ARIARI — Restaurant in New York

I was very excited that we managed to get a reservation for Ariari during my recent trip to NYC. We had a reservation for 5:15, and the small restaurant quickly filled up with reservations. Overall I would give the restaurant 5 stars for flavors and 4 stars for portion sizes -- the dishes were generally smaller than what I expected based on the photos in the menu -- most of the dishes were about half the size we expected based on the photos. We did order 5 dishes (came out to $60 per person including tax and tip), so it ended up being quite filling.

Delicious, would def get again: The spicy fish stew ($28) was like an elevated maeuntang. The fish was some sort of bass and it was super tender and rich, making the dish quite luxurious. The broth tasted both traditional and elevated. The sujebi (probably a purchased dried version) was perfectly chewy and absorbed the flavor of the soup that was a highlight. The clam was also good. I would absolutely get this again. Totally worth the price. The seafood butter gui ($19) was another one that definitely looked bigger in the photos -- the shrimp and scallops are quite small, but they are very tasty. Perfectly cooked, tender, plump, with nice browning, and not overly rich despite the butter. I would definitely get this again.

Great, might get again: The yook hwe ($15) was really good! The baby octopus added a nice chew. The dish tasted a bit like bulgogi, but chewier and raw (in a good way). It's very small, though.

Good, probably wouldn't get again: The scallop DIY gimbap ($26) had good individual components, but I'm not sure if they went together that well -- the scallop got lost in the strong flavors of the squid jeotgal and apple kimchi. The relative amounts of ingredients were well balanced. This was good but not a must-get IMO. The braised pork cheek ($25) had pork that was tender but a bit dry, and the meat didn't absorb the flavor of the broth. The broth was a standard dwenjang with napa cabbage -- authentic, but not very strong flavors. I wouldn't get this again. We also tried the Maesil cocktail ($14), which tasted pretty watered down and didn't have much alcohol flavor. I wouldn't get this again.

Overall we had a really delicious meal at Ariari, and I would definitely come here again. It's both authentic and inventive in...

@ariarinyc . From BUSAN TO NEW YORK 🇰🇷 ➡️🇺🇸 Nestled in New York’s East Village, Ariari is a Korean restaurant inspired by the port city of Busan, known for its fresh seafood and comforting Korean dishes. . This is probably the closest I’ll get to Busan. Well, I do want to visit Korea again, and the next time I do, I want to go to Busan and Jeju… . @ariarinyc is tapas/family style. small plates meant for sharing. They say each should order 1-2 plates, I’d say each should get 2-3 and that’s not even including dessert. Their menu isn’t massive so if you have a party of 3-4, after 2 visits, you probably could have tried every dish.. . Busan is known for their seafood so you’re gonna find many/most dishes constraining seafood. From raw fish, to sautéed octopus, to shrimp pancake, to fish soup, grilled fish, etc and etc. many variations of seafood being cooked… . Here were my faves - that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the others, all were good but some just stood out amongst others.. -Dolsot Al-Bap - Hot Stone Bibimbap with Medley of Fish Roe, Poached Egg, Sea Urchin Cream - this is very rich, so you don’t need a lot and the order is considerably small. Love the popping texture of the fish roe Beef Soo-Yook - Simmered Beef Short Ribs, Brisket, Tendon in Beef Broth. Served with Onion Chive Salad & Bowl of Rice. Beef was so tender, it just melted. I thought it was eating butter. Corn Creme Bruleé - Sweet Corn Custard, Shaved White Chocolate - If you’re a corn lover like me, get this. It was so comforting. A perfect way to end the meal. . The restaurant isn’t that big so it would be tough to have a party larger than 4. It’s not one of this large party gathering places, however, they do scream welcome (in Korean) when someone enters, as if you’re at a kbbq restaurant 🤷🏻‍♀️. Is that a Busan thing? I mean, you are enjoying the meal with your friends and every now and then they’re...

Nut allergy friendly: Nothing we had had any concerns. I don't think anything they use has nuts.

Wow. This probably ranks into my top 3 Korean restaurants in the US. It's a quaint shop from the outside that I almost walked by despite following directions, but it's packed with flavor.

We made a reservation two weeks ahead when they opened up and were promptly seated.

Order-to-Dishes: Roughly 13-19 mins for appetizers, 23 mins for sharable entrees.

For three people, we ordered: -Kimchi (complimentary): Excellent. Great balance, not too acidic. -Seafood Butter-Gui (5/5): An interesting Mediterranean feeling dish with the pita, but it blends the butter with delicious seafood and the perfect accompaniments to balance out each bite. -Seafood Pancake (5/5): They manage to get squid or shrimp or mussels into each bite of the pancake. Stellar texture. Delicious balance with the chive and basil. -Fried Soft Shell Crab (6/5): Holy smokes. Must order. Not sure how they fry this but it is excellently crispy and still fresh tasting at the same time. -Fried Chicken (4.5/5): I give this a good rating for excellent portions. It's fried in a similar way as the soft shell crab. I think it was a bit weaker in texture but overall, still very good. -Duck Bulgogi (4/5): While this was the weakest dish in my opinion, the duck was still very tender and flavorful. I think it should have been served with some rice or something other than beansprouts. -Spicy Fish Stew (4/5): Went very well with rice, very tender fish and clams but not enough to share with 3 people. -Seafood Japchae (5/5): The heck did they do to make this Japchae so good? The octopus perfectly balanced the Japchae texture and it's a great level of spice.

The quality of seafood was overall excellent.

With two drinks it came out to roughly $75/pp. I'd definitely come back if only for the soft shell crab, and...