To Hyang, A Bourdain & Zimmern Favorite, Gets the Boot

Despite its priceless public appearances on Anthony Bourdain's The Layover and Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods, the Richmond's To Hyang wasn't so lucky when it came to negotiating with its landlord. As Inside Scoop reports, the six-year-old Korean restaurant shut down on Thursday, after failing to reach an agreement to extend its lease for three more years. Jimi Liu, the daughter of chef-owner Hwa-Soon Im, tells Inside Scoop that her mother is "just heartbroken" at the loss of the space, where she earned acclaim for her numerous jars of scratch-made sauces, bean pastes, kimchi, fish sauce, and other delights. The jars are currently housed in the family's home as they figure out a next step for To Hyang.

Im wants to reopen To Hyang elsewhere in SF, and is seeking an approximately 1,000-square-foot space with room for her to continue growing her own herbs and vegetables, but the process will be complicated because the landlord issues didn't give the family time to sell the business, cutting off their access to capital, and because real-estate prices have skyrocketed. In the meantime, these clips of the restaurant's TV appearances are well worth a look as a reminder of To Hyang's unique contributions to the local culinary scene.

Anthony Bourdain and Chris Cosentino at To Hyang on The Layover (2012):

Andrew Zimmern at To Hyang on Bizarre Foods America (2013):

· To Hyang suddenly closes, saddening everyone [Inside Scoop]
· Who's On Anthony Bourdain's SF Episode Of The Layover [~ ESF ~]
· Unterman Calls To Hyang "Remarkable" [~ ESF ~]