Inside SUJEO, where handmade dumplings and heartfelt hospitality bring Korean home cooking to Prince Edward County.
If you’ve ever shaped a dumpling — or watched someone do it — you know it’s a meticulous craft that requires focus, precision and time.
At SUJEO, a Korean restaurant in the heart of Picton, nearly 1,000 dumplings are shaped every day for its coveted pan- fried dumpling dish. It starts with the filling, made with pork, tofu, glass noodles, green onions and two types of fresh cabbage. A dollop of the homemade mixture is placed on the dumpling wrapper, which is then carefully folded to make the classic pleated shape. The dumplings are steamed and pan-fried to create a crispy, golden exterior. It’s the perfect bite — an explosion of juicy umaminess made possible through tireless hours. According to co-owner Sukyung Kang, the hours are completely worth it.
Since opening SUJEO in 2020 with her cousin, Hyewon Choi, the home-style restaurant has received a warm welcome from the Prince Edward County community. Before starting SUJEO, Kang had noticed there were very few ethnic restaurants in the area and saw an opportunity to share Korean food with those who had never tried it. After six years of working together at another restaurant in Edmonton, Kang and Choi made the move to Picton, excited about what the future held.
A friend had recommended the town, and, on her first visit, Kang knew it was where she belonged. “It’s so vibrant and everybody is so friendly here,” she says.
SUJEO opened its doors in the depths of COVID, and, despite all odds, the restaurant thrived on takeout orders. Word quickly spread through customers sharing rave reviews with their friends and family. “We never even had to advertise ourselves, people just kept coming,” Kang says.
It’s no surprise that Kang comes from a professional background with plenty of experience. After graduating from the culinary program at Youngsan University in her hometown of Busan, Korea, she built the confidence to get to where she is today: a successful small business owner.
“I had never even thought about opening my own business, but after working in the industry for years for someone else, it felt like the right time,” she says. “I learned how to manage a kitchen and started to believe I was capable.”
The signature pan-fried dumplings start with a hand-mixed filling of pork, tofu, glass noodles, green onions and freshcabbage. Each wrapper is pleated by hand — nearly a thousand times a day — to achieve SUJEO’s perfect fold. In the heart of Picton, Sukyung Kang and Hyewon Choi bring Korean home cooking to life one dumpling at a time.
Along with dumplings, SUJEO is best known for its housemade sauces, which provide the flavour base for each plate. The soy sauce is simmered for four to five hours with vegetables, onions and garlic, resulting in a teriyaki-like flavour. Many restaurants buy premade sauces because it’s simply easier, but it was always important to Kang never to take shortcuts and to do everything with the utmost intention. “I want to deliver a homemade feel, with family-style food,” Kang says.
Each vegetable served to customers is cut by hand, including the cabbage for their kimchi, which is salty and satisfying. SUJEO’s kimchi is fermented seven days before serving and is based on a family recipe, but with a milder taste attributed to the reduced fish sauce and chilis.
Kang’s favourite dish on the menu is “Number 11,” a chicken stir-fry made with vegetables and tteok, rice cakes that add a chewy texture many people are new to. “When we first opened, the Number 11 wasn’t that popular, but now people are used to our food and everybody loves it,” Kang says. “It fills people with warmth and love.”
Other classic Korean dishes include bibimbap — a rice bowl with vegetables, topped with a fried sunny-side-up egg and served with the housemade gochujang. The jap chae bap combines stir-fried potato starch glass noodles with bulgogi, thin slices of marinated beef.
In fact, visitors have embraced Korean culture and its flavours to the point where they’ve started saying “thank you” in Korean. “People sincerely want to support us and have been so open and supportive of making the food scene here more diverse,” Kang says.
Authentic touches fill the restaurant, including decor sourced directly from Korea. Its tables and countertops were shipped in from Korea, and each year when Kang and Choi visit, they bring back artwork, plates and cutlery. The pair searches for unique finds at street markets, filling their suitcases to the brim — sometimes even checking an extra bag.
What many people don’t realize is that sujeois the Korean word for a set of chopsticks and a spoon — the primary eating utensils in Korea for everything from rice and soup to stews and side dishes. Kang had asked a Canadian friend which Korean word sounded best from a list of options, and “sujeo” was the winner. “We wanted people to be curious about what the word meant, and our logo even includes the chopsticks and spoon.”
Savoury, punchy and deep flavours define SUJEO, and the spice is left to the side. The interior feels just as cozy and warm as the food and Kang’s welcoming personality. She is the mark of a good host: open-minded, caring and talented.
SUJEO Korean Restaurant
172 Main St., Unit 104, Picton
613.476.2125 | @sujeo_koreanrestaurant
