Chef Anh Sung-jae of Michelin-starred Mosu issues second public apology for wine mix-up

Anh Sung-jae, the chef and owner of Seoul's two-Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant Mosu, issued a second public apology after acknowledging that a sommelier served guests a less expensive wine than what was included with the menu and then lied to cover it up.

In a social media post uploaded on Wednesday, Anh said he reviewed CCTV footage of the incident and confirmed that the sommelier had mistakenly served Chateau Leoville-Barton 2005 vintage instead of the 2000 vintage that was part of the tasting menu. The two wines differ in price by over 100,000 won ($69). 

“I would like to once again sincerely apologize for the disappointment caused by the inadequate service that occurred at my restaurant, Mosu,” he said. 

According to the customer's account, which surfaced online last month, the sommelier poured the 2005 vintage without initially disclosing the error. After the customer noticed a difference in taste, they asked to photograph the bottle of wine. The sommelier then brought a bottle of the 2000 vintage instead, making the customer suspicious that the staff was aware of the mix-up. 

When the customer pressed for clarification, the sommelier claimed they had served the wrong wine because the 2000 vintage had been sold by the bottle to another person downstairs. The sommelier then offered to let the customer taste a small amount of the 2000 vintage, but otherwise did not apologize at the time, the customer alleged.

The customer ultimately agreed to the offer, but some online users speculated how they could have had a taste of the 2000 vintage if the bottle had already been sold to another guest, as the sommelier had claimed.

Anh clarified the details of the incident on Wednesday. 

“The two bottles were placed side by side in the second-floor [...] wine storage, and the sommelier mistakenly served the 2005 vintage,” Anh explained. “When the customer requested to take a photo, the 2000 vintage bottle was retrieved from that same second-floor area and brought to them.”

“It was at this point that the customer directly raised a concern about the wine,” he continued. “The sommelier, upon returning to the table, should have accurately explained the situation and apologized — even at that late stage. However, as they were flustered in the moment, they responded in a highly inappropriate manner by improvising a false claim that 'the 2000 vintage had been ordered as a full bottle [by another guest] and was being kept on the first floor,' among other statements that were entirely untrue.” 

According to Anh, the sommelier has been required to submit a written explanation as per company policy and has been removed from wine service duties.

“As the owner-chef who bears full responsibility for Mosu, I promise to manage the restaurant thoroughly and spare no effort to ensure that something like this does not happen again,” Anh said.

“Thanks to this incident, I will not forget [both] what the true essence of a restaurant and the right attitude for someone working in the food and beverage industry should be, as well as the need to have a sincere heart toward food and our guests — and I will remain true to my original intentions and humble and continue to strive forward.”

“My team members and I will continue to do our utmost,” he added.

Anh founded Mosu, a contemporary Korean fine dining restaurant, in San Francisco in 2015. The restaurant relocated to Hannam-dong in Yongsan District, central Seoul, in 2017 and was subsequently awarded three Michelin stars in the 2023 Michelin Guide for Seoul.

The restaurant temporarily closed in 2024 and reopened in March at a different location in the same neighborhood. It was awarded two Michelin stars in the latest Guide.

Mosu also has a branch in West Kowloon in Hong Kong.

Its dinner tasting menu is priced at around 420,000 won per person.

BY LEE JIAN [[email protected]]