Jeju Restaurant Hosts Bar Cham’s Byungjin Lim for One-Night Cocktail Collaboration

On April 27, Lim Byung-jin (BJ) of Bar Cham (No. 6 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) is in Vancouver for a single night behind the bar at Jeju.

BJ’s path through Seoul’s bar scene goes back to 2007, but really began taking shape when he joined the opening crew at one of Korea’s first speakeasy bars, Speakasy Mortar. It was there he began applying a Korean lens to American cocktail culture. In 2016, he opened Miners, stepping away from the high-end direction that was taking hold at the time and beginning to work more closely with local ingredients. Two years later came Bar Cham, now established among Asia’s top bars.

Across all of it, Byung-jin’s work centres on Korean ingredients, fermentation, and a seasonal structure informed by the concept of Hanok, (a deep, intentional harmony with nature) with a focus on natural cycles, farm-to-bar sourcing, and menus that reset every few months.

This approach landed quickly with Sung and Dylan Kim at Jeju – they brought Byung-jin in to shape a cocktail program that reflects Korean roots while staying grounded in West Coast product. If you’ve spent time with the drinks there, you’ve likely felt the level of consideration behind it.

This coming Monday, when BJ is in Vancouver to work through Jeju’s summer cocktail list, he’ll also take over the bar, pouring his seasonal interpretations of classic cocktails with a precise, ingredient-driven approach. The team is keeping the full menu under wraps, but we’ve had a look. Expect Korean angelica, mint and black pepper infused vodka, fermented mushroom, and gochujang to show up across the lineup. Even better: Chef Kim is going to have a special small-plate menu to compliment the drinks.

We expect that this will be a popular night, so make a reservation HERE