Chef Mingoo Kang rose to international fame in his native South Korea with his two-Michelin-starred Mingles – currently No. 14 of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2020.
Hansik Goo, his latest venture, is a fine dining restaurant in Hong Kong that serves a contemporary take on traditional communal Korean meals.
Launched in collaboration with ZS Hospitality, Hansik Goo has a cosy, timber-clad setting designed by multidisciplinary interior design practice JJ Acuna / Bespoke Studio.
Taking inspiration for Hansik Goo’s interior design from Mingoo’s artisanal plating, studio founder JJ Acuna crafted a narrative of “Sky, Earth and Bounty”, which split the 2,200 sq ft dining space into three distinct zones.
The main dining room (Sky Zone) is dressed in various shades of blue.
Meanwhile, the bar (Earth Zone) is clad in timber and copper.
Hansik Goo is a play on Korean words that translate to “a family that shares meals” and “Korean cuisine by Chef Mingoo”.
Separated from these two areas by a forest green curtain, is the chef’s private dining room (Bounty Zone).
It features natural walnut and birch timber finishes with soothing green accents, as seen in the dining chair upholstery and frosted glass partitions.
Creating warmth and uniting the three zones, Korean oak and birch introduce ease and softness.
Handcrafted glazed ceramic tiles add a contemporary feel with their glossiness while curated artworks by emerging Korean artists from Soluna Fine Art reinforce the visual narrative.
The five- panel artwork Breathing of Light 2oMA01 by Lee Kyouhong reinforces the design narrative.
The design team also took inspiration from Bukchon Hanok Village, an ancient neighbourhood in Seoul with a distinct traditional architecture dating back to the 14th century.
The geometric pattern on the wall of the private dining room as well as the limestone and poured terrazzo floor pattern in the main dining room were fashioned after elements found in the village.