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<\/p>\nAn Australian-founded Michelin-starred restaurant is at the centre of a South Korean court case for its use of black ants as a garnish in a dessert dish.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seoul prosecutors have alleged the restaurant Evett, in Seoul’s Gangnam district, served ants illegally imported from Thailand and the United States in violation of food safety regulations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The restaurant was founded by Tasmanian chef Joseph Lidgerwood, who opened the two-star Michelin restaurant in 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Under South Korean law, only 10 insect species are approved for human consumption, including grasshoppers and brown mealworm larvae.<\/p>\n
The food ministry was first alerted to Evett’s use of ants through social media and blog posts, it said last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Dishes tagged on the restaurant’s social media appear to show sorbet dishes with ants.\u00a0 (Supplied: Instagram)<\/p>\n
In a statement to the ABC, the restaurant said Mr Lidgerwood was not a defendant, had not been charged, nor had he been “personally facing a sentencing request or potential imprisonment.”<\/p>\n
It said Mr Lidgerwood was a shareholder and director of the company, but not its representative director.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, proceedings were brought against the company operating Restaurant Evett and its CEO, “who is responsible for the management and operation of the business”, it added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“The court has not yet delivered its decision, and the company and its CEO are currently awaiting judgment,” a spokesperson for the restaurant said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Authorities launched their probe last year, according to a food ministry statement, claiming Evett topped desserts with “three to five” ants “to add a sour taste”.<\/p>\n
It said the ants were served between April 2021 and January 2025, with the restaurant selling the dish about 12,000 times.<\/p>\n
Lawyers for the restaurant said the ant-topped dessert was served only to customers who had consented in advance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“The ingredient in question was used as a small, optional garnish accompanying one course of a multi-course tasting menu,” the restaurant added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It was not sold as a standalone ‘ant dish’.”<\/p>\n
In tagged photos from the restaurant’s Instagram, ants can be seen served atop a sorbet.<\/p>\n
A photograph released by the ministry also showed a can labelled “Cuisine Black Ants” in a round tin.<\/p>\n
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The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety supplied photos of the ants allegedly used in the dishes.\u00a0 (Supplied: South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety)<\/p>\n
Restaurant says it ‘immediately’ stopped using ants<\/p>\n
The restaurant told the ABC the ants in question were imported through “official customs procedures” and “not prohibited from being imported”.<\/p>\n
“However, South Korea operates a positive-list system under which only ingredients specifically approved for commercial food-service use may be served in restaurants,” it said in its statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“The ingredient was not included on that list.<\/p>\n
“Restaurant Evett became aware of this specific regulatory requirement only after the matter arose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We recognise that our failure to identify and verify the requirement beforehand was a significant oversight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“The restaurant immediately stopped using the ingredient when the authorities commenced their investigation and has cooperated fully throughout the process.”<\/p>\n
It also said it had “strengthened our internal ingredient-review procedures”.<\/p>\n
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The ministry alleged the restaurant imported the ants from Thailand.\u00a0 (Supplied: South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety)<\/p>\n
It said separate administrative proceedings ended with a corrective order, which was fully complied with, and noted “no illness or injury” was reported.<\/p>\n
“As the court proceedings remain ongoing, we will refrain from commenting further on their substance until a judgment has been delivered,” it said.<\/p>\n
Chef starred in Netflix show<\/p>\n
Mr Lidgerwood is a Hobart-trained chef who was also featured in Netflix’s Korean reality cooking competition show Culinary Class Wars.<\/p>\n
He ran pop-up restaurants in 20 countries, including the US, UK, Nepal and South Africa.\u00a0<\/p>\n