3 words come up when thinking of this restaurant: alcohol, travel and hanok. Jub an, which refers to the pairing of food and liquor in Korean, is best described as a bistro housed in a revamped hanok. Tucked away in one of Seochon’s many alleyways, it opens up its bright cobalt-blue gates at 6pm every day to expose a beautifully-lit hanok structur e and a neon sign. Walking in through them, you will likely to be transported to a world of modest traditional glam.
Chef Kim Taeyoon soaks up inspiration during his worldwide tours and brings back with him new methods and techniques to add into in his cooking. Fusing exotic spices brought back from India, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, he creates visually and aromatically stunning dishes. The Malacca Ribs made with star anise, fennel seed, cumin seed, coriander seeds and cardamom is almost intoxicating (in the best way possible). The sauce coating the scrumptious pork ribs is thick, tangy and very much satisfying. A bite of this calls for a nice strong sip of Chuseongju, a type of Korean liquor with a 1,000-year-old history.
Every item on the menu can be beautifully paired with alcohol—just ask the staff what would be best and they would be more than happy to help you out. For those of you who rarely associate Korean soju with a fine-dining, let Juban prove you wrong; sitting underneath a graciously-lit hanok looking out into the garden and the black giwa (traditionally-tile d) rooftops, you'll see how delicate and fancy your soju experience can be.