Cozy Chinatown Restaurant Blends Traditional Korean Flavors with Rule-Breaking Innovation

A Hidden Gem in Chinatown

• 📍 Tucked away on Division Street in Chinatown, Sunn's is a discreet restaurant that offers an intimate dining experience, making patrons feel like they are guests in the chef's home.
• 🏠 The restaurant's ambiance and some of its decor, like the rice cooker used growing up, evoke a traditional feel.

Unconventional Korean Cuisine

• 🌶️ Chef and owner Sunny Lee serves a menu that breaks traditional Korean food rules, incorporating unconventional flavors and ingredients.
• 🍲 Dishes like kimchi stew with baby corn and zucchini braised with gochujang highlight Lee's desire for more heat and spice, moving beyond the typical balance of sweetness in Korean cuisine.
• 🥢 Lee is inspired by the chili heat found in Sichuan food, aiming to redefine the norms of Korean cooking.

Culinary Inspiration from a Father

• 👨‍👧 Sunny Lee's culinary approach is heavily influenced by her traditional father, who taught her the importance of breaking rules.
• 🍚 Her father's influence is evident, as he used to pan-fry rice cakes for her when she was a child.
• 🗣️ While her father is her most critical reviewer, he continues to challenge her to redefine culinary norms, mirroring the evolving neighborhood around the restaurant.