'You can't get this in Korea': K-food finds a new, upscale identity in New York City

New York's Korean food offers a higher-status experience than the traditional food one might eat in Korea. With no obligation to cater to cultural ties or keep prices low, restaurants imbue their Korean offerings with upscale quality.

Caviar on chicken at Coqodaq, New York City [COQODAQ]

NEW YORK — On a breezy Saturday night in April, a Korean tourist couple was 30 minutes into a queue at the modern Korean restaurant Atoboy in NoMad, the district north of Madison Square Park.

Having flown in from Seoul just two days prior, they weren’t there because they craved something familiar; Rather, they hoped to try something new.

“My husband and I love to experience new foods, and some of these K-food experiences here, you can’t get in Korea,” said Kim Woo-yeon, age 30. “It seemed like a uniquely New York experience, which is what we have centered our trip around.”

Dishes at Atoboy, a modern Korean restaurant in New York City [ATOBOY]

Recent New York tourist Kim Jin-sol, 26, from Gyeonggi chose Korean fried chicken with caviar and Champagne at Coqodaq in Flatiron while dining with friends two months ago. Her research led her to believe it was one of the most “popular eateries in the city these days.”

“I remember being amazed at how big and juicy the drumsticks were,” said Kim. “I’m not sure if it is even comparable to the ones in Korea.”

Needless to say, Korean food in New York hardly a carbon copy of its hometown restaurants. Dishes that pride themselves on reliability and affordability in their country of origin have grown a new set of star-spangled wings on the other side of the world. Imbued with both Korea's “make-it-work” mentality and America's capitalist touch, and free of the cultural baggage it carries back home the cuisine has managed not only to find a place in the world's most competitive gastro center but also to rise to new heights as a high-class staple.

Coqodaq, like many of New York's Korean eateries, isn’t afraid to deviate from its roots — especially when it comes to quality. The restaurant claims to cook with pasture-raised “certified humane" birds, gluten-free batter, and cultured oil from Brazil’s certified non-GMO sugar cane. Dinner can range from $40 to more than $15,000.

The same can be said for Caviar Kim, a caviar-piled gimbap (seaweed roll) on offer at Jua in TriBeCa and the truffle and gim bugak (seaweed chips) at Naro on 5th Avenue: Their foundations are authentic, but the creative combinations of flavors can elevate such simple snacks, historically munched on Korean grandmothers' couch, to delicacy status.

“I thought it was worth the money,” said Kim about her $60 chicken meal. “I’m not sure if I would feel the same way if I paid that much for fried chicken in Korea, though.”

Seoul also has a robust gastro scene with diverse enclaves and modern restaurants fusing cuisines, but it tends to be more conservative when cooking Korean, many of which hold strong sentimental ties to individuals and their society.

Regardless of wealth or social status, Koreans share a deep appreciation for humble fried chicken inside a box eaten in the comfort of one’s home after an hour's wait for delivery. A bowl of naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) is more delicious under a rattling fan, and late-night bibimbap should be whipped up with whatever banchan (side dishes) are left in the fridge along with a spoonful of gochujang and drizzle of sesame oil.

Attempts to significantly luxe up these kinds of dishes, therefore, are generally not well accepted throughout Korean society and can even take precedence over quality.

Local fried chicken franchise Kyochon Chicken launched a chicken omakase last summer in Yongsan District, central Seoul, but was soon criticized for the high prices (70,000 won or $51) of the eight-course dinner that “did not match expectations.” It reopened late last year with a renewed menu but failed to create a noteworthy buzz. Jumping consumer prices are also dampening the excitement of dining out, most noticeably in eateries serving Korean food. Comments like “15,000 won for a single bowl of kkongguksu (cold noodles in soy milk) is outrageous,” and “how can naengmyeon be almost as expensive as pasta?” bombard the comment section of a related article on the JoongAng Ilbo, the Korean-language affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

New Yorkers are bound by no such nostalgia. And without so much scrutiny on the cuisine’s price tags, Korean food feels freer, trendier, and, arguably, more exciting.

“When it comes to diners in New York City, they are always interested in new experiences and are especially value-driven,” said Coqodaq owner Simon Kim. “They know what good dining feels like and are interested in 'highbrow lowbrow' experiences.”

Food inspired by Korean cabbie diners at Kisa in New York City [JOONGANG ILBO/KISA]

Kisa, on the Lower East Side, is a restaurant inspired by Korean cabbie diners, otherwise known as gisa sikdang. The restaurant, which often sports a queue these days, recreates the food ($32 for a platter) and retro atmosphere to a tee — including a machine that pops cups of sweet instant coffee, the quintessential dessert of Korean ahjussi, or middle-aged men. The only apparent differences are that free banchan refills are available and the kitchen utilizes “high-quality ingredients.”

Kisa, according to the restaurant's website , aims to bring the “authentic taste of Korea to New York City, complete with seasonally curated banchan and perfected main entrees” such as bulgogi, spicy pork, bibimbap and spicy squid.

“Even though it isn’t the cheapest meal, I think I still would appreciate the kind of quality and portions that Kisa seems to be serving,” said Kim Yoo-hee, 28, a Korean local living in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul. She’s never been to New York but learned of Kisa from Instagram and YouTube.

“When Koreans go to gisa sikdang, we don’t really expect great quality. More people go for the affordable prices — meals under 10,000 won — and younger people go there for the retro experience.”

The “secret formula” according to restaurateur Kim, is authenticity and excellence.

A seafood dish at Korean fine dining restaurant Atomix in New York City [JOONGANG ILBO/ATOMIX]

“New Yorkers are extremely open to interpretation and creativity when it comes to welcoming different flavors and cuisines, but they expect a level of excellence and authenticity in the concept,” he said. “There is a large amount of tolerance and acceptance of new and creative ideas, but if it’s not matched with a strong value proposition, sense of excellence, authenticity and originality, it will not be sustainable.”

He continued, “The Korean restaurants that are doing extremely well are the ones doing something truly original, and creating authentic versions of themselves. Originality backed by authenticity and a sense of commitment and excellence is the true secret formula to success in New York City.”

This is likely why many say the best of the world’s cuisines are in New York City.

Even tourist Kim sheepishly admitted it. “Watching a movie or a sports game with delivered fried chicken will always have a special place in my heart,” she said — but Coqodaq's fried chicken “may have been the best ever.”

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]