i. Biography
Executive Chef Kim Jin-hyuk leads Alla Prima in Seoul, South Korea. His cooking moves across Japanese, French, Italian, molecular, and creative registers, with definition coming from sauce work, texture, and controlled shifts in tone rather than a single national frame.
Formation
Contemporary fine dining at the restaurant is organized through precision and range, with the Executive Chef keeping the kitchen’s cross-disciplinary language disciplined rather than diffuse.
Current Practice
The current work moves between Japanese, French, Italian, and molecular influences. In his hands, those references are held together by sauces, texture, and unexpected combinations that give the plate its structure. The restaurant’s creative language is not reducible to one cuisine. Its signature is in the handling: broad enough to be called boundary-less fine dining, specific enough to register in dishes such as the Carnaroli preparation with barley shrimp, chestnuts, matsutake mushrooms, and truffles.
Signature
Signature dishes include Carnaroli dish with barley shrimp.
Peer Recognition
Recognition for the work at Alla Prima includes Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, #61 for Alla Prima (2025), 2 MICHELIN Stars for Alla Prima (2020), 2 MICHELIN Stars for Alla Prima (2019), and 1 MICHELIN Star for Alla Prima (2017).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Kim
What recognition has Kim Jin-hyuk received?
Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, #61 for Alla Prima (2025).
What is Kim Jin-hyuk known for?
Japanese cuisine.
