Photos in order:
1: View of the kitchen from the counter – this is the entire kitchen where everything is prepped, cooked, and plated. Executive Chef Dae Kim on the righthand side of the image, facing the counter.
2: Spanish Mackerel
Nardello Pepper, Crispy Leeks
Sardine
Charred Castelfranco, Caesar Emulsion
Fluke
Avocado, Kinome
3: Market Tomato
Cucamelon, Shishito, Anise Hyssop, Spiced Sorbet – this was the standout dish for me, it was one of the best things I’ve had in quite a while with an outstanding wine pairing.
4: Surf Clam
Hen-egg Custard, Caviar, Scallion
5: Squid
Fennel, Squid Ink Chojang
6: Monkfish
Fermented Shrimp, Fairytale Eggplant, Taeyangcho
7: Fairytale eggplant that accompanied the Monkfish course. Delicious.
8: Broken Rice
Anson Mills Carolina Gold Rice, Okra, Gosari
9: BBQ Squab
Bao, Japchae, Jjajang – this is Chef Dae’s signature dish, and it was great. The halved head may put some people off but it was a unique experience and very flavorful.
10: Bao bun with filling made of the squab organs, to accompany the dish
11: Kaffir Lime
Shiso, Fennel, Kombu
12: Makgeolli
Coconut, Honey, Peach, Chrysanthemum
13: An extra surprise from the kitchen to celebrate my birthday – their take on a NYC classic black and white cookie, made with black sesame
14: Mignardise
Shiitake Mushroom Macaron – very good but a bot underwhelming considering “Mignardises” usually includes a few different treats. This could be better left as a surprise instead of a menu inclusion.
15: Full menu
by Advanced_Eggplant_18
3 Comments
Full Review:
Had a chance to solo dine at Nōksu recently, and it was a great experience. I would highly recommend this restaurant to other solo diners, couples, or small groups in NYC.
The restaurant is located underground within the 32nd & Herald Square subway station. After taking the stairs underground you approach a dark door with a keypad, to enter the code that was texted to you previously that afternoon. Some people may be turned off by the location, but I think it’s really unique and definitely adds to the experience.
Inside is a beautiful dining room with a dark marble 14 seat counter facing the *very* small kitchen. I was really amazed at how well they have transformed the – upon entering it feels like you are somewhere entirely different than the subway station you have just walked through. The atmosphere has a lot of dark tones and low lighting, but that is intentional to fit the underground setting. It’s really incredible what the team here is able to put out from such a small kitchen, with all of the challenges that operating in a subway station brings. What you see in photo 1 is the entire kitchen, there is no separate prep area or real back of house. Everything is electric or induction cooktops, since gas won’t fly underground. I was especially blown away by the food considering the challenges of the setting.
I felt very comfortable as a solo diner here. Upon arrival a few minutes ahead of my reservation time, I was escorted to a private room in the back where other diners were seated as well. It was a nice icebreaker to chat with the other groups before our seating. I’ll also note that they are very intentional with the seating arrangement – I was sat next to another solo diner that evening, which was a thoughtful way to allow us both to have a conversation partner in each other. Another little detail that I appreciated was that any time a guest got up from their seat, a member of the service team would help to push you back in against the counter once sat back down, so you don’t have to awkwardly try to scooch your stool back into place while seated.
I opted for the “Classic” wine pairing which I was happy with. There were a few standout pours that really complimented their paired dish, but in general the wine was very good though nothing exceptional. To be fair, this is how I feel about most wine pairings and I typically opt for cocktails or by the glass. There were some really great looking cocktails on the menu that I did not get to try but others seemed to enjoy. There’s no bar or bartender here, so the fact that they can even make these cocktails during service is really impressive.
Service was very professional and attentive, however I do think the team could benefit from lightening up a little bit, at times it felt very tense. That is personal preference, but I feel more welcome and comfortable in a setting where service staff is smiling and occasionally having a laugh with guests.
I would also have appreciated a bit more interaction with the kitchen staff, and especially with Chef Dae Kim, who I don’t think said one word to any of his guests the entire evening. I understand he’s working hard, but to me that’s a part of the chef’s counter experience. Again, that’s more of a personal preference thing so it’s not necessarily a fault of their own.
The menu was excellent. Each dish was beautifully presented and showcased big flavors with refined techniques. It’s clear that Chef Dae Kim is very highly trained and is deeply passionate, as he is actively plating and finishing each dish himself. There was not a single dish that I didn’t enjoy. If I had to really split hairs and find something to critique, I would say that a few of the hot dishes were not quite as warm as I would expect them to be, but not cold by any means, and again, that’s a challenge of working in a restricted space like this. I was really impressed by the quality of the cooking, and I found the menu to be very playful and refreshing. I don’t know what Pete Wells was smoking when he wrote his review, but I fully disagree with his critiques. This was a very enjoyable and very memorable meal for me.
Bottom line:
10+ courses
$195
You will have a very tough time finding better quality at this price anywhere in NYC.
Hmm… I went there last week and was quite disappointed overall, but a lot of the dishes I had issues with (most of the savoury courses lol) seem to be substantially or entirely different on your menu. Maybe it was a very early iteration or something, but service was also very jank that night. I might write up a post to compare.
I found the food to be good but the ventilation was so bad it was suffocating. We came out smelling like we spent two hours in a fryer. Never again…