Dining · Japanese · Busan
Mori
A Japan-trained Korean chef and his Japanese wife serve kaiseki built on Busan's own coast, for nine guests a night.
A Korean chef, a Japanese house
Mori is a small kaiseki restaurant in Haeundae, Busan, run by a couple: chef Kim Wan-gyu, who studied cooking in Japan, and his Japanese wife, who looks after the service. The pair came back to Korea during the pandemic.
Kim had planned to open in his hometown of Changwon but chose Haeundae instead. The restaurant is on the third floor of a commercial building on Gunam-ro, with a counter and seats for only nine guests a night.
Kaiseki from the Busan coast
The format is Japanese, but the larder is local. Michelin describes authentic kaiseki built on Busan’s fresh seafood and seasonal produce, and course meals with a strong sense of balance and rhythm; Vogue Korea calls it Busan-style kaiseki, drawing on the region’s sea, mountains and fields. The tableware and settings change with each season.
The dishes follow the calendar. Dishes in Vogue Korea’s 2025 feature included wild abalone with somen noodles and fern, grilled hairtail with bamboo shoots, and a summer somen with sweet corn and sea urchin roe served with grilled sweetfish.
Mori holds one star in the 2026 Michelin Guide South Korea.
Sources: Michelin Guide; Vogue Korea
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