Michael Jong Lim

Michael Jong Lim works in New York City kitchens where rice, tuna, scallion, citrus and toasted furikake form the basis of a disciplined approach to Japanese-inflected seafood. As Executive Chef of Chikarashi Isso in New York City, he interprets kappo-style cuisine. As Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Chikarashi, he has built chef-driven poké bowls that combine Japanese chirashi and Hawaiian poke with a clear emphasis on proportion, restraint and exact preparation.

At Chikarashi, the bowl is treated as a finished composition rather than a customizable template. Lim does not allow substitutions. Whole tuna is sliced in house, sauces are made from scratch, rice is seasoned with care, scallions are cut uniformly, citrus is grated fresh, and furikake is toasted in house and made from scratch. The result is a bowl shaped by the kitchen’s own balance of fish and rice, sauce and heat, garnish and fat.

The work depends on precision more than ornament, and on trust in the chef’s arrangement from first bite to last. That same attention to pacing and sequence carries into Chikarashi Isso, where kappo-style cooking gives Lim another format for shaping texture and rhythm. The seasonal tasting menu there includes yellowtail, wagyu beef with wasabi crème, tempura, uni risotto and other dishes. Across both kitchens, his practice is defined by careful handling of ingredients and a strong sense of order.

Slicing, seasoning, grating, toasting and saucing become the essential actions of the work. Before these New York City roles, Lim was chef de cuisine at Neta in New York City in 2012. Earlier, he was part of the management team for the opening of Aureole in 2007. He also worked at Aldea and at Masa BarMasa. These positions map a path of kitchen experience across named venues and opening-team discipline, leading to his later responsibilities at Chikarashi and Chikarashi Isso.

Chikarashi’s clearest expression is its chef-driven poké bowl, a fixed form that reflects Lim’s preference for composition over customization. The kitchen’s handling of ingredients gives the bowl its character: fish sliced in house, sauces made from scratch, rice seasoned carefully, scallions cut evenly, citrus grated fresh, and furikake toasted in house. Alongside that savory format, the menu also includes a take on Dole Whip, a pineapple ice cream associated with Disney.

At Chikarashi Isso, the named dishes point to a broader range, but the same principle remains in place. The kitchen works through control, restraint and confidence in the structure the chef has designed.