Spaces, textures, and quiet moments that shaped the week.
I’m writing this from Seoul — we just arrived for the summer. These seasonal visits have become a rhythm for us over the past four years, a kind of quiet migration that marks time as much as the changing weather. During the academic year, Hoon is anchored in teaching, so summer offers a welcomed shift: space to pause, to reconnect, to step closer to our roots — both personal and professional.
For Superegg, it’s also the most natural time to focus on what’s ahead. With our products manufactured here, Seoul holds a practical pull as well as an emotional one. Meetings with partners feel smoother, conversations more grounded. There’s a sense of alignment that comes from working in the same city where so much of the brand is brought to life.
But before this new season unfolds fully, I wanted to take a moment to look back. The past two weeks in New York held their own quiet meanings, a series of places and moments that felt like small markers before transition.
Porter House at Sunset
One evening, I found myself at Porter House Bar and Grill in Columbus Circle — a timeless steakhouse with sweeping views of Central Park. We arrived early enough to catch the sky shifting just before sunset, the park below stretched out like a soft tapestry of green. The meal itself was classic and celebratory: prime cuts, simple sides, flavors that carried weight without excess. But what lingered was the view — that reminder of how the city can sometimes still surprise you with beauty, even in the most familiar corners.
Cherry Blossoms in Brooklyn
A quieter day brought us to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. We live close by, though somehow visits remain rare, which makes each one feel special. The cherry blossoms had just reached peak bloom, and walking through the garden felt like stepping into a held breath. Crowds gathered, of course, but the energy was light, almost reverent. It reminded me that timing — in nature, and in life — is everything. Some seasons arrive loudly, others softly. This one was both.
A Midday Pause on Bond Street
With our Superegg Japan team in town, we had lunch at Gjelina on Bond Street. The space carried that worn-in, textural elegance that makes conversation flow easily, the kind of backdrop that feels both lived-in and intentional. We shared plates, passed pizzas across the table, and let work blur into something slower, warmer. A reminder that some of the best collaborations are shaped not only in meetings but also in meals.
New Discoveries
In the rhythm of these weeks, there were also moments of discovery: brunch at COQODAQ, where fried chicken met Champagne with an unexpected elegance; a girls’ night at Nowon, all laughter and kimchi fried rice; and an early dinner at Huso, where twelve courses unfolded like chapters of a quiet story. Each one was different in tone, but all carried the same thread — that food, at its best, is never just about sustenance, but about memory, presence, and the spaces it creates for connection.
Now, as I sit here in Seoul, I feel the shift. The air carries a different texture, the light falls differently. There’s work ahead, of course — meetings, planning, creation — but there’s also rest in knowing this city holds both our beginnings and our present.
Looking back on New York feels like pressing pause before the next chapter. A reminder that the in-between — those weeks that don’t announce themselves as milestones — can still shape us quietly, deeply.
And now, here, in Seoul, another season begins.
