{"id":545404,"date":"2026-07-17T02:59:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T02:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/545404\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T02:59:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T02:59:21","slug":"chef-jungsik-yim-opens-muje-an-8-course-tasting-menu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/545404\/","title":{"rendered":"Chef Jungsik Yim opens M\u016aJE, an 8-course tasting menu"},"content":{"rendered":"

When a chef already has New York\u2019s only three-Michelin-star Korean restaurant<\/a>, the next decision becomes either to chase that success with another space or try something new. Chef Jungsik Yim chose the latter.<\/p>\n

The chef behind the acclaimed Jungsik<\/a> has officially opened M\u016aJE<\/a> in Chelsea, a 66-seat fine dining restaurant that expands beyond Korean cuisine to explore flavors and techniques from across Asia. Located at 151 West 30th Street, the new restaurant serves an eight-course tasting menu for $150, a comparatively\u00a0reasonable\u00a0price point in the worlds of Manhattan dining and tasting-menu restaurants.<\/p>\n

Pronounced \u201cmoo-jeh,\u201d M\u016aJE translates to \u201cuntitled\u201d or \u201cwithout definition,\u201d reflecting Yim\u2019s goal of creating a restaurant\u00a0untethered to any one country\u2019s culinary traditions.<\/p>\n

\"M\u016aJE\"
\nPhotograph: Alexander SteinM\u016aJE <\/p>\n

\u201cM\u016aJE is about creation without boundaries,\u201d Yim said in a statement. \u201cRather than defining the experience through one cuisine or tradition, we wanted to create a space that evolves continuously\u2014shaped by ideas, seasonality, collaboration, and the perspectives of the team and our guests.\u201d<\/p>\n

That philosophy plays out with early highlights from executive chef and Jungsik alum Daeik Kim, including yellowtail dressed with gooseberry, pickled tomato and coconut gel\u00e9e; a chicken wing stuffed with spiced pork and dusted with Korean \u201cPrinkle\u201d seasoning; and a reinterpretation of kongguksu, Korea\u2019s cold soybean noodle dish, enriched with pork lard, bottarga, mentaiko and cured egg yolk.<\/p>\n

The centerpiece is a charcoal-grilled short rib course served with four different wraps inspired by cuisines from across Asia, while dessert ends with the whimsical Merlion, a coconut mousse and espresso creation inspired by Singapore\u2019s iconic half-lion, half-fish statue.<\/p>\n

\"M\u016aJE\"
\nPhotograph: Alexander SteinMerlion at M\u016aJE <\/p>\n

The beverage program\u00a0is likewise sans borders. A $115 wine pairing features bottles from Austria, Alsace, Chablis, California and Chile, while cocktails pull inspiration from across Asia, including the Midnight in Samui, a butterfly pea-infused rum drink.<\/p>\n

\"M\u016aJE\"
\nPhotograph: Alexander SteinM\u016aJE <\/p>\n

The restaurant\u2019s design, by Two Point Zero, leans into warm woods, terracotta, charcoal granite and soft lighting rather than overt cultural references. The result is a serene dining room with walnut millwork, silk wallcoverings and lantern-inspired lighting that feels contemporary without relying on clich\u00e9s.<\/p>\n

Reservations are currently available through Tock<\/a> from 5:30 to 8:30pm, Thursdays through Mondays. Given Yim\u2019s track record\u2014Jungsik became the first Korean restaurant in the United States to earn three Michelin stars in 2024\u2014don\u2019t expect tables to stay open for long. If M\u016aJE lives up to its ambitious premise, it\u00a0will likely\u00a0become one of New York\u2019s most sought-after reservations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When a chef already has New York\u2019s only three-Michelin-star Korean restaurant, the next decision becomes either to chase…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":545405,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[38789,146,85,46,92180,189],"class_list":["post-545404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-categories-restaurants","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-news-eating","tag-restaurants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/545405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}