Nongshim Opens Vegan Fine Dining 'Forest Kitchen'

Interior view of Nongshim's 'Forest Kitchen'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Nongshim has opened the country's first vegan restaurant with a fine dining concept.

On the 27th, Nongshim announced the opening of the vegan restaurant ‘Forest Kitchen’ at Lotte World Mall in Jamsil, Seoul. Unlike most existing vegan restaurants that operate as casual dining establishments offering hamburgers, pasta, and the like, Forest Kitchen is run as a vegan fine dining restaurant. The strategy focuses on providing a unique experience with vegan food and improving public perception. Forest Kitchen offers a variety of vegan menus in a single course meal format. The dinner course consists of 10 dishes, and the lunch course includes 7 dishes, with 3 of these dishes using plant-based meat alternatives.

The prices are set at 55,000 KRW for lunch and 77,000 KRW for dinner. While some luxury hotels offer vegetarian options alongside their main menus, Forest Kitchen is the first restaurant to compose an entire course exclusively of vegan food. The executive chef is Mr. Kim Tae-hyung, who has worked at Michelin 1 and 2-star restaurants in New York, USA.

Additionally, Nongshim practices carbon emission reduction by installing induction cooktops instead of gas burners. The interior design is inspired by forests and nature, creating a comfortable space primarily using natural materials. A Nongshim representative explained, "Forest Kitchen is a special space where customers can enjoy premium dining while practicing value consumption that considers the environment."

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