A Taste Adventure — A Journey Through the Senses

At the dining showroom Level Zero, using tableware upcycled from discarded eggshells, plastic, or glass, and cooking with homegrown herbs and imperfect vegetables, is nothing out of the ordinary. Here, zero waste isn’t a choice — it’s the default.

Interviewer Parc Jinmyoung
Interviewee Danny Han (Head Chef, Level Zero)

Walking along a bustling main road, I turned into a quiet residential alley behind Yongsan Station in Seoul. I was on my way to Level Zero, a dining showroom. I stopped in front of a building painted in a soft grayish pink. Pushing open the glass door, I followed stepping stones that seemed to lead into a mysterious world of gastronomy. There was a garden with a glass ceiling above, and a table set at its center. Opening yet another door leading further inside revealed a long bar table and open kitchen.
Level Zero proposes an expanded culinary experience through a distinctive concept: guests move between different spaces within the restaurant as they enjoy a course meal. For instance, bites shaped to resemble natural materials are hidden in the garden — a process the restaurant calls ‘plating’ — and guests are given scissors and baskets to gather and eat the food themselves. The dining course at Level Zero feels almost like a performance. Every ingredient used here, every dish designed to awaken the senses, and every vessel that reaches the guest carries its own hidden meaning rooted in zero waste.

Could you briefly introduce Level Zero?
Level Zero is a dining restaurant built around a showroom concept. We set a theme each season and compose our menu around it, collaborating with an artist who fits that season’s title. Much like a fashion brand’s showroom, it’s a space where you can experience cuisine, space, and art that all align with the current season.

When I first heard the name Level Zero, I immediately thought of zero waste.
A lot of people think that. But actually, the name comes straight from the literal meaning of ‘ground level.’ It represents the special culinary experience found at ground level — it captures the direction we’re aiming for.

I knew the back alleys of Yongsan Station were becoming trendy, but this is the first dining restaurant I’ve seen here. Was there a particular reason you chose to settle in this neighborhood?
Dining restaurants tend to cluster around areas like Cheongdam or Jongno. I wanted to run this kind of restaurant somewhere different, and I happened to come across this spot, so I opened here.

What led you to pursue sustainable dining and zero waste?
I think it came naturally from the ten years I spent working as a chef in Australia. Over there, it becomes second nature for anyone who cooks to practice zero waste. I always thought that if I ever opened my own restaurant, I’d want to promote sustainable dining. People usually assume a zero-waste restaurant means composting food waste to create a full resource cycle, but honestly, it’s hard for us to set up that kind of system right now. Our space is small and located among houses, so we also have to think about food waste odors. So if you ask, ‘then how exactly do you practice zero waste?’ — all I can say is that we try our best within what’s possible. Beyond minimizing food waste, we try to weave the philosophy of zero waste into our menu and our collaborations with artists, so that it naturally comes through in how we present the space and the food.

What ingredients does Level Zero mainly use?
Since wild seafood populations are rapidly declining, we use farmed ingredients instead. Among fish farms, we source seafood from those certified for eco-friendly practices or water quality management. We also make sure to use every part of shellfish without waste, along with beef and duck raised on organic pastures, and whiteleg shrimp farmed using eco-friendly biofloc technology. Some dishes use native Korean rice varieties like heukgaeng (a black heirloom rice). Protecting native ingredients that grow on this land feels like a chef’s calling.

Would it be fair to describe the food at Level Zero as fusion Korean cuisine?
We probably use more native Korean ingredients than most traditional Korean set-menu restaurants. But I’d say what we do is closer to contemporary cuisine than Korean food.

I heard the theme changes each season. What theme are you preparing for this summer?
This summer’s theme is rain. We designed the experience so that guests can recall their own memories and feelings tied to rain. You’ll also enjoy discovering works created in collaboration with various artists scattered throughout the space. We installed an indoor pond inspired by the image of somewhere deep in a forest, an object made while recalling memories of picking fruit from trees, and tableware that captures the spirit of mountains, fields, and the sea.

How did you get started in cooking?
I was working in coffee on a working holiday visa in Australia, and as my visa expiration date approached, I started cooking. One day, I suddenly found it fascinating how ingredients could be transformed into entirely new flavors. So I wanted to experience working in an Australian restaurant kitchen. I applied to a job posting for a dishwashing position, but the head chef mistakenly thought I’d applied as a cook and asked if I had cooking experience. At first I said I didn’t, but later, wanting so badly to get into the kitchen, I boldly claimed I knew how to cook (laughs). That very day, I bought about 3 million won worth of cooking tools and started working at the restaurant. That’s how I ended up staying in Australia for ten years.

Is there anything about Australian food culture that stands out as notably different from Korea’s?
In Australia, conversations around sustainability began quite a long time ago. Most cafés and restaurants operate with an eco-conscious mindset. For example, at Attica, the fine dining restaurant where I worked right before leaving Australia, they use local ingredients to create dishes that feel distinctly Australian. Attica places great importance on regionalism rooted in nature, building its menu around ingredients traditionally eaten by Indigenous Australians. They pick herbs from a garden on one side of the restaurant, and gather seaweed or sea spinach from the shore, recreating the hunting and gathering practices of the past. I think I learned a lot there about how to tell a story through my own culinary philosophy. These days, more and more places in Korea are pursuing sustainable dining, but we still have a long way to go.

What’s the most memorable dish you created at Attica?
I once made a wrapped-vegetable dish using native Australian ingredients grown in Attica’s garden. The flavors felt familiar, but the act of wrapping food in leaves felt distinctly Korean, and it got a great response from the locals. Through experiences like this, Attica taught me how to convey personal experience through food while still highlighting the natural flavor of the ingredients. Running Level Zero now, I find myself recalling those memories often.

Is the indoor garden at Level Zero also part of that experience?
I always wanted to include a garden, even a small one, whenever I opened a restaurant. It has the practical benefit of letting us grow simple ingredients ourselves, but it also becomes a space where guests can actively participate in the culinary experience. I believe fine dining isn’t just about sitting in a chair and eating what’s placed in front of you — it’s about an experience that satisfies all the senses. Of course, the food needs to taste good at its core, but honestly, I prefer when the taste itself divides opinion. If all ten guests dining at Level Zero say they loved the taste, I’d consider that a failure. That would mean it was too mainstream.

Why don’t you want to make food that suits everyone’s palate?
During a dining course that lasts anywhere from two to three hours, I want people to experience the most distinctive flavors possible in that moment — not food that anyone could taste anywhere. In everyday life, we rarely get the chance to reflect through taste or recall certain memories through it. I hope people can have that kind of experience at Level Zero.

I'm curious how you get inspiration for flavors.
My uncle lives in a house he built at the foot of a mountain. Thanks to that, whenever I visit the countryside, I get a real chance to detox. I love wild greens and namul (seasoned vegetable dishes) quite a bit. When I'm eating them, I just enjoy them without thinking too much, but I think I'm being influenced by them in ways I'm not even fully aware of. I also love going to see all kinds of exhibitions, regardless of genre.

Lastly, what future does Level Zero dream of?
I think sustainable dining involves much more than just zero waste — there are so many different practices you can incorporate. For now, until this neighborhood undergoes redevelopment, I want to keep doing what we're doing now: taking on creative dishes with a wide range of ingredients and offering a special dining experience. Later, when we move to a larger space, I'd like to build a fully realized zero-waste restaurant, one equipped with a system to compost food waste as well.
Even among chefs, everyone has their own role to play. I cook flavors that leave behind extraordinary moments, and I want to keep being that kind of chef going forward. I hope that through Level Zero, people can feel the joy of awakening new senses in the midst of a mundane, everyday life.