"This is problematic.." Ahn Sung-jae 'Mosu' even omitted Dom Pérignon [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Mosu Seoul (hereinafter Mosu), a Michelin two-star restaurant operated by Chef Ahn Sung-jae, has issued a formal apology over allegations of "wine substitution," but faced backlash for an insincere apology statement.

Earlier, on the 21st, a post titled "I was served a substituted Château Léoville Barton vintage at Mosu Seoul" appeared on a Naver cafe. The author, A, revealed that while the pairing list originally included a "2000" vintage wine, the sommelier mistakenly brought and served a "2005" vintage wine, which was sold at Mosu for 100,000 won less. The issue came to light when A requested a photo of the wine bottle, prompting the sommelier to retrieve the "2000" bottle after saying, "Just a moment." Since the wine in the glass was the "2005" vintage, A and their party only noticed the discrepancy upon checking the pairing list.

A stated, "In short, the bottle contained the '2000' vintage, but the glass held the '2005' vintage. At that point, we did not immediately realize the mistake. Neither I nor my companions were aware initially. However, after tasting the wine and reviewing the pairing list, we finally realized that the '2000' vintage should have been served."

The more serious issue was the sommelier's response. A said, "When I politely requested confirmation from the sommelier, they eventually admitted, 'The '2000' bottle was ordered separately and was stored on the first floor,' and then said, 'I will let you taste the '2000' vintage Bordeaux in the glass.' The wine we were entitled to receive was the '2000' vintage." A expressed disbelief, adding, "It is questionable whether a sommelier at a Michelin two-star restaurant would make such a mistake. Instead of apologizing, they offered a taste. There was no apology on the day of the incident. The handling and response were deeply disappointing."

As the controversy grew, Mosu finally posted an official apology on its Instagram account on the night of the 23rd. However, despite the serious allegation of "wine substitution," the restaurant omitted a clear explanation and used clichéd expressions such as "guidance" and "confusion," drawing criticism for its disappointing attitude.

Mosu stated, "We sincerely apologize for the confusion caused by the lack of accurate guidance during the wine pairing service and for failing to provide sufficient explanation during the subsequent response process, which led to significant disappointment."

Moreover, Mosu paradoxically added, "After the incident, we personally apologized to the customer, who graciously accepted it. However, considering the expectations placed on our restaurant, we recognize that this process was not sufficient." This phrasing conveyed an uncomfortable tone toward A's disclosure.

Mosu further stated, "Chef Ahn Sung-jae and the entire Mosu team are taking this matter very seriously. We will review all related services and commit to preventing recurrence. We will not stop at a perfunctory apology but will rebuild trust with our customers through sincere efforts." However, the statement avoided any mention of whether the sommelier's mistake was intentional.

In response, netizens criticized the apology, saying, "This is a typical '4-point apology' that vaguely glosses over what went wrong. It reads as if they're implying, 'You accepted our apology, so why post this online?'", "Is this really an apology?", "1. What went wrong 2. The cause of the incident 3. Measures to prevent recurrence. The apology is too empty.", "The basics of an apology: state what went wrong.", "If the customer didn't know wine or didn't take photos, this might have been overlooked.", "Even the apology avoids the core issue, failing to acknowledge what was wrong and brushing it off as unintentional.", "They cleverly avoid mentioning exactly what happened.", "'We failed to explain sufficiently' sounds like the customer misunderstood.", "The main issue of this incident is whether it was 'intentional' or a 'mistake.' I question if this response is appropriate for a two-star restaurant.", "Are they suffering from a disease where apologizing leads to death?", "They are posting an apology without even stating what they are apologizing for. With two stars, their operational mindset seems worse than Bib Gourmand standards," among other critical remarks.

Ultimately, Mosu's hollow apology triggered a "second controversy," with additional disclosures coming to light.

Netizen B, who introduced themselves as part of A's party, commented on the original post: "I was with the group. Two members were preparing for a sommelier exam, so we enjoyed discussing wine with the sommelier while drinking. After serving the '00' vintage, the sommelier said, 'It would be helpful for your studies if you could compare the '05' and '00' vintage wines,' attempting to smooth things over. I don't recall them saying sorry until the end."

Furthermore, complaints from customers who had previously visited Mosu are surfacing alongside the apology. One netizen stated, "As someone who had an unpleasant experience at Mosu, the most puzzling aspect of their service was that even after I pointed out the issue on the spot, there was no apology, and they asked whether they should resolve it. The most critical cause of the incident is missing from this apology. Why did this happen, and when did they become aware of the problem? Was it intentional or a mistake?"

Another netizen claimed they also experienced a sommelier's pairing service error at Mosu. They said, "On July 8 last year, I visited with my wife, mother-in-law, and another person to celebrate my wife's childbirth. Only two of us ordered the paired wines. During the meal, Dom Pérignon was omitted. Since I don't know much about wine, Dom Pérignon was the only one I recognized, so I waited for it to be served. When it didn't arrive and the next wine came, I said, 'Oh no,' and pointed out it was missing. The sommelier seemed flustered but eventually served it. It appears to have been a mistake. I didn't want to complain in front of my mother-in-law, so I laughed it off. The atmosphere and food were good, so I gave the reservation app a five-star rating. However, if this happens frequently, it is problematic."

Meanwhile, Ahn Sung-jae, who operates Mosu, is well-known as a judge on the Netflix series "Black and White Chef Lisa" and is the only chef in Korea to receive a Michelin three-star rating.

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*This content was translated by AI.