In Korea, the year is traditionally divided not only into four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—but also into 24 solar terms. Even within autumn, the temperature and landscape change from early to late in the season, along with the fish, vegetables, and fruits at their peak.
Located in Sinsa-dong near Garosu-gil, MOOAA is an intimate 14-seat kaiseki restaurant that builds its menus around these 24 solar terms. Chef Moo-young Jung draws on his background in Japanese cuisine while incorporating seasonal Korean ingredients. Ingredients are sourced seasonally from both Korea and Japan, and as each solar term changes, so do the cooking methods, tableware, flowers and plants, and even the exhibitions presented in the space.
FOUR SEASONS AREN’T ENOUGH
Chef Moo-young Jung began his career in Japanese cuisine in 2011, working across a range of styles including sushi, traditional multi-course cuisine, teppanyaki, kappo, kaiseki, and washoku. Since 2019, he has been running MOOAA in Sinsa-dong, where he creates seasonal cuisine that combines the delicacy of traditional Japanese cooking with Korean ingredients at their seasonal best.
MOOAA builds its menus around the 24 solar terms rather than simply the four seasons to capture the subtle changes in ingredients throughout the year. Even between early and late autumn, the varieties and flavors of fish, vegetables, and fruits can change. As the season shifts, a dish once served cold may be served warm, while cooking methods and tableware also change accordingly.
Even within a single solar term, the menu is not fixed. Depending on the condition of the ingredients and when they are at their best, one or two dishes in the course may change approximately every seven to ten days. This means that even a return visit during the same solar term may bring something different to the table.
WHAT BAEKRO TASTES LIKE
MOOAA’s current menu is inspired by Baekro (白露), one of Korea’s 24 solar terms. Baekro marks the time when the summer heat begins to fade and the first signs of autumn become more noticeable. At MOOAA, the season is reflected in ingredients such as crab, Spanish mackerel, fresh figs, newly harvested chestnuts, and mushrooms.
One of the featured dishes pairs seasonal male crab with spaghetti squash. Sweet crab meat is served over silky egg tofu with vinegar jelly and myoga, alongside strands of spaghetti squash lightly seasoned with dashi.
Another highlight is hassun (八寸), a signature part of MOOAA’s kaiseki course that expresses the season through a selection of small dishes. The current Baekro hassun includes hairtail wrapped around mushrooms and fried, octopus and kabocha squash served with an octopus-dashi ankake, and mackerel bozushi accompanied by gamtae seaweed. The presentation brings together the dishes with handcrafted tableware, art objects, seasonal flowers, and grasses.
Another featured dish is grilled autumn Spanish mackerel. The seasonal fish is served with a miso-based sauce and crisp fried sweet potato, while fresh fig and fried new-season chestnut are paired with a tofu paste. Together, the dish brings several ingredients at their early-autumn peak onto a single plate.
DINNER, WITH AN EXHIBITION
Step inside MOOAA and you’ll find more than food and tableware around its open counter. Flowers, objects, and artworks are woven into the space, which also serves as a small exhibition venue featuring a new artist approximately every two months.
The current exhibition, Craft Archive Chapter 28, features Choi Seok-jae’s Afterimages of Order and Circulation. Rather than serving simply as decoration, the artworks become part of the dining space alongside tableware, flowers, and objects that change with the season.
Ultimately, MOOAA’s approach to the 24 solar terms is about showing what is in season right now through both food and space. For travelers curious about how Korea’s seasons and seasonal ingredients find their way onto the table, it offers a different perspective on kaiseki in Seoul. English explanations of the dishes and their seasonal context are also available.
Exploring Garosu-gil while you’re in the neighborhood? Check out our Garosu-gil shopping guide for fashion, beauty, and more places worth discovering nearby.
MOOAA
2F, 33 Nonhyeon-ro 151-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Seasonal Kaiseki Lunch KRW 85,000
Seasonal Kaiseki Dinner KRW 125,000
Hours 12:00–21:30 / Reservations required; seating times vary by course
Instagram @mooaa.kr
Reservations CatchTable MOOAA