Over the weekend, a dining room in the city took on a calm, reflective mood, with focus on balance, clarity and the comfort of Korean home cooking. At the centre of it all was chef Eunyoung, whose two-day Korean pop-up dubbed ‘K-Flavour Carnival’, unfolded like an invitation to sit, assemble, taste and understand hansik (Korean cuisine).
For many diners, this was their first real introduction to Korean food beyond what they had seen on screens. Eunyoung kept things simple, letting the flavours speak for themselves. Also featuring soy garlic mushroom gangjeong, stir-fried Korean sweet potato glass noodles, braised tofu, Korean seafood pancake, Korean BBQ and other delicacies, the menu was built around bibimbap, where guests could assemble their own bowls with vegetables, proteins, grains and fermented condiments, discovering Korean tastes in a way that felt natural. “Bibimbap is how Korean food is meant to be enjoyed. There’s no single star on the plate. Everything comes together and each person’s bowl tastes a little different,” she says. The interactive format encouraged diners to engage with the food, making the experience feel personal and approachable. The pop-up also challenged common assumptions about Korean cuisine being meat-heavy. “Korean cuisine is traditionally vegetable-driven. Many of its foundations come from temple food and home-style cooking, where vegetables, grains and fermentation play a central role. For this menu, vegetarian options were not treated as alternatives but as an authentic part of Korean cuisine,” she shares, stressing that the focus was on depth of flavour rather than substitution.
This thoughtful presentation at Grand Mercure Bangalore, Koramangala, mirrored Eunyoung’s life across cultures. Also being the wife of Marc Lamy, the Consul General of France in Bengaluru, she has spent years navigating international environments of Sri Lanka, China, Hong Kong, Africa, where food became a bridge. The cross-cultural experiences inform her cooking philosophy that values clarity over novelty and sincerity over trend.
Though global interest in Korean culture has surged through K-pop, K-drama and cinema, Eunyoung was careful not to design a menu driven by recognisable ‘screen foods’. She instead focused on the everyday structure of Korean meals with rice at the centre, supported by veggies, seasonings and fermented elements – from the universality of how Koreans actually eat. Equally important was the idea of sharing. Korean meals traditionally arrive as a constellation of dishes meant to be eaten together, highlighting values of care and community.
And what about her comfort food? The answer is simple – “Kimchi Jjigae. A gently-simmered stew of well fermented kimchi, generous pieces of pork and delicate tofu cooked slowly in an earthenware pot. After a long journey abroad or on days when my body feels depleted, a freshly prepared bowl of kimchi jjigae served with warm white rice has a quiet restorative power. It carries memories of my mother’s cooking and the care embedded in her hands. It eases homesickness and reconnects me to home.”
Adapting Korean food for different regions, she believes, has to have a careful balance. While ingredients and presentation may shift to suit local tastes and dining habits, the soul of the dish must remain just right. Key Korean seasoning, particularly salt and red pepper powder, is non-negotiable, anchoring each recipe in its original flavour profile, as she shares,
“These help maintain the identity of the cuisine. Cultural differences can sometimes be significant, so I adapt ingredients and serving styles to local tastes and customs while preserving the simple, harmonious characteristics of Korean cuisine.”
Introducing Korean cuisine to new audiences comes with both opportunity and responsibility. While global curiosity is at an all-time high, the challenge lies in moving far from fleeting trends. “My goal is to guide audiences towards a deeper understanding and appreciation of Korean cuisine, so that their interest develops into lasting knowledge and connection,” Eunyoung hopes.