, run the restaurant and cafe Le Pirate together in Aewol. They also host several private parties at the venue near the water, so that people can meet and share their interest in fashion, travel, movies and food.

Past events have included a film night and a fashion show.

Le Pirate has a rooftop space as well as a small plaza alongside the cafe and restaurant.

064-799-8988

Geumseong 5-gil 44, Aewol-eup, Jeju

lepiratejeju.com


6. Seogwang Chunhee

Seogwang Chunhee is a little off the beaten path, but this means that the white building with its blue door is set in a rural location with a backyard filled with tangerine trees and outdoor seating.

The restaurant is known for its sea urchin ramen. It serves just three set meals, which were all designed by chefKim Seung-min, the owner of Aruyo.

Seogwang Chunhee's owner cooks all the dishes himself, so customers should expect to wait a little when the restaurant gets crowded.

During tangerine harvest season diners can head out into the yard to pick some of the fruit.

064-792-8911

Hwasunseodong-ro 367, Andeok-myeon, Seoquipo


7. Salad and Mimi

The building that houses Salad and Mimi is a former tangerine warehouse. It offers a variety of light and heavy dishes - from home-made granola to pasta made with ddaksaewu, local Jeju shrimp.

The restaurant has a variety of salad dressings, including some based on the Korean fermented soy bean paste doenjang, which are also available to purchase and take home.

Owner and chef Jung Hee-kyung cooks at Salad and Mimi's Hangyeong-myeon branch, but she joined hands with another restaurateur to open two other locations, one in Aewol and one in downtown Jeju.

Jung used to run a restaurant of the same name in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul, but closed it down in 2011 to move to Jeju.

064-799-9941

918-1 Cheongsu-li, Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju-si

blog.naver.com/saladmimi


8. Bistro Ian's

Chef Ian Kim brought his popular Seoul restaurant, Bistro Ian's, to Jeju last year.

After cooking in Nonhyun-dong, southern Seoul, since 2009, he decided to take up a new challenge on the semi-tropical island.

The small restaurant, located near Mount Sanbang, has been one of the most popular places among local residents who recently moved from Seoul.

The menu changes often depending on the ingredients Kim can pick up from the island's markets. In the past he has used seasonal local fish to make a spread for bread and has whipped up a pasta dish with boiled radish and clams, garnished with seaweed.

Bistro Ian's gets very busy on weekends, so advance booking is recommended.

064-792-6166

157-20 Sagyeobuk-ro, Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo


9. East End

While most of Jeju's modern restaurants have found their home on the western side of the island or downtown, the owners of this establishment started catering to visitors in the east, hence its name.

The chef couple who own the restaurant recently came back from a month-long food research trip to Paris and London in order to find inspiration for new dishes to present in Jeju.

064-782-3357

Jongdal-li 565-55 Gujwa-eub, Jeju

blog.naver.com/eastend_jeju


10. Ikkoi and Stay

Chef Jung Ji-won, who still runs Ikkoi in Dongbuichon-dong, central Seoul, moved to Jeju and opened another restaurant.

Jung says it's easier for her to find quality ingredients to make Japanese-style dishes in Jeju compared to Seoul, probably due to the physical proximity of the neighboring nation to the island.

One of the most popular items on the menu is rice over mackerel powder.

Ikkoi and Stay is located near the popular Arario Museum, which opened last year and attracts many artsy travelers to the restaurant.

Jung also runs a female-only guesthouse in the same building.

070-8239-9408

1306-11 Ildo 1-dong, Jeju


11. All That Jeju

After working at several restaurants in Seoul, including the well-known gastropub Chez Flo, Rey Kim returned to his hometown to open up All That Jeju.

Kim, the head chef, and his wife man the kitchen and the dining area of the two-table restaurant.

Due to its smaller size, getting a table depends on luck.

The bistro is extremely popular among solo travelers as it offers a set menu for one person with a drink.

As it is located in the urban area of Jeju, many residents also stop by after work.

And since it is near the airport, many people stop by for a quick meal and a drink before they catch the last plane off the island.

064-901-7893

Jungang-ro 1-gil 33, Jeju