Interview wtih Ms Mikyung Choi, the lady behind 8 steps.

I have known Ms Choi for about 3 years, and my mom has known her for more than 10 years. Ms Choi used to teach my mom and her friends home-cooked Italian food when such lessons were very rare. Then about 10 years later, the second generation Park woman (moi) attends her cookery class. Actually it is not really a cookery class, but more like a cooking show where ladies perch around the bar and watch Ms Choi cook, eat the food later and then go home with recipes in the bag. So you need to know your way around the kitchen to learn something out of this.

It is a relaxing experience, really. On a sunny day, you gather your friends -though in my case, I did not go with my friends. I was class-hopping in and out of various groups, probably to many people's annoyance.-at 8 Steps studio, perched on a high chair, watch Ms Choi cook while breathing in all the delicious smell. I just loved the food there, perhaps more than what I get in 8 Steps restaurant :p. But it is not just food but Ms Choi who made it even more enjoyable. She is a wonderful company to have around who shares anecdotes from her life but without being invasive or talkative. By the way, her talent is not just limited to cooking but to interior design, too. She lives in a sligthly modernized hanok which she built from scratch. I have never been there, but from what I saw in the magazine (she is a celeb in her own right. She was featured in many magazines), it is just so tastefully done.

8 steps is somewhere I go back over and over because it serves simple food that are not so easy to get by in Korea. I used to think that this is what I would eat at home and then relialized that my mom follows her cooking style. Silly me.
Anyways, I did a mini interview with her and this is what I got.

1. What is your most memorable food moment?

I was on a trip to Italy when my kids were still little. I was very tired and overwhelmed by all the travelling. Then I went to a fish restaurant on the Amalfi Coast. They served most amazing fried baby fish (they were illegal) which magically revived us all.

2. What would be your dream guest list for one of dinner+breakfast gatherings? Since we're talking dreams here, you can list both dead and alive, someone you have never met.

I don't like people who make me feel uncomfortable. I need to feel comfortable to be myself.
My dream guest will be my father who passed away. I would love to cook up a hearty meal for him.

3. Three essenail items/ingredients in your kitchem?

Knife, chopping board, pot / salt, pepper, oil

4. A dish you can whip any anytime in your kitchen?

If you are talking about Korean food, I can cook soup and jjigae (stew).
When it comes to Western food, pasta and a few antipasti.

5. What do you have for breakfast? (Or food that makes you feel good in the morning?)

I don't eat much for breakfast. A cup of coffee and boiled egg(s). I like having burtn toast (black!) topped with a slice of cheddar cheese and apricot jam. It makes me happy.

6. Pick three dishes you want to have for your last meal on earth.

Fish jorim (boiled in sauce) to be spooned up,
Swedish-style boiled cray fish (boiled with dill, salt and beer)
miyok-gook (soup made of brown sea weed also known as wakame)

7. Three restaurants to visit when in Seoul? (Including hawker stall)
Jeonwon (in Jangchoong Dong, Tel:02-2278-3096 )
Yongmine (Donamdong, clam soup, noodle)
Narisikdang (cheogukjang, fermented beans)

8. Food you are embarrassed to admit you like:
cheogukjang (fermented beans) with lots of fresh green chilies, bbundeghi (boiled chrysalis)

9. Favourite ice cream? : Yoghurt ice cream
10. Favourite chocolate?: Anything dark.
11. Favourite dessert? Mont Blanc

12. You wrote an Italian cookery book more than 10 years ago. Do you have any plan to publish another?
Someone offered to publish a book for me if I write. But I was not ready. (emotinally)
If the opportunity knocks on my door again, I will pour my heart in it and introduce more regional, simple, provincial food of Europe.

13. The best part of running a restaurant besides money? :P
Being a woman, running a restaurant is a tough job. However, it is great to work, meet various people, so it is great! I don't have time to be bored. A lot happens in my restaurant. It is like watching a play every day.

14. You have pastas but also some unfamiliar dishes on the menu that are new to Koreans in general. Why did you decide to include them on your menu?

There are many places in Korea that serve pasta. I want to introduce simple dishes I had in Europe. I like famous restaurants and well-known dishes, but I like plain, everyday food more. I hope to introduce more.