Meet

Esu Lee

TasteBreaker

The chef who created JIP & Orson, turning Korean home cooking into its own language

Q&A

Born in South Korea, Esu Lee left home at 18 to study at Le Cordon Bleu in Sydney, before working in kitchens across Australia and Hong Kong. In Paris, he opened C.A.M. Import Export, his first restaurant, where a bold, cross-cultural approach quickly made its mark. Seeking a new perspective, he later spent months learning temple cooking from Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan in Korea. Today, those experiences continue to shape his cooking today. Now at his restaurants in Paris, JIP and Orson, where curiosity, tradition and creative freedom come together.

A person with long dark hair and tattooed arms pours steaming liquid from a ladle into a bowl.

Semaine: What’s important to you right now?

E.L: Learning how to be myself.

Semaine: If you were an object, what would you be and why?

E.L: A tree with lots of little branches, reaching in different directions. That’s how I feel.

Semaine: Describe your taste in one word.

E.L: Acidity. It adds another layer.

Semaine: Where would you like to be right now, and why?

E.L: Paris, I want to feel more connected to the city with different views.

Gallery

Two people work behind a counter in a dimly lit restaurant kitchen, one wearing a purple beanie and another an apron.

Two men in long coats holding a red Michelin 2026 award plaque.

Black and white photo of a chef with tattooed arms plating food in a kitchen.

A hand holds a nutmeg over a patterned placemat with other nutmegs and a bell pepper nearby.

A desk with a laptop on a stand, a vase of yellow tulips, and other items, by a window showing trees and buildings.

A bald chef in a blue scarf looks into a small bowl, while a tattooed person in an apron holds a bottle and gestures towards it.

Person in a blue apron peeling red and white radicchio leaves.

Travel

People wait to enter a Korean restaurant with a large sign, a blue awning, and menu pictures on the wall.

What to order: Gomtang — Korean Beef Soup "An old-school gomtang restaurant. The first place I visit whenever I’m back in Korea. It’s like my own little totem, the spinning top from Inception. A place that makes me feel I’ve truly arrived back in Korea."

Aeseong Hoegwan (애성회관)

Seoul, South Korea

23 Namdaemun-ro 5-gil, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea

A plate of steamed dumplings with dipping sauce and soup.

What to order: Kongguksu — Soybean Noodles & Mandu — Korean Dumplings "Rich, creamy soybean broth, noodles and dumplings. Having lunch surrounded by busy office workers in Yeouido feels strangely romantic to me. Maybe because it’s a life I’ve never lived."

Jinjujip (진주집)

Seoul, South Korea

South Korea, Seoul, Yeongdeungpo District, Gukjegeumyung-ro 6-gil, 33 지하 1층

A person in a pink shirt and orange apron carries a tray with three bowls of noodle soup topped with seaweed and green onions.

What to order: Kalguksu — Korean Knife-Cut Noodle Soup "They cut the noodles by hand as the orders come in. A little earthenware jar filled with kimchi is placed on the table without much fuss. Somehow, this place connects the past with the present."

Chanyangjip (찬양집)

Seoul, South Korea

5 Donhwamun-ro 11da-gil, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea

Front view of a bustling Korean restaurant called "Anju Maeul," with a rustic wooden sign and people dining inside.

What to order: Any Seafood "My Favourite Seafood Spot. Love the atmosphere, the incredibly fresh ingredients, and everything about this place. A place very close to my heart."

Anju Maeul (안주마을)

Seoul, South Korea

3 Jahamun-ro 1-gil, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea

A bright cafe in a traditional wooden building, featuring a large tree growing through a central open-air courtyard.

What to order: Samgyetang — Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup "A place I’ve been coming to for years. Whenever I’m feeling exhausted or running low on energy, this is where I go to feel alive again."

Tosokchon (토속촌)

Seoul, South Korea

5 Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea

Facade of a brick Korean restaurant called 'Bugeogukjip' (Dried Pollock Soup House), established in 1968.

What to order: Bugeokuk — Dried Pollack Soup "Such a clean, refreshing broth. Probably the best hangover cure I know."

Mugyodong Bugeokukjip (무교동 북어국집)

Seoul, South Korea

38 Eulji-ro 1-gil, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea

Bustling Korean street at night, with many people dining and drinking at outdoor tables and stools.

What to order: Beer! "My Favourite Beer Spot. Vibe, vibe, vibe. Nothing beats this place in summer. Cold beer, outside on the street. That’s all you need"

Manseon Hof (만선호프)

Seoul, South Korea

19 Eulji-ro 13-gil, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea

"My Favourite Fine-Dining Restaurant in Korea. Every visit brings a new kind of surprise, always in the best possible way. I never leave without feeling inspired."

Onjium (온지음)

Seoul, South Korea

South Korea, Seoul, Jongno District, Hyoja-ro, 49 4층

Learn

A hand holds a skewer of spiral-cut orange potato chips.

Esu’s Everyday Korean Potatoes

Shop

Blue Apron | Metro Professional, Metro Professional

Sweet Potato | Naturalia

Korean Grape Juice Drink | Haitai Bong Bong

Stainless Steel Frying Pan Set | Mauviel1830 M’COOK, Mauviel 1830

Templestay in Korea: Meditation, Tea & Temple Food Stay

JAXON Watercolour Wax Pastels Set of 36 | Honsell, JAXON

Premium Koshihikari Rice 5kg | Yumenishiki, Yumenishiki

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Esu Lee

The chef who created JIP & Orson, turning Korean home cooking into its own language

Q&A

Gallery