In the quiet heart of Los Angeles, Restaurant Ki has emerged as a revelation-a ten-seat sanctuary where fire, memory, and heritage collide. At its helm is Chef Ki Kim, the winner of the Michelin Young Chef Award 2025. In the same breath, his restaurant earned its first Michelin star-an extraordinary feat for a space that had only just opened its doors. But this success was not built overnight; it is the culmination of years in the crucible of world-class kitchens like Atomix, Jungsik, and Benu, and even more importantly, a personal journey through burnout, reflection, and rebirth.
The cuisine at Ki is both deeply Korean and boldly unbound. Dishes unfold like poetry written in flavor-shirako gimbap with black truffle and kimchi rice, or grilled lettuce ice cream laced with caviar and Cheongju crème. Each course feels intimate, almost confessional, as if the chef is sharing not just technique, but truth. What could easily be labeled "Modern Korean" transcends category: it is a language all its own, where tradition is a rhythm, and invention, the melody.
This restaurant mark more than individual recognition-they signal the rise of a new kind of culinary storytelling in California. Chef Ki's food doesn't ask to be admired; it demands to be felt. With Restaurant Ki, he hasn't just opened a restaurant—he's opened a new chapter. And in this chapter, Korean identity is not fixed or nostalgic. It's alive. It's daring.
