The two-Michelin-starred Jungsik has long been one of New York City’s best Korean restaurants and a proving ground for outstanding chefs from JP Park to Eunji Lee. And now the team there is expanding its reach at Southeast Asian SEA, which opened Wednesday, Resy reported.

The more casual sister restaurant to Jungsik is the brainchild of Jungsik Yim, who has hired Jun Hee Park as the restaurant’s executive chef (Park is the former sous chef at Jungsik). Yim had originally signed the lease for the space in June 2019, but his SEA (which stands for Southeast Asia) ambitions had to be temporarily pushed back due to the pandemic. Now, however, he’s exploring the bigger flavors of Southeast Asia, from Singapore to Thailand to Vietnam and Laos.

Yim “was very open and humbly knew that since he is not Southeast Asian, it might be a shock for him to prepare Southeast Asian food,” Jean E. Lee, general manager and Yim’s translator, told Resy. “But he felt that this should not be an obstacle when you know how delicious food tastes.”

And the food here seems to be really delicious: Dishes across the menu are inspired by the entire region, like a pork noodle soup whose broth simmers for at least six hours; Park said it’s a nod to both Vietnamese pho and Malaysian bak kut teh. And the team has infused some classic New York dishes with Southeast Asian flavors, like the seafood platter, which reimagines the seafood tower: Oysters, yellowtail, spotted shrimp and scallops are accompanied by cocktail sauces infused with fish sauce and herbs.

Drinks are just as important, with a stripped-down cocktail menu that also features classics with Southeast Asian accents. The Dirty “Cha Yen,” for example, is a variation of the Old Fashioned with Thai iced tea and orange blossom water. Or there’s the Pink Coconut Punch with ube and handmade soju. A strong non-alcoholic program ranges from non-alcoholic cocktails to teas such as a lemongrass-ginger blend or grapefruit blossom green.

While the atmosphere is much calmer than Jungsik, with an a la carte menu and a colorful dining room, the team will eventually open the more upscale SEA Lab downstairs. There, you can gather around the 15-seat chef’s counter and enjoy a pure tasting menu.