Sam Sunny — Restaurant in New York

We visited this new Korean restaurant about a month after it had opened in our neighbourhood.

The frontage is very unassuming and you may not realise it's a restaurant from the street. And on entering found that the decor to be very modern and elegant.

Our hostess took us to a high banquette table just opposite the bar. That looked impressive, though we only had water for lunch so can't say what the drinks are like.

We picked the Bibimbap and the Kimchi Fried rice with Chicken Katsu. Before those orders arrived, as normal at Korean restaurants, they provided an assortment of 5 side vegetable dishes. All of which were good to excellent in taste and texture. Could easily have kept chomping on some of them as an entire meal!

Everything was presented brilliantly, especially the Bibimbap. The hot sauce that came with it was served on a side plate. Which is good as neither of us are great with super spicy food. But in this case we were able to cope with the spiciness for us light weights. 😋

Interestingly, egg was poured onto the hot plate of the Chicken Katsu, allowing it to cook slowly and this dish was definitely the star of the selection we chose. The texture and taste of the different elements were scrumptious. Would definitely have this dish again.

We were stuffed after eating everything so had no room for dessert - another time!

It was practically empty when we went so not loud, though I suspect with all the hard surfaces it could get noisy when more crowded.

Service was friendly and overall a great experience. Will be back to try more...

Sam Sunny has been one of my favourite restaurants in NYC since I first discovered it a few years ago, and it's really heartening to see that the quality and price point has not changed very much since then! They can get busy at times (esp peak hours), but reservations are generally easy to come by.

Even before you order anything, the side dishes are already worth a mention. The side salad they give is one of the best starters I've had -- the lettuce is always fresh and I adore the slightly-spicy dressing they add to it.

My favourite dishes here are the bulgogi soup and the samgyupsal. The bulgogi soup is full of delicious slices of beef (so flavourful and tender), tofu, mushrooms, and glass noodles, and the broth itself is so rich and pairs with the white rice really well. The samgyupsal is always grilled perfectly -- just the right amount of char for how juicy and tender it is. The sautéed kimchi is a particular highlight - I love the hint of caramelisation that balanced the natural sour flavour of kimchi.

I've also tried the spicy beef noodle soup here (yummy, if not a bit too salty for my taste) and kimchi fried rice with chicken katsu (both parts were decent but not a standout). Once I ordered the Jeju tangerine tea here, which was remarkably good -- refreshing balance to the spicy/salty dishes without being too sweet.

The service is always so warm (and the bartender is very friendly, perhaps too extroverted for my taste hahaha), and the dark ambience makes eating here feel so cosy.

Love this place and will be...

I came here about 2 weeks ago with my friends (4 of us total) and it was an amazing experience! I came at the recommendation of my roommate who has been at least 2 times since this restaurant has opened and I can see why she keeps coming back. We ordered the spicy rice cakes (poached egg instead of a hard boiled egg? love the twist!) with an extra order of fried squid (fried to perfection!), spicy beef noodle soup (there was a slight tomato flavor which I’m not used to in this soup but it was a refreshing and welcome change!) steamed egg (fluffy goodness), kimchi fried rice with chicken katsu (beaten egg is poured table side), and the tomahawk galbi (the meat was so tender!). We also got a pot of the camellia tea and the whole experience… all I can say is wow! The tea was floral yet light and a great accompaniment to our meal. When you walk into the restaurant, the ambience of the room makes you feel like you’re about to have one of the best experiences of your life. The candle on the table and the rest of the decor+tableware gives great date night vibes! Compared to other Korean restaurants in Ktown in Manhattan, I feel like the flavors of the dishes here feel a bit more elevated and “clean.” I really appreciate the twists they’ve added to all of these familiar dishes to make it their own! Next time I come, I’m definitely going to explore their cocktail menu since all of the drinks sounded delicious. My wallet is prepared to become a...