Scores: 2 M*/ 2 NYT
Jungsik is a French/ Korean restaurant in TriBeCa. It had been awarded its second Michelin star shortly before our visit, which is a great achievement after only being open for 2 years. It is the sister restaurant of one in Seoul. The restaurant itself is pretty cool, having a very modern style. Beware of the Japanese toilets in the bathrooms though, they look slightly intimidating. There was a nice selection of cocktails available, some with an Asian twist. A selection of five canapés started the meal; these included a crispy fried chicken bit which was very good, a ‘cigar with eel moose and a mango lime granita.
Octopus with ssamjang aioli
There was a long tasting menu available or an a la carte option of which one could make up to a 5 course dinner as the dishes were available in two different sizes. The five possible courses were appetiser, rice or noodle dish, fish, meat and dessert. One starter was fantastic- octopus with ssamjang aioli ($18), the octopus had been braised then slightly grilled and thus had a great texture. It had also been well marinated and had a spicy kick to it, the aioli was a good accompaniment. Bibim with basil sorbet was basically a deconstructed calabrese salad ($15) and was good but nothing special.
Bibim with basil sorbet
Crispy pork belly dwenjang rice ($18) was good, consisting of well-cooked fatty pork on a bed of rice topped with fragrant herbs. Pork belly in spicy broth ($18) was even better; here the broth was very tasty with a depth of flavour.
Pork belly in spicy broth
Thai lobster with a Tom yum beurre blanc ($29) was a very good fish course, this had several large pieces of well-prepared lobster in a sauce that had a slight buttery edge, adding richness, but had real South East Asian flavours. Halibut with seaweed powder and anchovy broth ($27) was also very good indeed, the fish was cooked perfectly and the broth was salty and spicy but balanced.
Thai lobster with a Tom yum beurre blanc
A meat course of grilled wagyu with sesame kimchi (large- $38) was excellent, the meat was perfectly medium rare and had a very good marbling. The kimchi flavours went well with it as well, adding sweet, sour and spice.
Grilled wagyu with sesame kimchi
We decided to skip dessert but three types of petite fours were served- chocolate crispy rice, yuzu macrons and green tea madeleines; all of these were good. The service was professional throughout and the wine advice was pretty good. This meal was a very good experience overall proving for the second time this trip that east/ west fusion food can be exceptional. If you fancy some fine dining that is a bit different then this is a good destination.
4/ 5
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