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Quick guesstimate. The city of New York has more than 800 Asian restaurants. Over 200 must serve kimchi and probably more than a hundred draw inspiration from a modern kitchen aesthetic. At this point, you’re probably thinking to yourself: are we really going to tell you about another Korean restaurant? The answer is yes ! Because Oiji is our little autumn find hiding many surprises.
The first surprise is how we ended up in such a pleasant setting amidst the chaos of First Avenue, wedged between a laundromat and a dive bar. Hidden in the heart of the East Village, Oiji might well be your ideal restaurant: trendy but not pretentious, hype-ripe yet convivial. The décor is minimalist with a raw concrete floor warmed by brick walls and long wooden tables. As for the menu, you can’t go wrong: everything is delicious! The traditional Korean dishes such as pork belly or “jang-jo-rim” (a soy-braised beef dish) are perfectly executed and revisited with brio.
The second (good) surprise is the cocktail menu. Unlike many Asian restaurants, at Oiji they pay as much attention in the kitchen as behind the bar. Oriental-inspired, their Korean rice spirit-based cocktails, are worth the trip.
But the REAL surprise is to be found in the sides: honey butter chips. We can already hear your protests against this culinary oxymoron that challenges all laws of healthy eating. Koreans are completely addicted. These have been all the rage in South Korea for two years now. The chips were out of stock and created mass hysteria in the country with astronomical resale prices on the internet. This true social phenomenon has been named “honey butter craze.” We do not even know how to describe this explosive gastronomic association. It is absolutely delicious and terribly addictive. You’ll simply have to try it, that’s it!
If you must have only one culinary adventure this fall, run to Oiji!
Oiji
119 1st Avenue, East Village
646-767-9050