Kinfolk
Meat wasn’t widely consumed in South Korea until the economic boom of the 1970s and it continues to be associated with wealth and social status. While Koreans regularly cook meat-free meals at home, it’s less easy to find vegan or vegetarian dishes when eating out; even apparently vegetable-based dishes like kimchi will often contain fish or be cooked in a meat broth.
Millennial Dining in Seocho is one of the few vegan restaurants in Seoul. Founded by chef Lynn Ahn in 2020, it brings together recipes Ahn learned from her grandmother, traditional fermentation techniques and research into plant-based food with the overall aim of demonstrating that vegan food can be accessible and enjoyable—regardless of whether you eat meat or not. Dishes like pasta with apple jam and Beyond Meat bacon, carrots slow cooked for five hours and roasted with a soybean paste, and a truffle and mushroom pizza with handmade vegan mozzarella are typical of Ahn’s approach, which views vegan cooking as an opportunity to create something new, rather than being a dietary requirement that has to be accommodated. The restaurant is zero-waste and has its own herb garden, reflecting its wider goal to “promote a lifestyle that respects both personal well-being and global environmental sustainability.” (GU)
3F, 316-1 Hyoryeong-ro, Seocho District
