Chef Anh Sung-jae, who runs Michelin 2-star restaurant Mosu Seoul, offered an explanation and apology regarding last month's controversy over switching wines.
On the 6th, Anh Sung-jae posted a long message on his social account saying, "I once again sincerely apologize for causing disappointment due to inadequate service at my establishment, Mosu. In particular, I deeply apologize again to the customers who may have felt great disappointment in me because of this incident."
He explained the specific circumstances, saying, "All matters that occurred at Mosu are rightly my responsibility. However, because misunderstandings that differ from the facts seem to be spreading, I thought it my duty to write this to explain in detail how this happened."
Anh Sung-jae said, "The sommelier in charge of the table mistakenly served Chateau Leoville Barton 2005 vintage instead of Chateau Leoville Barton 2000 vintage and also described it as 2005. After finishing the wine explanation, the staff member realized the incorrect serving but, before notifying the customer, the customer requested a photo of the wine label. At that moment the staff made the wrong judgment that the photo should show the correct vintage. Common sense dictated that the customer should have been informed of the situation first, but instead the staff showed a 2000 vintage bottle different from the wine actually served," he said.
He admitted, "The apology was insufficient and the remark was also inappropriate," regarding the sommelier's failure to properly explain the situation and apologize. He added, "Afterwards, the situation was only partially reported to the manager in charge of hall service, and the manager instructed that it be confirmed whether the 2000 vintage wine had been provided again and that dessert wine be additionally offered. The hall service team judged that the matter was closed with this, and I was reported on April 21, two days after the incident."
He continued, "Even if I did not recognize the problem during the service on April 18, that cannot be an excuse. Looking back, from the occurrence of the mistake to the response, none of the processes were appropriate, and considering the service customers expected from Mosu, the disappointment would have been greater," and he said, "Regarding the sommelier, we had him submit a written statement according to company regulations and removed him from the position of sommelier responsible for customers' wines going forward."
He bowed his head and said, "As the owner-chef who takes full responsibility for Mosu, I promise to manage thoroughly and make every effort to prevent a recurrence of this kind of incident. We will take this incident as an opportunity to remember the essence of the restaurant, the proper attitude as food-service workers, and a sincere heart toward food and customers, keep our original resolve, and strive more humbly. My team and I will do our best with sincere effort. Once again, I sincerely apologize for the disappointment caused by me and Mosu."
Meanwhile, on the 21st a post titled "I was a victim of vintage switching of Chateau Leoville Barton at Mosu (MOSU Seoul)" was uploaded to a Naver cafe and sparked controversy. The author, identified as a person surnamed A, wrote that on the 18th they visited Mosu Seoul, operated by Chef Anh Sung-jae, with acquaintances and dined with the wine pairing offered by the restaurant, but during the course a situation occurred in which Chateau Leoville Barton Saint-Julien 2000 vintage was not served and a 2005 vintage was served instead. Unaware of this, the person surnamed A requested a bottle label verification photo, and at that time the sommelier brought a 2000 vintage bottle after switching it. Only then did the person surnamed A realize the wine had been served incorrectly and raised the issue, and the sommelier reportedly said, "The 2000 vintage bottle had been taken down to the first floor," and "We will let you taste the 2000 vintage as well."
Afterward, criticism poured in that a sommelier at a Michelin 2-star fine-dining restaurant had made the mistake of serving the wrong wine with a price difference of 100,000 won and that the sommelier in charge did not offer a proper apology. In response, Mosu Seoul apologized on its official social media on the 23rd, saying, "Accurate guidance was not provided during the wine pairing service process, and we failed to give sufficient explanation in subsequent responses, causing disappointment to customers, and we sincerely apologize." The person surnamed A also posted an additional message saying they received a separate apology from Mosu, and the situation was tentatively resolved.
Below is the full statement from Anh Sung-jae.
I am Anh Sung-jae.
I once again sincerely apologize for causing disappointment due to inadequate service at my establishment, Mosu. In particular, I deeply apologize again to the customers who may have felt great disappointment in me because of this incident.
All matters that occurred at Mosu are rightly my responsibility. However, because misunderstandings that differ from the facts seem to be spreading, I thought it my duty to write this to explain in detail how this happened.
On April 18, this is what was confirmed through internal CCTV about staff movements and wine service methods. Please understand that this may be a somewhat long message out of necessity.
There were four guests at the table, and among the two options in the wine pairing, one person ordered seven glasses and three people ordered four glasses. The wines paired with the premium Korean beef course differed: the seven-glass pairing should have been Domaine du Collier, La Charpentrie Rouge 2014, and the four-glass pairing should have been Chateau Leoville Barton, Saint-Julien 2000.
However, the sommelier in charge of the table mistakenly served Chateau Leoville Barton 2005 vintage instead of Chateau Leoville Barton 2000 vintage and also described it as 2005. After finishing the wine explanation, the staff member realized the incorrect serving but, before notifying the customer, the customer requested a photo of the wine label. At that moment the staff made the wrong judgment that the photo should show the correct vintage. Common sense dictated that the customer should have been informed of the situation first, but instead the staff showed a 2000 vintage bottle different from the wine actually served.
For reference, that day the Chateau Leoville Barton 2000 vintage was stored in the second-floor backside wine area for pairing, and the 2005 vintage was also kept in the backside so it could be ordered by the glass. This area is used by the sommelier to check temperature and condition just before serving wine, and it is divided between the first and second floors. Because the two bottles were side by side in the second-floor backside wine area at the time, the sommelier initially mistakenly provided the 2005 vintage, and when the customer requested a photo, the 2000 vintage bottle was brought from that second-floor area.
After showing the 2000 bottle for the photo, the sommelier left to inform his superior, the deputy manager, of the situation. Meanwhile, the premium Korean beef dish was served, and food was provided to the customers without the issue having been resolved. At that time the customer directly raised the problem about the wine.
The sommelier who returned to the table should have explained the situation accurately and apologized then, but flustered, he made highly inappropriate impromptu remarks that were entirely different from the facts, saying things such as "the 2000 vintage wine was ordered by the bottle and was on the first floor." It was clearly untrue and inappropriate.
Even when the 2000 vintage wine was poured again, the sommelier, without fully recognizing the seriousness of the situation, made a remark along the lines of, "Since you are studying wine, I hope you could compare the 2000 and 2005 vintages because of my mistake." Again, accurate explanation of the situation and a sincere apology should have come first; the apology was insufficient and that remark was also inappropriate.
Afterward, the situation was only partially reported to the manager in charge of hall service, and the manager instructed that it be confirmed whether the 2000 vintage wine had been provided again and that dessert wine also be offered. Although dessert wine (Madeira) is not normally provided for the four-glass pairing, as an apology for the service mistake and inadequate response, dessert wine was provided to all three people who ordered the four-glass pairing.
The hall service team judged that the matter was closed with this, and I was reported on April 21, two days after the incident. Of course, even if I did not recognize the problem during the service on April 18, that cannot be an excuse. Looking back, from the occurrence of the mistake to the response, none of the processes were appropriate, and considering the service customers expected from Mosu, the disappointment would have been greater.
The situation described above is what I have carefully identified through staff and CCTV, and I reiterate that this is not to make excuses but to correct distortions and misunderstandings that differ from the minimum facts.
Regarding the sommelier, we had him submit a written statement according to company regulations and removed him from the position of sommelier responsible for customers' wines going forward.
To all customers, as the owner-chef who takes full responsibility for Mosu, I promise to manage thoroughly and make every effort to prevent a recurrence of this kind of incident.
We will take this incident as an opportunity to remember the essence of the restaurant, the proper attitude as food-service workers, and a sincere heart toward food and customers, keep our original resolve, and strive more humbly. My team and I will do our best with sincere effort.
Once again, I sincerely apologize for the disappointment caused by me and Mosu.<
[photo] OSEN DB, Anh Sung-jae SNS
[OSEN]