The Chinese character “Ga,” which serves as the logo for restaurant MUN, means “home.” The symbol perfectly describes the new dining concept and culinary highlight for Munich. In Haidhausen, close to the heart of the city, Mun Kim receives guests in his comfortable “living room” which combines the feeling of being a guest in his private home with fine cuisine. His tasting menus reflect the culinary career of the Korean-American chef. He draws inspiration from traditional Asian cuisine of his mother, his work as a sushi chef and many successful years as a top restaurateur in Argentina.

The restaurant has a 50-seat salon as well as a lounge that serves sushi with specially matched wines and cocktails. Diners enjoy a culinary adventure around the world with Mun’s 4- and 6-course menus. Guests enjoy his unique interpretation of everything from sushi variations to dim sum, flamed octopus to Korean rib eye steaks. Traditional Asian cuisine combines with Kim’s western influences. “I was introduced to Chef Mun’s cuisine in Mendoza, Argentina and was ‘blown away’ with his attention to artistry, detail and ability to “fuse” the cultures of the East and West into a modern cuisine. He has the ability to create new, unique culinary creations and pair them perfectly with wines. I’m delighted that Mun is now in Munich,” said his Munich-born business partner Eric Dolatre.

Personality in a Very Special Environment
Whomever visits Restaurant MUN enters a world apart. The restaurant dispensed with classical Oriental decor and yet appear hints of Asia: The bar works like a long pathway through a Japanese forest with golden arches before entering the “garden”. Guests dine in the restaurant as in the open air with lanterns between the guest and the main house. Natural elements such as bark, moss and wood create, in conjunction with gold and slate elements, a unique and luxurious environment of silence. “In collaboration with Mun Kim, we created an abstract Asian home. Stylistic devices of Japanese, Korean and Chinese mysticism and architecture fill the restaurant with life and invite the guest at the same time to dream and enjoy,” explains the designer of the restaurant, Marcus Scheinpflug of “Format Works.” “It was our goal to provide an environment for his kitchen and give rise to masterful artistry of Mun Kim, who supports his culinary roots and his handling of tradition and modernity perfectly.”

Design by Marcus Scheinpflug / Format Works
Photography: Restaurant Pictures & Food Format Works / Bar pictures by David Koplin

About Mun Kim
Born in Seoul, Kim Mun came as a teenager to Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. After completion of his studies in International Economics and a subsequent 20-year career as a corporate banker on Wall Street and in Los Angeles, he followed his love for cooking. He mastered the craft of sushi in Los Angeles with Iron Chef Makoto Okuwa of Starr Restaurants. In 2010, he opened with his business partner Cary Gilbert, Casa Mun, the most sought after “Supper Club” in Buenos Aires (see the New York Times report). As a result, he opened his second restaurant in Casarena Winery in Mendoza. During this time, he developed his expertise and passion for pairing wine with Asian flavors – particularly when it comes to sushi and Pinot Noir (see article Wine Enthusiast).

About MUN Restaurant
MUN restaurant is a joint venture of Mun Kim, Cary Gilbert and brothers Daniel and Eric Dolatre – with the vision of a modern Asian dining concept in Munich. Daniel Dolatre has more than 35 years of experience in the hotel and catering sector and worked for 10 years as a general manager in the major international hotel chain “Hyatt”. His brother Eric Dolatre is co-founder of the well-known e-mail service “GMX” and today is an internet entrepreneur and business angel in the technology sector. Cary Gilbert is a lawyer, having spent many years in senior positions at “Yahoo! Inc.