'What you eat is what you are'

GoSang excludes artificial ingredients from all dishes

Song Soo-mi, owner of GoSang

By Bahk Eun-ji

Song Soo-mi runs a Korea temple cuisine restaurant named GoSang at Mirae Asset Center 1 building in central Seoul.

Song says she has been trying to live up to the name GoSang which means graceful or elegant in Korean by offering top quality food.

The restaurant serves strictly vegetarian dishes, but does not use typical Korean ingredients such as garlic, spring onions and chives.

“Those ingredients are not used in temple food, although garlic and spring onions are used in almost all Korean food,” Song said.

Following the principle of temple food recipes, GoSang does not use any artificial flavor enhancers.

“I keep telling my employees to prepare food as if their family will eat it,” Song said.

She prioritizes maintaining the quality of ingredients as it represents her philosophy of food.

Song explained what drove her to open the restaurant, recalling the hard times she spent with her child who suffered from atopic dermatitis.

“I paid tremendous attention to the preparation of food for my child, as there is no cure for the skin condition,” she said.

Song noted the experience led her to open the restaurant.

“I believe what you eat is what you are. When you eat mild, healthy food, you will feel comfortable because the dish is easy to digest,” Song said.

She said that’s why she doesn’t use any artificial ingredients as well as some ingredients that have a strong odor.

“Some people think the taste from the first bite of our food could be a little unfamiliar especially for those who are accustomed to artificial flavors,” Song said. “These customers, however, come back to our restaurant for the pleasant experience of healthy food.”

She used to be a figurative artist before she got married. The experience as an artist has been helpful for her unique style of planning and decorating the menu.

“Traditional cooks usually come up with the idea of new dishes while they are cooking, but I draw a picture of a dish and imagine what it tastes like. Elegant decoration of a dish is as important as the taste,” Song said.

The food of GoSang is captivating a growing number of gourmets, but she has no plan yet to open another branch.

“I have to take care of the whole system of the restaurant from purchasing ingredients to managing employees in order to keep the quality of food. I think I can ill-afford to handle another GoSang,” Song said.