OKDONGSIK Bayside — Restaurant in New York

Essence of Simplicity . Since 2018, OKDONGSIK Seoul has been listed in the MICHELIN Guide Bib Gourmand. Recognized as one of the top 8 Best Dishes in NYC 2023 by Pete Wells from The New York Times. . They only offer one main dish: Dweji-Gomtang / Gluten Free Clean and savory pork broth • Served with rice, Seokbakji, and Gochuji - $16, with extra meat -$20 . The dish doesn’t look anything special, it looks plain if anything. A bowl of rice, hot pork broth, with thinly sliced pork and topped with some scallion. It’s really nothing fancy but man, it was so good. It was so comforting. It’s not very strong in flavor, so you really taste the pureness of the pork broth. You can enhance it with their house made fermented pepper paste, to me, it doesn’t need it. The taste is very homey, as if your mom or grandma made it. It really soothes the soul. When I grew, we would eat rice with hot water to stretch the meal, except here, it’s pork broth. . The rice isn’t mushy, so it has a nice texture to it. It’s like overnight nice except it wasn’t. Each grain is on its own is what I’m trying to say. . The pork is very thinly sliced, thinner than some shabu shabu meat. . This kind of food is not for everyone, I think it’s more of a mature palette. I think as I got older, my palette is more simple. I still like food that has lots of salt/strong flavors but i also enjoy simple foods like this. . They have a few sides, kimchi dumplings, seafood pancake and their slow-cooked pork-chilled which is served with their house made pepper paste but this one has anchovies so it has a saltier taste. . It’s not the largest serving but to me it was the perfect portion. I seldom finish any broth dish but here, there was no a drop of broth or a single grain of rice left. I was very satisfied. . Prices differ in the city, this is the one from Bayside. I’ve been to both locations, the bayside one feels a bit more relaxed...

“Michelin-rated Okdongsik restaurant opens in Bayside, emphasizing simplicity in Korean cuisine

By Jessica Militello Posted on February 14, 2025

Okdongsik, a newly opened restaurant in Bayside, brings a fresh take on Korean comfort food with a focus on simplicity and high-quality ingredients.

Located at 43-13 Bell Blvd., the restaurant is the latest venture of Chef Ok Dongsik, a renowned culinary figure whose first restaurant in Seoul, Korea, quickly garnered attention for its minimalist approach to traditional Korean dishes.

Since 2018, Okdongsik has been listed in the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand, which recognizes establishments that serve exceptional food at a reasonable price. Now, with the opening of Okdongsik in Bayside, the celebrated chef aims to introduce a refined, yet simple, culinary experience to a new audience, offering dishes that highlight the true essence of Korean comfort food.

The restaurant has a unique style in the way it prepares and serves food. Its menu has just four items, each prepared for guests to truly indulge in the food they are eating, mainly as it is, without the need to add more ingredients and flavors.

“He wanted to introduce some kind of fundamental flavor of things other than barbeque because nowadays Korean food is really too sweet and they want to give too much impact to one single item,” said Kyle Lee, the Director of Operations at OkDongSik, who translated for Chef Ok Dongsik in the interview. “It’s really packed up with flavors, but at the same time, it’s too much. He wants to convey simplicity through each unique flavor from each ingredient.” After gaining recognition for his first restaurant in Seoul, Chef Ok Dongsik brought his culinary expertise to Manhattan with a pop-up collaboration with Hand Hospitality, which ran from November 2022 to...

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10번 내외로 먹은 것 같습니다. 전체적으로 음식의 퀄리티는 굉장히 좋았구요, 맛도 먹을 때마다 다르지 않고 일정했습니다. 차분한 분위기에 음식들은 정갈합니다. 먹어본 음식 리뷰는 아래에 따로 적겠습니다.

먼저 돼지곰탕입니다. 국물이 깔끔하고 투명하며 맑은 콩나물국을 연상하게 하는 담백한 맛과 구수한 향이 특징입니다. 간은 세지 않아 자극적인 입맛을 가진 분들께는 다소 심심하게 느껴질 수 있을 것 같습니다. 제가 따로 요청하지 않아 모르겠으나, 적어도 주문했을 때 다대기/새우젓/소금 등의 양념은 없어 간 조절은 어렵지 않나 생각합니다. 저에겐 남쪽 음식보다는 이북식에 가깝다는 느낌이 들었구요, 깔끔한 맛을 선호하시는 분들께 추천합니다.

라드 돈까스는 경양식 옛날 돈까스 보다는 일식 돈까스로 보시면 됩니다. 고기는 얇지 않고 두툼하며 육즙이 넉넉하고 부드러웠습니다. 사이드로 나오는 양배추도 케첩/마요 소스가 아니라 간장계열 소스로 보였는데 담백하고 좋았습니다. 무 장아찌, 와사비와 소금이 같이 나오는데 돈까스 소스 대신 곁들여 먹으면 고기 맛을 더 진하게 느낄 수 있어 좋았습니다. 미소국 대신 돼지곰탕 육수가 제공되고 밥은 된밥이었습니다. 일식 돈까스 좋아하시는 분들께는 추천합니다.

김치말이국수는 양배추를 사용했다고 합니다. 국물은 시원하고 괜찮았으나 김치의 맛과 향에서는 대중적인 김치말이국수에 비해 덜한 편입니다. 전체적인 밸런스는 좋아 이 음식이 생소하신 분들은 좋아하실 것 같지만 김치의 시큼함/톡 쏘는 청량감을 기대하신다면 다소 밋밋하게 느끼실 것 같습니다. 저는 맛있게 잘 먹었습니다.

김치만두의 경우 만두피가 쫄깃한 쪽 보다는 부드러운 타입입니다. 김치는 신맛보다는 짠맛/매운맛이 조금 더 도드라지는 것 같았구요, 입에 넣었을 때 김치 향과 맛이 진해서 좋았습니다. 어떤 만두피를 좋아하느냐에 따라 호불호가 갈릴 수 있을 것 같습니다.

I think I’ve eaten there around ten times. Overall, the quality of the food has been excellent, and the taste has remained consistent every time. The atmosphere is calm, and the food is neatly presented. Reviews of the dishes I’ve tried are written below.

First, the pork soup (dwaeji-gomtang). The broth is clean and clear, with a mild flavor reminiscent of bean sprout soup and a savory aroma. The seasoning isn’t strong, so those who prefer bold or intense flavors might find it a bit bland. I didn’t make any special requests, so I’m not sure, but at least when I ordered, no condiments like spicy paste (dadaegi), salted shrimp, or salt were provided, which might make adjusting the flavor difficult. Personally, it felt more like North Korean-style food rather than Southern-style. I recommend it to those who enjoy a clean and subtle taste.

The lard donkatsu is closer to a Japanese-style tonkatsu than the old-fashioned Korean style. The meat was thick, juicy, and tender. The cabbage on the side came with a soy-based dressing instead of ketchup/mayo, which was light and pleasant. Pickled radish, wasabi, and salt were also served alongside it—having the cutlet with those instead of the sauce brought out the flavor of the meat more strongly, which I enjoyed. Instead of miso soup, a small portion of the pork bone broth was provided with a rice. I recommend this dish for fans of Japanese-style tonkatsu.

The kimchi cold noodles (kimchi-mari guksu) were made with cabbage, according to the menu. The broth was refreshing and quite good, but the flavor and aroma of the kimchi were milder compared to more typical versions of this dish. The overall balance was nice, so those new to this type of dish might enjoy it, but if you’re expecting that tangy, fizzy kick from the kimchi, you might find it a bit underwhelming. I personally enjoyed it still.

As for the kimchi mandoo (kimchi dumplings), the wrapper was more on the soft side rather than chewy. The kimchi flavor leaned more toward salty and spicy rather than sour, and the strong aroma and taste of kimchi when biting into it were quite nice. Depending on your preference for dumpling wrappers,...