New Manhattan Korean Restaurant Sings the Fermented Praises of Kimchi
There’s a new Korean restaurant highlighting the wonders of kimchi coming to New York next month. The co-owners of and couple behind Korean French restaurant Soogil — chef Soogil Lim and Saook Youn — are opening Raon at 207 E.
“a morass of jumbo shrimp and maitake mushrooms in a dense brown sauce with a wonderfully fishy and gritty quality”
Roan’s goal is to showcase the full breadth of the fermented dish through kimchi pairings. “For Koreans, kimchi is 101,” Lim writes to Eater over email. “It is the foundation of our cuisine and culture,” noting that “it is more than just a side dish.”
The tasting menu’s kimchi approach is akin to how wines are paired with dishes. There’s the well-known options like baechu (napa cabbage kimchi), and then the less-prevalent ones like bo kimchi (wrapped kimchi). The chefs match those with dishes such as the king crab and the oi kimchi salad (made with cucumbers); tuna and caviar with baek (mild white kimchi) kimchi; and foie gras mandu with mukeunji kimchi (napa cabbage that is fermented for a longer time).
The high-end, 14-counter-seat restaurant is a pricy one — $255 for 10 courses. There are beverage pairings available for $195. Expect soju, cocktails, wines, and beers, with eventual additions of sake and whiskies.
Chinese dumpling chain makes its way into the East Village
Ginormous China-based restaurant chain all about dumplings is going to open in Manhattan, as reported by EV Grieve. Dumpling Xi will be found at 80 Fourth Avenue at 10th Street. The restaurant serves up made-to-order boiled dumplings served in a casual setting. This is New York’s second location, after the one in Flushing, per a reader of the blog. There are over 700 stores in China. This neighborhood has plentiful dumpling spots too, from Tim Ho Wan to Mimi Cheng’s to Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings.
