Sue's Korean Kitchen closing in Stratham: Owner says 'stay tuned for next chapter'

STRATHAM — Sue’s Korean Kitchen will be serving its final dishes on Saturday — at least for now.

Sue (Suncha) Baker, owner of the popular eatery at 74 Portsmouth Ave., announced the restaurant’s closure on May 10. However, in a Facebook post, she hinted it may not be the last time customers see her.

“Stay tuned for the next chapter!” she teased.

After six years of running Sue’s Korean Kitchen, Baker said she plans to take a much-needed break to explore her roots before returning with something new to offer the Seacoast.

“I am going to travel to Korea to get inspiration and see what’s new,” she said.

Located in the Stratham Plaza, Baker opened Sue’s Korean Kitchen in July 2018, realizing her decade-long dream of owning her own restaurant.

From Bulgogi (soy marinated beef with onions, scallions and carrots) to Tteok-bokki (Korean street food served with rice cake strips simmered in a spicy sauce with fish cakes, scallions and onions), the restaurant was known for its traditional and authentic cuisine.

“People know us mainly by word of mouth,” she said. “Most of our customers are local, but we have visitors from far away and I’m surprised at times by how far they come from — sometimes even three-plus hours away!”

Baker said some of her top-selling dishes, aside from the well-known Bulgogi, were her Dolsot Bibimbap (Korean rice bowl) and Spicy Pork (spicy marinated pork with onions and scallions).

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Sue’s Korean Kitchen became a staple in Stratham

Baker attributed her aspiration to run a restaurant to the cherished memories of savoring her grandmother’s cooking. She also said she enjoys seeing the happy faces of those partaking in her culinary creations.

“It gives me energy and motivates me to see people happy after eating my food,” she said. “I don’t get to go out and talk with customers these days (busy cooking in the kitchen), but I’m always happy to see peoples’ smiling faces.”

Baker said she has a lot of special memories over the years, but a few in particular were seeing reviews from Korean natives who dined at her restaurant. They wrote that her food is “very clean and traditional.”

“Others also say it reminds them of their mom’s home cooking,” she recalled. “Also, students from Phillips Exeter Academy or University of New Hampshire, say it tastes like home food and in some cases, better than Korea!”

But operating a restaurant has not always been easy. Not only was Baker the owner, she was also the only chef.

“Not a lot of people knew about Korean food in this area, so it was a lot of learning and teaching,” she said, referring to an early challenge. “For example, what is Dolsot Bibimbap and how do I eat this the traditional way?”

She said the Seacoast food scene has become “more diverse” over the years, offering Korean-inspired dishes, which she's glad to see.

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What’s next for Sue’s Korean Kitchen owner

In Baker's announcement of the restaurant's closure on Facebook, she thanked customers for their "incredible support for a local small business."

"Thank you for everyone that has dined at Sue’s Korean Kitchen over the last 6 years, whether you’ve been dining with us for years or just now found us," she wrote.

The Facebook post received over 200 likes and nearly 50 comments from customers, most of them bittersweet. Although many were saddened by the news, they were also very “supportive and excited” to see what’s next.

When she returns from Korea, Baker said her new venture, whether it be a new restaurant with Sue's Table (chef's table) or a cooking class, will be in Stratham.

“Stratham holds a special place in my heart as I’ve raised my family here,” said Baker, a resident of the town for 24 years.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Sue's Korean Kitchen closing in Stratham, NH