Mino han

The Honours

Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025 gives ALT.a, in Seoul, South Korea, a clear public measure. The point is not a one-off mention but two consecutive years attached to the same kitchen led by Mino han, which places consistency at the center of the record. In trade terms, the repetition says the standard held. Bib Gourmand recognition sits with the restaurant rather than apart from it. For han, the honour marks the space where executive responsibility and daily cooking meet, and it shows that the kitchen’s identity has been read and accepted across successive years.

The Craft

The cooking at ALT.a is Vegan Korean-Chinese fusion. That is the working brief: Korean-Chinese reference, vegan form, and the discipline of making the result readable on the plate. In Mino han’s approach, quality is not left as an abstract claim; it has to land clearly enough for the guest to understand what has been made. “I strive for high quality, but how do I make the customers best understand this? To what extent can they tell?” That question sets the standard as something that must be perceived, not just intended. The work has to carry its own evidence into the dining room. “Pleasing them is not the end game, but they are part of the ecosystem.” The line keeps the balance plain. Guests matter, but they do not replace the kitchen’s internal measure; they are one part of the system the chef has to work through. At ALT Pasta Bar in Melbourne, Australia, Mino han is described as using traditional Italian pasta experience while creating his own alternative style. It is a separate setting, but the same practical concern is visible: technique is being used as a means of shaping an individual outcome.

The Career

Born in Korea, Mino han now works as Executive Chef at ALT.a in Seoul, South Korea. That role carries the restaurant’s 2024 and 2025 Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition with it, and it places him in direct charge of the kitchen’s direction. The title is straightforward: Executive Chef leading a restaurant whose identity is already fixed in the market by its repeated recognition. At ALT Pasta Bar in Melbourne, Australia, the brief is different but still precise: traditional Italian pasta experience, used to create an alternative style. The two posts give a narrow but useful view of his range, with one rooted in Vegan Korean-Chinese fusion and the other framed through pasta technique. “I would probably be a bookstore owner, with some German pastry in the corner and good cafe lattes.” It reads as a side note, but it matches the same attention to setting, form, and how people encounter what is offered.

Signature

Mino's signature dishes include Jjajangmyeon, Mapo Tofu, Jjamppong, and Tangsuyuk.

In Their Words “I most enjoy being in the kitchen and do the dishes, but one has to do the business side of things too. How to reconcile?” “I strive for high quality, but how do I make the customers best understand this? To what extent can they tell?”