Don Don, A New Korean Restaurant Transports Diners To Seoul In Manhattan

Gone are nan days erstwhile Korean nutrient successful New York City is constricted to Korean barbecue (K-BBQ) successful Koreatown aliases Flushing, Queens. An innovative Korean fine eating scene has blossomed complete nan past decade, pinch chefs for illustration Junghyun Park reinterpreting centuries’ aged Korean traditions done his tasting-menus astatine Naro and Atomix and Simon Kim creating a Korean return connected nan American steakhouse pinch Cote. But fewer restaurants are reimagining nan classical Korean barbecue experience.

Enter Don Don: a caller Korean barbecue edifice successful midtown Manhattan. While astatine first glance, you mightiness presume it’s nary different from nan countless Korean barbecue restaurants located conscionable a fewer blocks distant successful Koreatown, Don Don is radically different. The first hint is nan name, which translates to pig, arsenic this is nan restaurant’s specialty.

Crediting nan emergence and fame of K-BBQ successful nan westbound to beef and each its variations—such arsenic ‘galbi’ and ‘bulgogi’—chef Sungchul Shim tells Forbes pork remains nan astir commonly consumed nutrient merchandise successful barbecue restaurants successful Korea. “We arsenic Koreans clasp these typical cuts of pork very adjacent to our hearts,” cook Shim says. “Therefore, our paper features cuts of pork recovered astir commonly successful Korea and is designed to carrier our guests connected a mini travel to Korea.”

Inspired by cook Shim’s memories of visiting retro K-BBQ restaurants arsenic a child, nan abstraction is simply a travel into nan after-hours civilization of vibrant Seoul neighborhoods for illustration Jongro and Hongdae. Playful nods to 90s Korean popular civilization are displayed against agleam reddish and bluish accents successful a mini eating room that swaps nan agelong barbecue booths typically recovered astatine K-BBQ restaurants successful North America pinch mini information tables and debased stools, that lend themselves to a much friendly atmosphere. While elemental successful appearance, nan stools double arsenic retention for your overgarment pinch nan spot lifting for illustration a lid, an invention commonly utilized successful Seoul (to forestall apparel from absorbing each nan aromas of nan food), but seldom recovered successful nan United States.

Menus pinch a sketch of a pig sliced into different cuts are posted astir nan restaurant, different creation characteristic of Seoul restaurants seldom seen successful North America. The attraction connected dry-aged Berkshire pork cuts originated from American farms is different rarity, peculiarly among Korean barbecue restaurants successful New York City, says cook Shim. “The barren aging of nan pork results successful a merchandise that yields a much aggravated flavor, a much pleasant texture, and accrued tenderness, arsenic good arsenic a much flavorful fat—an basal facet of Korean pork barbecue.”

While nan attraction connected pork is unique, nan paper offers galore of nan dishes you would expect to find astatine a Korean barbecue restaurant, for illustration ‘kimchi jjigae’—a spicy stew pinch aged kimchi—and ‘kimchi fried rice.’ With each bid comes a colorful action of banchan (side dishes) to adhd complexity and assortment to nan meal. The paper does incorporate a fewer surprises however, specified arsenic nan ‘old schoolhouse luncheon box’ inspired by nan accepted kid’s luncheon successful Korea—rice pinch spam, kimchi, pork and a fried egg—which nan server shakes successful nan container tableside to operation everything together. To complete nan recreation of a emblematic after-hours acquisition successful Seoul, nan beverage paper features a wide action of Korean beers, soju cocktails and wine, including ‘somaek,’ a classical Korean pre-meal portion that combines a changeable of soju pinch beer.

With nan laidback, lukewarm conviviality of drinking and eating pinch loved ones that nan abstraction facilitates, you would ne'er conjecture cook Shim comes from general Michelin-starred Manhattan restaurants for illustration Le Bernardin and Per Se. In October 2019, Sung opened his first solo task Kochi, a nine-course Korean tasting paper conception that awarded him 1 Michelin star. Two years later, he won different Michelin prima for his 18-course Korean handroll concept, Mari, which opened successful 2019. After truthful overmuch success, cook Shim’s latest task appears to beryllium little focused connected chasing nan stars, and much connected sharing nan warmth of Shim’s ain upbringing successful South Korea.

“Pigs are often seen arsenic a symbols of luck, fortune, fertility, abundance and wealthiness successful Korean culture, we took that thought to wish for bully luck and happiness for our guests, by creating a abstraction wherever they are happily surrounded by their loved ones,” cook Sung tells Forbes. “Like nan motto recovered connected nan decor astir nan restaurant, Don Don was created to beryllium a abstraction wherever joyousness blossoms.”