DDOBAR by Joomak NYC — Restaurant in New York

What an amazing option for a special lunch tucked in the back corner of Olly Olly Market! We took part in the Chef Studio Menu for lunch as our first stop during a weekend visit to NYC. Before diving into the Yubutarts that DDOBAR is known for, we had the Cacio e Pepe, Citrus Cured Bass, and Seared Scallop. The Cacio e Pepe was such a fun twist on the classic Italian dish that hit all the classic flavors you look for without the need for pasta. It's probably a dish that will stick in my memory for years to come! The bass and scallop were very well prepared and delightfully tender. The sauces on the side of the bass dish were real highlights. The dashi the scallops were served in was delightful, making me slow down and savor each bite. Next up was a series of yubutarts, each packing so much flavor in every bite you took. When you experience these tarts as part of the Chef's menu, you get to experience each individually, hearing the description and enjoying it before moving on to the next (which seems to understandably not be the case if you order several tarts outside of this experience). Everything had such a unique flavor profile and composition, the Chef's Menu is really the best way to experience it because it encourages you to enjoy the bites in front of you and take a moment to savor the flavor and experience before moving on to the next. We opted out of the Caviar supplement, but as we ate the first yubutart, we understood why it is offered. It's not needed, but it would definitely have been very well paired with the first tart and taken the flavors to the next level. Either way, you can't lose. We did opt in for an order of the Galbi supplement and split it between the two of us. There ended up being four slices of short rib, so it was the perfect amount to share. The Earl Grey Ice Cream that you finish with is possibly my new favorite ice cream flavor, which is saying a lot because I tend to be drawn to ice cream with a chocolate base. This ice cream is just that good. The tea flavor is pronounced, and the texture is incredibly smooth. I would honestly buy this in a carton to take home if available, and I lived in the area. Everyone on staff was incredibly inviting and kind. We were the last seating of lunch, and we never felt like they were upset or trying to hurry us through the meal (we have experienced this at other restaurants before). We had a chance to chat with both Jiho and Sechul and learn more about the menu and Jiho's primary restaurant. We can't speak to the dinner experience, although we were told the menu is the same, but as a unique lunch option, I would recommend...

Overall: 4.6/5 (dine in)

DDO BAR is located inside Olly Olly Market. They highly recommend reservations but we were super lucky and got a seat for two for late lunch on a Thursday after calling in. It was our last meal in New York so my friend and I wanted something good before flying out. She wanted sushi and we never tried Korean omakase before so we decided on this place. We both got the lunch tasting menu ($75) and have the option to add uni ($15) on the tuna hand roll. The food really stimulated my taste buds since every single item was so unique in terms of flavor profile so you never know what to expect. You can watch the staff work with such precision and attention to detail to create theses masterpieces.

Cacio e Pepe: This is a poached egg yolk with parmesan cheese. Very savory and the egg yolk was so creamy. Great combination that was well-balanced.

Fluke: The fluke came with green grape, tomatillo, and a foam that I think is made from the grapes as well. The green grapes were really sweet while the foam had a very subtle taste. The fluke was a bit too cold for my liking but fresh.

Seared Scallop With Brown Butter Dashi & Caramelized Bonito: The scallop was good but the star of the show was the brown butter dashi. It was so good, I slurped it down like soup.

Hiramasa, Yozu Creme Fraiche With Radish with Golden Osetra Caviar: Wow this combo was fire! If you guys know me, I'm not a huge fan of caviar but this one was the perfect pair for the hiramasa. Chef's kiss~

Botan Ebi: This came with egg salad inside the inari with single ikura. This was just okay and my least favorite of everything I tried.

Salmon With Everything Bagel Seasoning & Horesradish: This was good but tasted 'simple' compared to the beginning dishes.

Butter Poached Lobster, Nori Sabayon: I liked the sabayon but the lobster was a little underwhelming.

Yubu Gunkan With Tuna Tataki: This was just okay.

Duck Pastrami with Duck Rillette: Tender and yummy. Not sure what it was about this combo but it took me awhile to realize the meat they used was duck.

Galbi Daikon Radish With Crispy Leek: This was a great way to end the savory meal. The galbi almost melted in my mouth and was so satisfying.

Earl Grey Ice Cream: This had some strong, bold flavors. Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan.

2022 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé ($19/glass): Never had wine with sushi before so this was a first. It's hard for me to find a good rosé but this one was tasty.

It felt like an individualized experience even though we were in a food court. We left feeling satisfied and happy with our meal. Definitely worth checking out if you're...

Got the chef studio tasting menu. We wanted to order both the yubu tart tasting and chef studio tasting menu but everyone has to get the same one so we got the chef tasting menu. I was surprised cus I thought it was all really good. My least favorite was the skate with black truffle. It came with corn cream and corn and I didn’t think the fish, truffle, and corn went well together, but the couple next to us said they thought it paired well… we also didn’t think the oyster mojito was as good cus we like our oysters with some more acid but it was good and I loved that the oyster was small and not super meaty. My sister had a little shell in her oyster… we really enjoyed all the other dishes.

I think the chef studio tasting menu isn’t cheap or expensive while the yubu tasting menu is on the more affordable cheaper side. I do think based on the location of the restaurant it should be cheaper cus it’s not really a restaurant but a nicer food hall…

One thing I didn’t like was that on the menu it said earl grey soft serve so I was really excited cus I love their earl grey soft serve… and they didn’t tell us until the end that they don’t have earl grey and that it’s honey dew. I expected honey dew based on the pics I’ve seen and thought we were really lucky lol.. I think it’s just nice to let us know there’s a menu change.

They did offer an extra round of the honey dew soft serve so I got another round

It was really good with the sea salt. My sister said the honey dew soft serve tasted like cucumbers and we couldn’t agree more. Tasted like cucumber honey dew soft serve

Also on resy you can say why you’re there and I said birthday and it would’ve been nice for a little extra something for my sister. I noticed one of the chefs giving this other table a brown bag of things… I low key thought we would all get it lol but no nothing extra for anyone else lol… I do think those personal things make the experience...