Chef Suah Ahn
Hwanggeumtae, a specialty restaurant dedicated to dried pollack (hwangtae), officially opens its doors on October 9 at the former Haemaru space on 8th Street. During its soft opening period starting September 16, its rich broth—made by simmering beef bone broth for 48 hours with hwangtae—drew enthusiastic word-of-mouth and a steady stream of diners.
Leading the kitchen is Chef Suah Ahn. She spent eight years as the executive chef at ‘Jeongyukjeom,’ a renowned Koreatown restaurant that earned a spot on the LA Michelin Guide for six consecutive years.
This marks the Michelin-starred chef’s very first venture under her own name. Choosing hwangtae—an unfamiliar ingredient—as her signature menu item reflects a bold strategic move. Notably, ‘Jeongyukjeom,’ where she spent eight years, built its stellar reputation on Hanwoo beef and meat dishes.
Chef Ahn shared, “If I were to open my own restaurant, I wanted to introduce authentic Korean cuisine. Rather than familiar menus, I wanted to present a deep flavor that might be unfamiliar at first, but captivating once tasted.” She added, “Hwangtae has exceptionally high protein content among fish, making it the perfect ingredient for my first restaurant.” Thus, Hwanggeumtae was born.
Chef Ahn’s culinary journey officially began in 2008 when she graduated from the culinary school Le Cordon Bleu. After gaining experience at the Mexican restaurant ‘La Huasteca,’ she served as the executive chef at Jeongyukjeom for eight years, six of which saw the restaurant featured in the Michelin Guide.
The identity of Hwanggeumtae begins, true to its name, with ‘hwangtae.’ Made by repeatedly freezing and thawing pollack throughout the winter, hwangtae is characterized by its uniquely chewy texture and deep flavor. All hwangtae used at Hwanggeumtae is directly sourced from Korea.
The signature dish is hwangtae soup (hwangtaeguk). Beef bones are simmered diligently for 48 hours, and hwangtae is added to the broth to simmer once more. Chef Ahn stated, “The core is to let the unique deep flavor of hwangtae meet the rich taste of the bone broth, and I wanted to give diners a sense of being truly well-cared for after a single bowl.”
Building upon the hwangtae soup, the menu expands to include hwangtae soft tofu stew, hwangtae dumpling soup, and hwangtae seaweed soup. The chef’s personal touch extends beyond hwangtae to items such as chickpea pancakes made by grinding chickpeas, savory shrimp pancakes, and boiled pork belly (bossam) served with a special soybean paste seasoning.
Chef Ahn places particular dedication on the ‘seasonal hot pot’ (jecheol jeongol).
Every month, she selects the ingredients that are in season to compose the hot pot. As the seasons change, the ingredients and flavors of the hot pot change accordingly.
“Even if you visit the same restaurant, you can taste different hot pots every season. I wanted to bring the season onto the dining table.”
From the main dishes down to every single side dish, Chef Ahn oversees everything personally.
Three weeks have passed since the soft opening, and numerous customers have already visited. Chef Ahn still stands in the kitchen every day, personally greeting guests and checking the concentration of the 48-hour beef bone broth.
Eight years of handling meat, experiences accumulated in a kitchen featured in the Michelin Guide, and dreams of Korean cuisine nurtured while preparing for independence—Chef Ahn’s deep and rich culinary contemplation is captured in a single bowl of hwangtaeguk.
Address: 3498 W 8th St., Los Angeles CA 90005
Inquiries: (213)315-5085
