OKitchen 3, or OK3 as it is nicknamed, is the third in a line of beloved restaurants from owner and chef Yonaguni Susumu, who has become a local celebrity in his own right. At age 22, enamored of John Lennon, he left Japan for England, where he happened to get a job washing dishes at a French restaurant. From there, he fell in love with the kitchen, eventually working at a French restaurant in New York City, where he met his Korean wife and opened his own restaurant. As a restaurateur here in Seoul, he is more teacher and father figure than owner, encouraging his chefs to experiment with recipes and branch out on their own.
At OK3, the bones of the menu are solidly Italian. Susumu-san’s chef spent two years in Italy, and they have both a salami aging room and a steak aging room on-site. Creativity is encouraged and fresh, local Korean ingredients are incorporated in unique ways. In fact, Susumu-san brings in fresh herbs and vegetables from his own farm. All of this comes at very reasonable prices, making it one of the best deals on upscale dining in the city.