Chef Aitor Zabala Brings His Inventive Culinary Stylings to Seoul

Journeying through South Korea, the visionary behind LA’s Somni restaurant also finds new inspiration in monk Jeong Kwan’s Buddhist temple food experience

In Los Angeles a discussion about the artistry of the tasting menu experience often leads to a reflective conversation about Aitor Zabala’s Somni. Born and raised in Barcelona, Zabala cooked for several years with Fernando Adrià and then Jose Andres before opening Somni, a 12-seat tasting experience inside the Bazaar at the SLS. After closing Somni in 2020, Zabala began to envision a stand-alone space for his inventive and playful menu which evokes flavors of Spain with inspirations from around the world. In anticipation of an opening now set for the beginning of 2024, his culinary team has been hard at work to plan the menu. They shared a customized version earlier this month at Myomi, adjacent to the Arario Museum, in South Korea during Seoul Art Week.

“When you are making a menu personal, you try to think of everything. How you present the food, the space, even the flowers. It’s a type of art,” he says as he prepares for his pop-up dinner. The event begins for guests in the museum’s courtyard and continues as they walk through the labyrinthine building designed by Kim Swoo Geun in the 1970s. It has been carefully preserved and transformed into a contemporary art space with low ceilings, brick walls and narrow passageways. Each twist and turn reveals photographs by Cindy Sherman, Kohei Nawa’s glass deer and a sculpture of the artist Mark Quinn’s head made of his own frozen blood. This eclectic collection is also complemented by the Arario Gallery in the next building, which features several shows and artist Jinju Lee’s studio presentation on the top floor. An outpost of Fritz Coffee has drawn a gathering of locals to the lush patio.

After the art-filled tour, a small elevator takes diners up to Miyomi where Zabala and his team have prepared an interpretive version of the Somni menu (which earned the chef two Michelin stars). It begins with a delicate frozen cocktail made with pine water, sake, yuzu and grapes topped with edible flowers and a whimsical presentation of small snacks, tapas style, including a one-bite croquette, paper thin ginko-leaf-shaped crackers with idiazabal cheese and beet bon bons. “It’s a Willy Wonka party,” says Zabala, serving his flavorful creations, a visual feast that feels fitting for an evening at the museum in the midst of an exuberant art week in this bustling metropolis. Zabala carries out plates for the seventeen courses with both a seriousness for the feat that he has tasked himself with and a twinkle in his eye. 

Some Korean ingredients have been incorporated into Somni classics include a perilla leaf in a tempura dish that originally featured shiso. Grilled local scallops are complemented by a cuttlefish ink, roasted onion sauce and a small cup of dashi. A dish he calls “Spaniard Visiting Korea” pairs noduguro fish with dry tomato, sesame milk, perilla leaf, liver sauce, black olive oil and edible flowers. 

Zabala and his team also brought some ingredients with them. Huitlacoche from Oaxaca was packed with the kitchen equipment they could not live without. Delicate savory meringues in the shape of bones were made in LA and carried on the plane, then filled with eel, caviar, bone marrow and apple just before serving. “We are bringing all of the continents together,” explains Zabala. “We always play with shapes and textures and with flavors.”

When asked why Seoul, Zabala replies, “I wanted to see and experience a totally different perspective.” After three services over two days, Zabala and his team pack up their knives and kitchen tools that helped shape the roasted eggplant and nori cracker and cheese course served in the shape of the black and white cow and begin to look toward their next adventure. When Zabala agreed to the pop-up dinner he drew up a list of what it would take to pull off such a complicated menu in another kitchen. He also made another request after the dinner, to travel to the Buddhist temple where monk Jeong Kwan is known for being a master of temple food.

Driving four hours from the bustle and lights of Seoul to Naejangsan National Park feels like time traveling. Arriving at Baekyangsa Temple almost immediately calms the mind. Kwan stands waiting for Zabala and follows her greeting with an invitation to sit down for cold tea and fruit. Through a translator Zabala begins to ask Kwan questions about ingredients and techniques and soon it is evident that she will be sharing much of her knowledge through cooking demonstrations.

Preparing dinner Kwan looks both serene and intense. She makes it abundantly clear that she is particular about how she wants vegetables cut. Each fresh green has been carefully picked at the peak of season with each dish mixed by bare hands, which she says is the best utensil for food preparation. Aged soy sauce and sesame oil with a spare few more ingredients provide the seasonings. She places dishes in bowls for the family style meal. She rolls leafy greens in bean powder for soup. The fresh flavors are as alive as the vegetation they are made from. Her blessing is translated into English for all to pray together before eating. 

The after-dinner activity is a demonstration of kimchi. This temple version is fully plant-based without any fish ingredients, as Buddhist food does not include animal products, garlic or onions. Kwan squeezes the extra liquid from the salted cabbage and layers each leaf with a mixture of fragrant ingredients that are bright red. She says through the translator that without fermentation, this is “just salad,” eliciting giggles from her kitchen audience. 

After a night of sleeping on matts at the temple stay quarters, Zabala wakes up to join Kwan in the kitchen to make breakfast. When the question of coffee came up the night before she pointed to some coffee beans and pour-over filters. Zabala starts to make coffee, while she sets about making tofu two ways, a pressed version and a softer style. Smooth black sesame porridge is cooking on the stove and some of last night’s kimchi, still in its salad state, is plated for each person. The group gathers around the table for breakfast together followed by a foraging walk and a tour of her bean paste, kimchi, soy sauce and other fermentation projects. 

Sipping a final cup of tea together, Jeong Kwan takes the time to make a specific blessing for each of the people who have made the journey to visit her. Zabala tells her he wants to return to learn about this food and way of life. When asked about the experience he replies, “You need to do the best you can with the hands you have.”

Back in Los Angeles Zabala turns his focus to the reopening of Somni. He’s dreaming up his ideal dining experience. Every detail feels vital. “The food, service and environment are important,” he says. “When you have an emotion and you explain that emotion and you see their reaction, then people want to come back.”

“I have always liked the idea at the restaurant to have a never ending experience,” he says, talking about connecting the time that guests make a reservation, arrive at the restaurant and enjoy the meal to weeks later when they receive information that helps keep them feeling that they are always involved with the restaurant and the experience. Zabala compares it to the photo on the fridge from a cherished vacation memory. He wants to tap into that essence when interacting with diners at Somni.

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