Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Three years ago, the entire south wall of Munsok So’s building on Laclede’s Landing collapsed, prompting a decision: Take the insurance money and walk away, or reinvest in the uncertain property. He took the plunge. Located just north of the recently overhauled Arch grounds, the renovated five-story restaurant and event space is being called the “gateway to the Landing.”
Four years ago, you were just opening the Drunken Fish at Ballpark Village. How’s that going? I see Ballpark Village progressing the same way as the Power & Light District in Kansas City. When it first opened, there were stories of how it adversely affected nearby businesses… Westport was slow, River Market was hurting, Crossroads was suffering. Ten years later, those areas are thriving. Two big, residential towers have gone up downtown around Power & Light, and two more are planned. Ballpark Village, especially with the new phase, is following the same path. Even though Fish’s business has slowed due to all the construction, it’s all positive looking forward. Drunken Fish in Kansas City is thriving. Thriving. So much that I want to open the second Kimchi Guys there.
Will you ever do more Drunken Fish locations, in St. Louis or elsewhere? We have three here and one in Kansas City. Once we get Kimchi Guys rolling, our next task will be to revamp the hot side of the menu at Fish. The plan is to consult with local chefs to present modern, inspired, fresh takes on Japanese fusion, but keep it a blank slate and not be confined by any rules. I look forward to the collaboration and getting other chefs involved.
What happened to Howl at the Moon, your neighbor at Ballpark Village? Its replacement, Shark Bar, is a Cordish Co. concept with longevity; Howl was an outside concept. The one in Power & Light has been there 10 years. I think a beach-themed bar will attract more people than a piano bar.
Discuss the history of the Cutlery Building, the building you bought on the Landing. It was built in 1882, when the city was booming. It was later bought by Henry Shaw, who used it for cutlery manufacturing. More recently, Kennedy’s was on the ground floor, which became Bar St. Louis. In 2006, we bought the building —my first—and converted that into Drunken Fish and a nightclub on the lower level called excess, spelled XES.
Talk about the day the wall collapsed. Our building, the Cutlery Building, was feet from the Eads Bridge and immediately next to the MetroLink stop. Drunken Fish was on the first floor. Our offices were on the fourth and I normally would work through lunch. In August 2015, I left to grab lunch with a friend who just happened to stop by, and within 20 minutes I got a call that the south wall of the building had collapsed. The chair that was left dangling in the air was the one I used in the conference room.
What caused the collapse? The forensic engineers never determined the exact cause but I was pretty sure I knew: when the parking garage was being demolished next door, we could feel the vibrations, in the building, all the time. There was construction on the MetroLink right outside at the same time. It was a 130-year-old building. Go figure.
What happened next? I had several options: Take the insurance proceeds and run, moderately reinvest in the building and rebuild Drunken Fish, or completely re-concept and put in businesses that would better complement the neighborhood. That option required a sizable investment and was by far the most difficult choice. It was also the most exciting and made the most sense.
Weren’t buildings on the Landing having a difficult time? True, there wasn’t much activity. Businesses were slowly disappearing. We always felt like we were on the back end of the street. But when the Arch garage came down, we suddenly became the front door, with clear access to and from the new Arch grounds. Whether or not there was to be any new development on the Landing, we were in the perfect spot.
How did you see the scenario unfolding? I felt that any new development would take place from our building to the north, and luckily that’s pretty much what happened. The Peper Lofts, the first residential project on the Landing, is under construction. The Greeley and Hoffman buildings are under contract, also slated to be residential. Lucas Street is likely to be extended to the Landing, further improving access.
Did anyone question your decision? It was like the movie Airplane!, with John Clark [president of Laclede’s Landing Community Improvement District] and his people saying they 'were all counting on me,' hoping I would be successful. Sometimes you just have to take chances.
What’s the state of downtown St. Louis at present? One of the most disappointing things about living here is not being able to brag about our downtown area, but that is slowly changing. Downtown is slowly coming around, increasing in both value and popularity, led by a lot of new, higher-end residential buildings and the renovation of the Arch grounds. I still don’t understand why we don’t do more to build up what’s happening on the river. Why does St. Louis not want to do that?
What businesses were selected for the renovated building? The Landing desperately needed a breakfast and specialty coffee place to accommodate tourists and the neighborhood. Miss Java will offer Liège-style Belgian waffles with various toppings, as well as muffins, scones, and pastries, with light deli sandwiches for lunch. Kimchi Guys will provide a lunch-and-dinner option on the same main floor. Above that are three floors of offices, including our corporate office. And on the fifth floor is a new event venue with an amazing view of the river and grounds.
What did you know about event catering? All I knew for sure was that we would turn down event parties at Fish all the time…150, 200 people… We didn’t have the space but the demand was there. As soon as we announced what we were doing, the calls came in. We now have over 50 events booked, from weddings and rehearsal dinners to corporate and charity events, bar mitzvahs, and a 70th birthday party for 300 people.
And the building has several different event spaces. It’s called 612North, and there are three distinct looks. On the lower level will be ARC, with 225 seats, for private and corporate events. It’s in the old nightclub space, so it can even be set up for a band or DJ. On the first floor will be KOR, 150 seats, located directly behind Kimchi Guys. KOR has an outdoor patio between the building and the bridge. My goal is for it to look like a smaller version of Scape’s courtyard, but we have the arches of the Eads Bridge above ours. Just outside, the Great Rivers Greenway plans to convert a half acre of land into the Katherine Ward Burg Garden. On the fifth floor is VUE, which has big south-facing windows and can handle 325 seated and more for cocktails and passed apps. VUE is ready now. I’m phasing the rest in slowly so no one gets overwhelmed.
Can you build a corner deck off the VUE space, overlooking the river and Arch grounds? I hope. No other building has this vantage point. It would be the best outdoor space in the city.
Are there approved caterers or are you the sole caterer? We are the primary caterer, but our primary goal is pleasing the customer, so we’ll see where that leads us. We want to be involved as much as we can possibly be.
Talk about running an event venue. Not that it’s an easy business, but compared to restaurants, it’s practically a no-brainer. You know the exact number of people you’re dealing with, there’s little waste, weather doesn’t factor in, and you get paid partially in advance. It would be hard to start an event business cold, but it’s an easy transition for a restaurant guy like me who has an established clientele.
Talk about Kimchi Guys. We chose the name because it’s different and to educate. A lot of people still don’t know what kimchi is, so they’ll investigate. It’s basically a fast-casual menu of Korean dishes, like bibimbap and bulgogi bowls, plus fusion dishes like “takos” and “kuesadillas.” The stars of the menu are the Korean barbecue and Korean fried chicken—a dozen items in all.
What makes Korean fried chicken different? American servicemen introduced fried chicken to Korea during the war, and the Korean people made it their own with different brines, unusual sauces—and it’s uniquely double-fried at two different temperatures. It’s also dredged in a starch batter—potato starch, cornstarch—rather than flour, so it’s lighter and crispier. It should be the most popular item on the menu. In Korea, there are chicken shacks on every corner, but there’s nothing like it here. This will be the first of its kind to open in my hometown of St. Louis.
What kinds of beer will you serve? Local beers and Korean beers, just to get the full effect.
How many different types of kimchi will be offered? The traditional one, with fermented Napa cabbage, of course, one made with different kinds of radishes, and one made with cucumber.
Why do a Korean restaurant on the Landing? First, I’m Korean. I wanted to be the first to bring something different to St. Louis and to do a concept that I could connect with. My background aside, Korean cuisine and Korean ingredients and spices are trending everywhere.
What’s the main thing people should know about your project? This wasn’t just me spending a few hundred thousand dollars to open a restaurant; this was a big investment for me. I knew that if I committed to this, I’d be committing to the building, to the concept, to the neighborhood, and to the city. It’s an all-in deal.
