Joo Won

Coming Up

Joo Won’s work at Calong in Stoke Newington shows the value of measured progression: kitchens that demand precision, then a move toward service that reads more relaxed without losing control. Earlier, Joo Won was head chef at Galvin at Windows in London, a role that sits squarely in the line of exacting restaurant cooking, where timing, rhythm and discipline are part of the daily craft. By 2021, that training had settled into a clearer authorship. Joo Won has been chef and owner of Calong since 2021, pairing technical control with a lighter, more informal mode of hospitality.

Where They Are Now

The restaurant’s positioning is plain: Calong in Stoke Newington, London, which Joo Won has described as a Korean restaurant on Stoke Newington church street. That direct description matches the approach behind it — no excess, no overstatement, just food and service that favour clarity and efficiency. Joo Won has said, “Now I am more into casual dining (still cooking with style) using excellent ingredients but with a more informal and efficient approach to it.” The line sets out the working terms of the kitchen: style kept intact, formality reduced, ingredients kept central. Joo Won’s approach at Calong is built around pace, generosity and control, with the restaurant’s identity carried equally by the food and by the way it is served.

Signature

Joo Won’s signature dishes are fried chicken, kim-chi fritters, and Galbi JJIm. Read together, they point to a menu built on contrast: crispness against richness, quick satisfaction against deeper comfort. Fried chicken gives directness; kim-chi fritters bring brightness and texture; Galbi JJIm brings the slower, more substantial register that rounds the list out.

In Their Words “I am chef and owner of Korean restaurant Calong at Stoke Newington church street.”