Photos by Veronica Spann

Life as a vegan or vegetarian on Jeju is not a grim one, but it usually means making and eating dinner before you actually go out to dinner or packing a pocket gimbap to secretly munch on while your friends enjoy their barbeque.

If you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or just someone who is looking for a colorful, flavorful meal that will knock your socks off, Little Kitchen in Jungsangandong-ro, Jochon-eup, won’t disappoint.

A woman with a friendly smile invited us into a small, single-room stone building next to her home after we were greeted by her dogs, Haesbich (sunshine) and Byeol (star.)

The whole restaurant consisted of two tables and a small bar up against the tiny one-woman kitchen space.

Photos by Veronica Spann

As she was decorating our appetizer with edible flowers, the restaurant owner and chef explained to us that she has been a vegan for six years and has been running this small restaurant out of her home for four years.

She cooks everything herself using plants from her garden and plenty of fresh fruit.

When she brought out the dishes, the table was bursting with color; bright colored flowers topped beds of vibrant greens and neatly displayed fruit. It was the most colorful meal I have ever seen.

The care and intentionality the chef puts into the aesthetics of each dish is overwhelmingly evident.

You won’t be served piles of food, but rather edible works of art.

Photos by Veronica Spann

We didn’t order an appetizer but she brought us neat little stacks of apple slices, tomato, and kiwi smothered in a black sesame sauce topped with dandelions and small blue flowers.

These are all flavors I would never think of putting together, but the taste was much subtler than expected and definitely delicious.

Photos by Veronica Spann

We ordered the bean steak and the mushroom salad as mains and they were prepared to perfection.

As someone who does not get excited about imitation meat, I was shocked at how delicious the bean steak was.

It had a substantial meaty, even tender, texture and was smothered in a sweet and savory apple butter sauce.

It was the kind of dish that you don’t eat all at once because you want to make sure your last bite of the meal is that flavor.

Photos by Veronica Spann

The mushroom salad comes on a long dish, laid out instead of tossed together.

She mixes many different greens from her garden that give the salad a more complex taste than most.

Some greens had a nice bite to them and others were more mild. After the meal, you have a choice of tea or coffee to accompany your complimentary dessert.

We left feeling full and refreshed. This restaurant prepares delicious, artistic meals that you can feel good about eating.