Save & Follow
Following on from their firstborn restaurant Atoboy, Junghyun Park and Ellia Park’s second New York restaurant Atomix has been recognised with a second Michelin star for its forward-looking, design approach to Korean cuisine.
Atomix serves a new innovative Korean cuisine at the chef’s counter, with a ten-course tasting menu. The restaurant is divided into the Lounge Bar and a 14-sear Chef’s Counter. Chic design and a razor-sharp aesthetic make for a cool and sophisticated atmosphere.
Junghyun Park and Ellia Park - Photo Evan Sung
There is attention paid to every detail, from the individually designed graphic cards that explain each dish to the collection of unique and artisan chopsticks with which to eat. The effect is of a very clear vision of what husband and wife team Junghyun and Ellia are trying to achieve, yet for them and their team, Atomix is a work in progress.
“Despite the many amazing achievements we have been humbled by, we are still taking baby steps,” he told Fine Dining Lovers.
Photo Diane Kang
“We are experiencing many new things as a team and as a restaurant, and it is important to actively seek ways to continually learn so that we can further develop. I believe that we are still in the process of defining what the Atomix style is; the current expressions we are producing are still representative of the process. Whether it's in design or cooking, I believe it's all a process.”
Chef Junghyun is well travelled. Born in Gumi, South Korea, Park left Korea after studying culinary science he worked in London (The Ledbury), Melbourne (Cutler & Co.), before returning to Seoul to work at Korean fine dining restaurant Jingsik before heading to New York to serve as chef de cuisine at their TriBeCa location, which also holds two Michelin stars. After great acclaim there, Junghyun along with his wife Ellia decided to set up their own restaurant, first with Atoboy and then Atomix.
Photo Diane Kang
“I think the life lesson that I've come to learn for myself from travelling to many places and meeting many diverse characters and ways of living, is that there is no correct way to live and there is no secret or code to decipher,” said Junghyun.
Photo Evan Sung
“Life is what you make of it and what you work towards defining it as. As such, I think that the cuisines that are represented at Atoboy and Atomix are hard to categorize in a specific way. Rather, it's an ever-evolving meditation on Korean cuisine in the context of contemporary culture, defined by me and our team. It's not a process to find the answer; it's a process of studying, of learning, of hoping and trying to be a better version of myself, a better chef, and a better restaurant. I think travelling and seeing the world has shaped this way of thinking.
