Meet Chef Chung Jae Lee – turning Australian tastebuds upside down with his version of Korean food

By Narelle | June 22, 2023

The All Access Asia team loves to eat, and we love to eat Korean food most of all!

We recently caught up with Korean/Australian Chef Chung Jae Lee for a chat about his background, his food journey and why he loves Australia!

Chef Chung Jae has a penchant for taking traditional Korean food and turning it on it’s head in a very Australian way. He developed a love of food from a very early age with his parents owning restaurants, bars and grocery stores in South Korea where Chung Jae was born.

Let’s have a chat with Chung Jae and learn some more about him.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with All Access Asia today.  Could we start off with you telling us a little about yourself?

My name is Chung Jae Lee. I was born in Seoul, South Korea, Mapo near the the Hangang River to be exact. I moved to Sydney Australia in 1994 and then moved to Adelaide where I’m now based with my family.

What drew you to Australia in the first place?

I was in Korea studying Physical Education – I was teaching volleyball, judo, taekwondo, sports of that nature with 13-14 classes with 50 students in each class. It was the same thing over and over day in and day out, it just got very repetitive. I was looking for a creative outlet.

It was about this time that I told my parents that I wanted to go overseas. When I told my mother that I wanted to become a pilot, she laughed at me. I persisted with my goal of wanting to move overseas, but was undecided about whether I should go to the United States or Australia. I did some more research and found some images of Bondi Beach in Sydney – I saw images of women in bikinis and I was sold.

I arrived into Sydney on a Qantas flight not speaking any English. I filled in the custom’s form on the plane, but as I didn’t understand it, I was stuck in quarantine for a little while. Once I was free, I headed straight to Bondi Beach, but I didn’t find any women in bikinis and thought I’d made a big mistake. I then set about studying English for a year in Sydney, but I didn’t learn much as I was having too much fun socialising.

I made the decision to move to Adelaide, South Australia, where I got stuck into learning English and becoming a pilot. I managed to get a private licence to fly.

At this time I was still playing Judo and I went to a national competition on Hamilton Island in Queensland, I came in 3rd. I was subsequently selected to represent Australia at the Olympics in Judo.

You were already a successful Judo player and pilot, why did you become a chef?

I found out early on that learning cooking is not really following anyone. My parents had a small beef bone marrow soup restaurant back in the 70s. I was born in the kitchen right next to a heater. Growing up in that environment, made me not want to be a chef. My parents worked so hard that I rarely saw them. I spent my childhood playing judo and cooking at the restaurant in my spare time to help the family. I became a chef because it was easier than playing judo. I had discipline instilled in me because of playing judo, and I think you need discipline to be a chef.

I have quite a good palate and a great sense of smell. I can remember the taste of a dish and then make it from memory.

How would you describe your food journey?

Some people come to me and ask for advice about food. I always tell them that they have to study the history of the culture of Australia and the different states to understand what they like and dislike. You can’t be successful if you don’t do your homework. I started out making authentic Korean food in the same style as my mum’s with a small restaurant and limited menu. After 1.5 years I felt that it wasn’t working and I wasn’t getting anywhere. I then developed my vision and some goals, I studied more and did some experimentation with food to get feedback. I analysed why successful restaurants are successful.

How do you describe your food style?

I try to use local food and ingredients. It can be difficult to source Korean ingredients locally, so I go to local markets and utilise Vietnamese and Thai ingredients into my Korean recipes. If you want to eat fresh food, you don’t have to spend a lot of money.

How was your Korean-style of food received initially by the Australian market? And, why Adelaide and Darwin for your restaurants and not Sydney or Melbourne?

I originally wanted to start with a big restaurant, so I took over a 300 square metre Korean fusion-style restaurant. It was not very successful, I went ahead and changed everything including the food style. That lead me to being named Best Chef of 2013 and I also won Best Restaurant for a few years. It was a huge honour and I started to understand that people believed in me. After working in that restaurant for 11years, we decided to sell the restaurant and I took my family back to Korea for a little while. When we came back we decided to start over and we moved to Darwin where I took on a role as Executive Chef in a hotel. It wasn’t really for me, so I quit the job and opened my restaurant, Little Miss Korea in Darwin.

Do you think the Australian palate has changed over the years? 

Customers who come to our restaurant in Darwin tend to be more adventurous. I think that’s because of their close proximity to Asia, and the people are so multicultural. The rest of Australia has become more multicultural as well, and dining habits have changed along with that. The customers at my restaurants used to be mostly Asian, but when I modernised the menu and took a bit more of a fusion approach to my food, the diners have now become 70-80% western. I’m always experimenting with tastes and textures.

Do you think Korean food is the ‘it’ food of the moment, or is it just that food choices and availability of ingredients is becoming better?

Social media is playing a big part in helping the promotion of Korean food. K-Dramas have also had an impact – people see the food and then want to eat it – they always make me hungry. Korean food is becoming more acceptable and is slowly working its way into people’s minds.

What’s your favourite Korean recipe/food?

One of my favourites is Galbi Jjim, or Korean Braised Short Ribs. It’s usually made with beef ribs, or a mixture of beef and pork. It’s a real celebration food usually served at birthdays and weddings. It’s a labour and time intensive dish, but well worth it in my opinion.

What about your family?  How much do they love Korean food?

My family loves Korean food. My children have grown up with it. When my parents visit Australia they love to go out and eat and experience everything. My mum particularly loves Australian wine.

You’ve recently released a DIY Kimchi Kit. Who is the target market for that?

The target market for the Kimchi Kit is anyone really. Before we released it, we talked to lots of people and did research. The kit is very close to the traditional Korean-style, however, people can also take it and make the Kimchi however they want to.

Will there be more products in your range in the future?  I read that you’re working on a range of Korean homewares, when can we expect to see those?

We’re working on a range of homewares at the moment. My wife is helping me with that. I love shopping for everything – well except for women’s clothes, so the homewares feel like a nice addition.

The homewares will make great housewarming gifts, or just for every day use. When I was a kid, housewarming gifts were things like toilet tissue or washing detergent – I feel like we’ve moved on from that a little.

Who/What is your biggest inspiration when it comes to creating food?

My wife is my biggest inspiration. When I’m in the kitchen creating new recipes, or just making food, she and my children give me feedback. I’ve learned something from all the chefs I’ve worked with.

If you could pick any chef to collaborate with, who would it be and why?

I’d really love to work with Cheong Liew again. We did a collaboration once before at my restaurant Mapo. He’s a great chef and an amazing person. I’m actually open to any collaborations that come my way – so hit me up!

What are your plans for the next 12months?

I’m looking forward to taking on some new challenges. I’m going to finish setting up the restaurant in Darwin and then explore some other exciting options.

Thank you for taking the time to talk with us today. We’re really excited to see what happens next in your food journey.

If you’d like to know more about Chef Chung Jae Lee, his restaurants, or his amazing food, make sure you go visit his website at: https://chungjaelee.com.au/

What’s your favourite Korean food? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written and edited by Narelle