Seoul has no shortage of high-end restaurants, and narrowing down where to dine was no easy task. I ultimately chose
7th Door because its concept intrigued me. The restaurant has earned a Michelin star every year since 2020, is featured on La Liste and Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, and its chef, Kim Dae-Chun, received the One to Watch award.
Chef Kim specializes in modern Korean cuisine—my favourite—but with a unique focus on fermentation and aging. The name
7th Door represents the seven tastes of food: the first five are the basic flavours, the sixth is fermentation, and the seventh is the chef’s own creative sensibility.
To reach the dining room, you walk down a long hallway lined with six unmarked doors and glass cabinets filled with aged ingredients—some preserved for up to ten years. At the end, the seventh door slides open to reveal a dramatic, U-shaped omakase counter seating just fourteen guests. Everything inside is black—the floors, walls, even the menus—creating an atmosphere that’s sleek, modern, and quietly theatrical.
The open performance kitchen takes centre stage. Each guest has a full view of both the counter and the back kitchen, where Chef Kim prepares dishes on a miniature green egg grill. The set tasting menu is guided throughout by impeccable service, with thoughtful explanations accompanying each course.
Under his guiding theme of fermentation and aging—the very essence of Korean gastronomy—Chef Kim crafts ingredients with extraordinary care. The experience feels both ancient and avant-garde, bridging classic techniques with modern innovation. Dinner lasts around two and a half to three hours and unfolds like a story.
Some dishes are delightfully playful, such as a presentation hidden inside a faux Birkin bag, and inside a 711 bag, filled with what looks like a Korean corn hot dog, but in fact is something else entirely. The homemade bread, made from five-year-old yeast and served with green plum sauce, perilla, and sesame oil, was divine. Presentations are meticulous and inventive, featuring premium ingredients like caviar, abalone, truffles, lobster, and Korean beef. I was a little disappointed with how fatty the beef was. Each plate is a study in balance and beauty, with flavours that are layered, refined, and deeply satisfying.
The amuse-bouche—a fermentation plate resembling a miniature garden—was especially memorable, and the wine list complemented the menu beautifully. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but the evening far exceeded my expectations.
A truly special dining experience, recommended.
Happy dining,
Shanea
12/27/2025
