Portraits of Philly: Chef-Owner Alexander Yoon of Little Fish BYOB

Resy: How long have you been working in restaurants? Have you worked in restaurants in other cities?

Alexander Yoon: My parents owned a deli growing up so I was always food adjacent, but I got my first job in a kitchen in 2011 at Le Bec-Fin. As for other cities, I’ve had brief stints at Mirazur in Menton, France, the The Arrabelle at Vail Square in Vail, Colo., and Benu in San Francisco, before coming back home to Philly.

What makes the food scene in Philadelphia different? How does it stand out?

I want to say something like, everyone in Philly has a very personal take on the type of cuisine they showcase to their guests. But honestly, I doubt that’s unique to here. Every good food town could probably say the same thing.

Really though, Philly is a huge sandwich city. I swear that every restaurant has some type of sandwich on their menu. Our scallop toast: Call it an open-faced sandwich. If I walked outside right now and asked someone their favorite thing to eat there’s a decent chance they’d say a sandwich (and it’s probably from Angelo’s).

Of course, I should also mention BYOBs, but the sandwiches are so good.

What are you excited about eating and drinking right now? Where are you going out when you have a night off? Whose work is inspiring you?

Without having access to a traditional wine program here, I’m just now finding my love for sparkling wines and aged Champagnes. I’m also very happy with the recent push for non-alcoholic beverages on nearly every beverage menu. Middle Child Clubhouse has an incredible selection.

We just got back from a 10-day trip to Korea to do some R&D, so everything related to that is top of mind right now. I’m always down for a trip to Chinatown. We’ve also spent plenty of nights after service grabbing a late night meal at Palizzi.

As for inspirations, I also really love the work that Jeremy Chan is doing at his restaurant Ikoyi in London. His approach to cooking is very technical and precise. I haven’t had the chance to eat there yet, but I’ve been admiring it from afar.

Also Simon Kim [of Cote and Coqodaq in New York] and his approach to combining Eastern cuisines to a stellar front-of-house program.

One more is Chad Williams from Friday Saturday Sunday [in Philadelphia]. He has a bold and fearless approach to his food that makes his flavors so unique. It’s rare to see someone have a distinct voice and incorporate it throughout an entire menu.

Philadelphia is blowing up. There are more than 100 new restaurants set to open in the city this year. How do you think that will change the industry? What do you hope changes from that growth and what do you hope stays the same?

Opening a restaurant is hard, but keeping it going year after year is harder. It makes sense that there are so many mediocre-at-best restaurants out there, because I can imagine being burnt out and not wanting to put the time in. One hundred new restaurants is a lot, but hopefully the cream rises to the top and we’re left with more awesome restaurants than what we started with. One thing I’d like to see more of is independent restaurant operators succeed rather than corporate groups rubber stamping ideas to replicate in Philly.

What do you think the city needs more of and less of as all this development happens?

We need investment in infrastructure for the city as a whole. Having cleaner streets and better public transit to move people across town goes a long way. Let’s focus more on how we can help small businesses and not giant developers build more condos or arenas.

How do people in the food community show up for one another these days? Where are you seeing the community coming together and how?

Everyone wants to see other restaurants succeed. Success for the likes of Friday Saturday Sunday and Royal Sushi Omakase & Izakaya is a success for the entire Philly restaurant industry.

We like to support one another when we get the chance, whether that’s collaborating on dinners, or simply showing up to eat at their restaurants and see what they’ve been working on.

What are you focusing on right now that has you excited? Any new projects in the works?

We do have future projects in the works, so that’s where my excitement is focused currently. I’m excited to see our tight-knit team here grow and accomplish the goals we’re setting for ourselves. I’ll leave it at that for now.