Five Things to Know About Koreatown’s Beut
Beginning April 10, something new is coming to a familiar spot: In the former Joomak Banjum space, at which she was also a partner, pastry chef Sarah Kang is embarking on a new journey with a restaurant all her own, called Beut, specializing in Korean royal court cuisine.
In this edition of the Resy Rundown, we sit down with chef Sang Hoon Jeong and chef and owner Sarah Kang to find out everything you need to know before you go.
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1. Kang’s history in the space extends far beyond Joomak Banjum.
Before Kang was a partner in Joomak Banjum, the most recent venture to operate a business at 312 5th Avenue, her family ran restaurants in the building for more than 10 years, since 2012.
“I grew up with a family of restaurateurs. My parents have opened over 30 restaurants in the New York and New Jersey area,” Kang says. “I actually used to work in fashion, but I decided that wasn’t for me and that I wanted to pursue the food industry [like my parents].”
Her first solo concept in the space was Konbini, a casual Japanese restaurant modeled after Japan’s popular convenience stores, which opened right before the pandemic hit in 2019. While Konbini made it through the pandemic, Kang decided that something new would be better suited and that’s how Joomak Banjum was born. Now, however, Beut is taking the reins.
“[This space] is really my home away from home,” she adds.
2. This marks the first time this pair of chefs is working together on a fine-dining restaurant.
Beut, which means “kitchen” in traditional Korean, is the first joint venture for chefs Kang and Hoon, despite their respectively long histories and experiences in dining. They worked together to develop the menu for Kang’s original restaurant, Konbini, but this marks the first time their collaboration will continue beyond that phase.
Hoon previously worked at Hwaban, a Korean restaurant that closed during the pandemic, and at Antoya, a Korean barbecue spot.
“He has a lot of knowledge about Korean food. I felt like he understood what we were trying to do in this area. He had the experience,” Kang says.
3. The menu is fit for a king (or queen).
Hoon has crafted a savory menu based on the tradition of Korean royal court cuisine, a style of dining that is defined by its basis on seasonality, fresh presentation, and technique, says Kang.
The dinner menu consists of an eight-course tasting menu priced at $125 per person.
“Our price point is really approachable,” Kang says. “That’s something that I’ve always believed in, even with Konbini and Joomak; I want it to be approachable and accessible.”
The meal starts with mulhwe, a raw fish soup, served with bang’eo, or yellowtail, and a housemade white kimchi.
“Most of the dishes consist of traditional flavors, and then the story and my memory of the concept,” Hoon explains. “You can feel the Korean memory in the food.”
He cites the starting amuse bouche of pickled tomatoes as an example of this, explaining that many parents in Korea will sprinkle sugar over tomatoes to make them more palatable to children in what has become a classic snack.
Later, you’ll be treated to dishes like abalone with perilla and mieum, an ingredient made from strained white rice, lobster served three ways, and a dry-aged duck with kabocha squash.
Fans of the pastry tasting at Joomak Banjum will find fewer options here, but Kang’s influence is still present on the menu, with desserts like pavlova with ginseng mousse and jujube tea sorbet.
“Chef is focusing more on traditional cuisine. There are no pastry elements, except at the end,” Kang says.
Lunch will be a more casual affair, with options designed to appeal to those who work in the area or just need a quick bite, with sotbap, banchan, and soups on offer.
4. The wine list leans natural.
Also available at dinner is an optional $100 wine pairing, featuring eight pours of selected bottles. Led by sommelier Jirka Jireh, the list focuses on natural wines.
“I think natural wines pair really well with the concept of Korean cuisine. It’s typically very clean, very elegant, very light, so I think the [wine] will parallel well with that,” Kang says.
Makgeolli from Brooklyn’s Hana Makgeolli and soju imported directly from Korea round out the drinks list and in the future, Beut hopes to have a robust cocktail program.
5. This isn’t Joomak Banjum 2.0.
Kang thinks the neighborhood is in need of something even more fiercely (and traditionally) Korean than Joomak Banjum, which specialized in Korean Chinese food, was. [Editor’s Note: Joomak Banjum will soon be popping up at Ddobar at the Olly Olly Market in Chelsea after chef and partner Jiho Kim parted ways with Kang.]
“What we feel like the neighborhood needs, and what is really growing in popularity right now with K-pop and Korean culture [being more mainstream], is something more authentic,” Kang says.
She continues, “Chef Hoon is offering a kind of more traditional Korean cooking. We’re featuring the Korean flavors as much as possible, rather than what we’re used to at a lot of fine-dining restaurants where it’s very French heavy, and very sauce heavy.”
Fans of Joomak Banjum may notice some familiar sights, however — the team has decided not to make many updates at all to the interior, to save on costs and speed up their opening process.
“We’re bringing in tablecloths and changing the flow of the table decorations, but I think the most obvious difference will be the way that chef’s food makes the room feel,” Kang says. “We’re focusing on tradition, and it’s a very cozy, homey kind of food. I feel the room has become very proud and intimate.”
Beut will be open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 9 p.m. Lunch service will begin in the weeks after opening.
Ellie Plass is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn. Follow her on Instagram and X. Follow Resy, too.
