Jun Hwang

One of my favorite hobbies is eating, so I definitely travel the world to learn and eat great foods. Ok, I live to eat not eat to live.

Food

As a product person myself, I see many correlations between product management and the world of restaurants, from the entire experience to plating and the taste.

These are the places I’ve visited around the world!

Michelin-starred Restaurants

I love visiting Michelin-starred restaurants around the world, there are the ones I visited and my quick thoughts.

3 Stars

• Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau, Switzerland

• Geranium in Copenhagen, Denmark

• L’Effervescence in Tokyo, Japan

• Waterside Inn, in Bray, United Kingdom

• Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester in London, UK

• L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Hong Kong

• Enrico Bartolini al Mudec in Milan, Italy - visited in 2019 when 2 stars

2 Stars

• Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Terrytown, NY - is the best Michelin place in the US!

• JAAN in Singapore

• Restaurant Allen in Seoul, Korea

• Mingles in Seoul, Korea

• D.O.M. in Sao Paulo, Brazil

• Aquavit in NYC - the Arctic Bird’s Nest is what you go here for!

• Pujol in CDMX - visited in 2017 before they became a Michelin, go to the taco bar.

• Quintonil in CDMX - visited in 2017 before they became a Michelin, not worth going.

1 Star

• Pavillon in Zurich, Switzerland

• Lyle’s in London

• Comme Chez Soi in Brussels, Belgium (visited when they were 2 stars)

• MIKLA in Istanbul, Turkey - also visited before they got the 1 star in 2018. Always go for lamb here.

• Langouste in Belgrade, Serbia - visited in 2018 before they became 1 star.

• 7th Door in Seoul, Korea

• Shin Yeh in Taipei, Taiwan

• Shisen Hanten in Singapore

• Candlenut in Singapore

• Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong

• Le Pavillon in NYC

• Tuome in NYC

• Oiji Mi in NYC

• Sepia in Chicago

• Bosq in Aspen, CO

• Sud 777 in CDMX - visited before they got the 1 star in 2017

• Taquería El Califa de León in CDMX - not worth the visit.

• Kinoshita in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Non-Michelin Favorites

My non-Michelin faves.

Italy

• Dongiò in Milan

• Ratanà in Milan

• Erba Brusca in Milan

• Ginmi in Milan

• Trippa in Milan

• La vita è bella in Como

France

• Maison des Tanneurs in Strasbourg

• Maison Kammerzel in Strasbourg

• Les Haras de Strasbourg in Strasbourg

Rest of Europe

• Nüetnigenough in Brussels, Belgium - waited 2 hours in the rain and it was good!

• Ristorante La Cucina in Lucerne, Switzerland

• Whymper-Stube in Zermatt, Switzerland

• Breda in Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Restaurant Floreyn in Amsterdam

• 16th. Marits Eetkamer in Amsterdam

• Betty’s in Amsterdam

• Broeding in Munich, Germany

• 32nd. Sesamo in Barcelona, Spain

• Langouste in Belgrade, Serbia

• Enso in Belgrade, Serbia

• Lotiz Lounge & Hookah in Istanbul, Turkey

Singapore

• Les Amis

• Esquina

• Lucha Loco

• Burger Labo

• Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak

• Open Farm Community

South Korea (Seoul)

• STAY - used to be a 1-star Michelin place, still a favorite.

• Hanilkwan

• Vatos Urban Tacos Itaewon - one of the best tacos in the world outside Mexico and LA, no joke.

• Olh Eum

• Seoul Dining

• Paris Croissant - the mango/orange and Muscat shine tarts are to die for.

Colombia

• Leo in Bogota - Interesting concept (FYI no vegetarian/vegan options).

• El Chato in Bogota

• Pajares Salinas in Bogota

• Resturante Rio in Bogota

• Cacio & Pepe in Bogota

• Criterión in Bogota

• Castanyoles in Bogota

• CASA in Bogota

• Al Agua Patos in Bogota

• La Puerta Falsa in Bogota

• BACU - one of my favorite spots in Bogota! I go here for lunch most days.

• Carmen in Medellin

• Restaurante la Provincia in Medellin

• La Cevicheria in Cartegena

• Malagana Cafe & Bar in Cartegena

• Platillos Voladores in Cali

Mexico

• Máximo Bistrot in CDMX

• Nicos in CDMX

• Choza (on Monterrey 194 - this one is hard to find on Google Maps)

• Pascal in CDMX

• El Vilsito in CDMX - this place upon first glance might give you major sickness but is by far the greatest taco shake in the world.

Rest of Americas

• August in New Orleans

• Claro BK in Brooklyn

• WYLD in Bachelor Gulch, CO

• Ai Fiori in NYC - visited multiple times when they were 1 star.

• L'Industrie Pizzeria in Brooklyn - arguably the best pizza in NYC.

• Chapeau! in SF - this literally is my hidden gem in SF.

• Don Julio in Buenos Aires - the best steak house in the world. Just remember to take USD cash there.

I will eventually write a blog about my food adventures. I have several notebooks for each region (e.g., Europe, Asia, NA) and write down my experiences, notes, and thoughts about almost every restaurant experience.

So far out of all the experiences, to me these are what were memorable and stands out the most!

1. Schloss Schauenstein and Geranium (tied)

2. L’Effervescence and Waterside Inn (tied)

3. Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Aquavit (tied)

Coffee

My love for coffee started the day I landed in Bogota in early 2017. Over the years I’ve taken numerous courses (barista) and specialized in pour-over.

Currently, I use:

• Chemex (6 and 8 cups)

• Nucleus Paragon Pour Over Stand + Chilling Rocks

• Acaia Lunar scale, Hario V60 drip scale (travel)

• Stagg EKG Pro Studio Edition

• Baratza Forté™ BG , Baratza Encore (secondary)

These are my favorite places I source beans:

Colombia

• Café San Alberto, Bogota - I really like their Corazon Gesha

• Varietale, Bogota

• Xue Café, Bogota - I really like their Geisha coffee

• Colo Coffee, Bogota

• Libertario Coffee, Bogota

• Hija Mia, Medellin

• Pergamino, Medellin

• Urbania, Medellin

I think some of the best coffees come from Colombia!