MUST TRY KOREAN Fine Dining Experiences in NYC
ATOMIX
JUNGSIK
NARO
It’s no secret that New York is the home to some of the best dining experiences in the world. I always say my favorite part about living here is how you can travel the world through taste. But when it comes to asian food whether it be korean, japanese or chinese, it tends to always taste like fusion cuisine or so overly complicated it loses its authenticity.
But some recent must-try fine dining experiences here in NYC, are these three korean fine dining restaurants, ATOMIX, NARO, and Jungsik. These were some of the most memorable and delicious experiences I have had here in New York City, especially in regard to high end korean dishes. From the innovative cocktails at NARO and ATOMIX along with their elevated Korean tasting menu, it allows us to eat traditional Korean flavors in an innovative way that does Korean cuisine justice.
The thing I love about these three tasting menus is not only how innovative all their dishes are but their presentation. Each dish is crafted carefully and sculpted to perfection to reflect the beauty of the culture in the dish. But do not let this delicate, beautiful presentation fool you because some of the flavors are packed with flavor and an explosion of spices in your mouth. They play with texture, flavor, color and obviously taste. The thing about these three fine dining experiences that make them stand out is their ability to create a full sense experience, creating a beautiful conversation and dining flow between chef and diner.
I love carrot cake as much as the next person but DO YOU SEE THIS CARROT CAKE? You literally get to harvest/pick your own carrot cake in carrot form. I loved how interactive this dessert was and how they actually executed the taste and experience to perfection. Its easy for a restaurant to TRY and do something like this for social media and tiktok but most of the time it flops in taste, leading it only to purchase the pictures… This aggravates me as a diner because yes as a young, social media girl myself I will be tempted to purchase items trending for pictures and content but nothing is WORSE than doing so and it actually not being worth the money.
No content is worth a bad meal…
JUNGSIK CARROT CAKE
At Jungsik, the most memorable part of dinner had to be dessert.
Naro and Atomix are actually created by the same chefs, Junghyun “JP” and Jeongeun “Ellia” Park. Their cocktails are honestly one of my favorites to try as they are always creating unique, and innovative spirits with uncommon korean flavors. Can you imagine soysauce (ganjang) in a cocktail and liking it? I did not in a million years think I would but when I tell you my mind has HAPPILY BEEN CHANGED. But their food changes seasonally and sometime you may even get to try a new dish for the next season they are testing if you are lucky. The staff are always so friendly, the sommelier never does you dirty with picking a wine and the food never lets you leave hungry or unsatisfied.
Now with this being such an amazing experience, the prices are steep… Not Sushi Noz steep necessarily but definitely not an everyday dinner option. I will say if you have the chance to go to any of these three Korean fine dining experiences here in NYC then PLEASE GO! It is a great special occasion dinner experience for any celebration, engagement, business and birthday!