The Good Shit Community

If you didn't already know, Seoul Salon on Willis St is spitting out some of the best Korean food in town — the kimchi fried rice is to die for, and poke bowl...heavenly.

With the GAG office being so close to their Willis Street location, it's not uncommon to see the whole team spending large on a heavy dose of Korean goodness for lunch. At the mere mention of the words 'Seoul Salon' the whole office is known to call it lunch, grab the phone and order up before they've even opened for service. (Sorry guys).

We got in touch with owner Heeyeon, to ask him 9 questions, so you - the GAG Gang get to know the Good Shit they're doing.

What has been the effect on your business post-lockdown last year and what is the biggest challenge you’ve faced during this current lockdown?

It was a bit of chaos in the beginning of post-lockdown. However we quickly adapted the contactless way of serving food, setting up the system etc. We kind of knew that it would happen again at anytime as long as Covid is out there. So current lockdown didn’t hurt much. We can’t change the situation so we are trying to look on the bright side.

What’s the biggest revelation you’ve had during these times?

This pandemic slowdown has been good for the planet.

Why did you choose Wellington to start your business/was it difficult to establish yourself as a business in Wellington? When we lived in Queenstown, one of our friends told us that Welly has the best craft beer/coffee in NZ mentioning Garage Project. Yes, we moved here for beer and coffee! At the time we were deciding where to move next and it was an easy decision after we heard so much about this little capital. Can’t go wrong with this city, it has a love for hospitality.

We started with a take away shop then realised that Wellington people were so open and supportive. They know how to preserve old culture as well as accepting new. I can say it wasn’t difficult to establish our business here in terms of introducing our food to welly people. It wasn't just about the money making.

Who are your inspirations/has this evolved over time?

‘Nature’. I am from the countryside and I used to play with wild flowers, trees, soil etc anything that you could get from nature. I also made rice cakes with wild flower that bloomed in spring time. So I guess it evolved naturally since I was a little one.

How can local people help your community/What can they do to support?

We received huge support since the post lockdown. Our customers bought vouchers through the SOS website to support us during that time. We had a baby just a day before the lockdown and we decided to focus on our baby rather than worrying too much about our business. One day, a lovely customer sent us an email telling us to join the SOS website so that they could buy vouchers for us. We were deeply touched by her email. Can’t thank her enough. The ‘Buy local’ movement is such a big gesture for small business.

What is your quintessential Wellington experience?

Café hopping and the Harbour side market.

What are the top 5 things you always keep in your kitchen?

Korean chili powder is a must! Soy sauce, Sesame oil, Good quality of salt, NZ Garlic

Home cooking easy Kimchi fried rice with bacon and a slice of cheddar cheese -2 servings

2 cups of rice-cooked and cold

1 ½ cup of Kimchi-Make sure it is sour enough. It gives more of Umami !

2 Rashers of bacon(Chopped) - you can use Canned tuna in oil (remove oil) instead

1 tbs – Sesame oil

1 tsp – Korean chili paste-Optional

2 tbs- any kind of oil to stir fry Kimchi and bacon

1 egg-Sunny side up

1 slice of cheddar cheese-Optional

Thankfully, with Wellington heading into Level 3 lockdown on Wednesday Septermber 1st, we'll be able to order Seoul Salon from Uber Eats, Menulog, or pick up. For more on Seoul Salon and how to get some good kai head to their instagram.