For seven years chef Joo Won was responsible for holding the Michelin star as the head chef of Galvin at Windows. But opening his own restaurant was always the dream and after he took a trip back home to Korea with the restaraunt's then GM (now TV star) Fred Sirieix and the Galvin Brothers, it cemented his decision to break out on his own. "We went for a week just to get inspiration,’ Joo told the Great British Chefs in an interview. "But it completely opened my eyes and my palate. I was suddenly looking at Korean cooking in a completely different way from when I was younger."
That led to him starting his own pop-up kitchen Cálong which serves up "French and European cooking...harmonised with subtle Korean flavours". A good example of that would be his signature dish kimchi risotto. Now he's moved the dream on, taking over the old Rubedo restaurant site on Stoke Newington Church Street where he's getting ready to open Cálong as a standalone restaurant.
As he explained to Hot Dinners, "It will definitely be Korean-based flavour, something different from what other Korean restaurants do. Simple, casual and delicious...and wines of course." Dishes he's had on menus before include:
- Pressed sweet soy pork terrine, lettuce & ssamjang
- "JFC" Joo's fried chicken thigh, sweet chilli sauce & coriander
- Pan seared pollock, mussel & courgette Jjamppong
Things are still at the legal stage right now, so we'll bring you more news on this when we have it.
More about Cálong
Where is it? 35 Stoke Newington Church St, London N16 0NX
When does it open? January 2025
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @calonglondon
Subscribe to be the first to get the news from Hot Dinners
