Oiji: Adorable Korean Tapas in East Village

What?  Korean food outside of K-town?

Yes.

And you should go.  To Oiji.  Soon. (Maybe put some pants on first.)

Take a seat among friends.  Share libations like rum & pepper cocktails with pepper syrup and blackberry shrubs.

Remark on the simple decor (it's really so cute) while you wait for your food - order several plates to share, it's the only way.

The fried chicken arrived first, and the waiter swiftly stated, as I grasped my camera with both hands, "You really should eat this as soon as possible."  Fine.  I know the tapioca flour batter waits for no one, but it really took no time to polish at all - the batter was almost ethereal, so light and crisp.

The smoked mackerel was a must order for us - one of my favorite fish.  We dressed it with a simple squeeze of lemon and citrus soy - it really didn't need the soy, so naturally flavorful, but who can resist using that charming brush made of chives?

The beef tartare, topped with a brilliant glob of slow-cooked egg yolk, was instantly the table favorite, topped with ramp aioli, sticks of daikon and immaculate cubes of sweet cantaloupe.  The beef was exceptionally light and amazing.

The truffle seafood plate with crisp rice is finished tableside with a pour of the hot seafood broth over crisp rice.

The rice soaks up a bit of the immensely flavorful broth, but maintains all the crunchy fun you'd want for the party in your mouth.  The soup comes with a few mussels, calamari rings and shrimp, and feels like spoonfuls of instant comfort.

The slow-cooked oxtail with root vegetables is a hearty, meaty plate with two thick pieces of oxtail.  The dish is unexpectedly sweet and would be wonderful with a nice bowl of steamed, white rice, which could be ordered on the side.  We didn't bother with any rice though, instead, we just picked up the oxtail with our grubby hands and chewed that braised meat clean off the bone.  (Okay, I wish we did that.)

We ended with the honey chips, freshly fried to order, unbelievably light and crispy, yet somehow glazed with honey and absolute magic.  The chips are just the slight bit spicy and sweet and all the bit as delicious as everyone says.  Apparently these chips are THE rage in Korea, and now you can get it for $5 in your very own city!

We ended up getting dessert in the LES later, because sticky toffee pudding is all the rage in my stomach right now, and we'll have more on that later, but next time I'll have to see what Oiji has in the sweets department, because there definitely will be a next time.

Han's Nonsensical Rating:    Best chips.  Best beef tartare.  And best water refills (gotta love these little things!)  So much more on the menu to explore and hopefully adore!

Oiji
119 1st Ave, New York 10003

Hangawi - A Korean Vegetarian Wonderland

If there's anything that I never thought I would love, it would be vegetarian Korean.  I mean, what could be more delicious than impeccably marinated beef shortribs grilled over openflame?

But now I question everything I once knew about the world after I have fallen head over heels in love with Hangawi - an incredibly warm restaurant in K-town that is so perfect for dates (take off your shoes, slip into these little wooden bunkers under soft candlelight!) and anyone who would appreciate good ol' fashioned adorableness.

Greeshma and Diana came off the Boston bus, and we bee-lined for Hangawi for their last seating at 10:45p.  To satiate their raging hunger, we shared the following:

The most amazing ginger iced tea you will ever have served in the most rustically crafted ceramic cups.  The spice from each sip will burn your throat in the very best way.

Jap chae, bundled into parchment paper and cut open at your table, releasing the aromatic steam into the heavens.

Inside the paper package are lovely strands of clear noodles, lightly seasoned to perfection, tangled with mushrooms and vegetables.

Wedges of kimchee are served at the table to nibble in between plates.

Black sesame soup which is so thick both in texture and black sesame flavor - hard to eat more than a few spoonfuls, so best to share if you want to try it.

Organic wheatfree kale pancakes, made with rice flour, and served with a slightly sweetened soy dipping sauce.

So addictively crispy and probably very healthy - it has the words kale and organic in it right? 

It was Matsutake mushroom season when we visited which meant an inaugural return of the king of mushrooms.The mushrooms grow at the base of pine trees in the mountains of Korea.

It is because they are so coveted that this plate of mushrooms cost $32.  Without a doubt, one of the most expensive mushroom dishes I have ever had, but they were nicely cooked with tender chew, tossed with eggplant and soy ginger paste sauce.

One of my favorite dishes at Hangawi is the tofu steak, which doesn't sound particularly amazing, but slabs of tender tofu come sizzling on this stone plate, drenched in the most unctious, flavorful, gingeriffic, tangy thick sauce that you must coat every piece of tofu and scrape off into your bowl of fluffy steamed rice.

I would eat my hand if it was covered in this sauce.  

For dessert, I would skip Hangawi and head to Grace Street (to be another post), but they do have a few offerings here - all which are vegan and dairy-free.

We had the chocolate tofu pudding that I know people claim tastes just like pudding, but it really doesn't.  It's not terrible, but it's not great.

The blueberry coconut cake was a bit on the drier side, and though the flavor was good, the texture was also a little strange.  It just made me miss real cake.

However, the amount of which we enjoyed the rest of meal more than compensated for the less than stellar desserts, so all you meat-eaters, take a chance, and romance your man or lady here soon !

Han's Nonsensical Rating: I crave the ginger tea here about every day, and think about the jap chae and tofu steak just as much - definite recommend for one of the more unique restaurants in New York and K-town!

Hangawi
12 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016
Reservations encouraged

Kaju Tofu House and Kung Fu Tea

Wow, with a blink of an eye, too much time has gone by since our last update! Han and I have both been working like crazy-people, and we've been busy planning a wedding. That's right, I'm getting hitched in a few short months, and Han is going to be my beautiful maid of honor! In fact, we'll soon embark on a food-trippin'-donut-tastin'-wedding-research weekend, and I'm sure we'll share details from that as well.

In the meantime, I wanted to proclaim my love for Kaju Tofu House and Kung Fu Tea. Korean food is hard to come by in Boston, so I cherish every moment of a Korean meal. Kaju Tofu House is known for their soondubu (tofu stew), and boy was it delicious. Steph and I ate ourselves into happy fools.

The banchan spread was super tasty...

The dried seaweed was my favorite, as it was a perfect crispy mix of salty-sweet in between spoonfuls of my soondubu. I also loved how the plate of kimchi was larger than all other plates. So smart.

We both got the seafood soondubu.

The best is trying to eat it right away, burning everything in your mouth because it's so hot, but keepin' on, because all you want to do is eat the darn delicious thing. The tofu was very tender, and spice-level was moderate. Very satisfying.

We also ordered kalbi. I never go anywhere without kalbi.

It came over a bed of onions, and the marinade was fantastic. The meat itself was a little tough to chew, however. 

As if one order of kalbi wasn't enough, we also ordered kalbi over rice (with carrots and cabbage) in a stone pot. Not quite bibimbap, but pretty close.

I mixed it all up as you would normal bibimbap. Again, the meat was a bit chewy/tough. I love anything with mixed rice in a stone pot - note the lovely browned/burnt pieces of rice! - so I was still a happy camper.

I love Steph's expression showing our spread. 

I need to go back soon.

For dessert, one should always get boba, and Kung Fu Tea is the place to go, as it's best boba I've had in Boston.

This particular location (off Huntington and Mass Ave) is the newest one, and I love all the space and the look. They also use and sell Yakult (for Chinese/Taiwanese readers: our famous Yang Le Duo!) and macarons in case you're hungry. Anyway, the teas and smoothies are great, and the boba texture itself is phenomenal. Perfect bounce, never stale, and always with sufficient brown-sugar-sweetness. One of my favorite things is that they let you choose different levels of sugar in your drink (70%, 50%, etc) - JUST like in Taiwan. *swoon* With this being only 2 min from my apt, I'm going to have trouble fitting into my wedding dress. Wish me luck!

Kaju Tofu House (multiple locations)

58 Harvard Ave, Boston, MA 02134

617.208.8540

Kung Fu Tea (multiple locations)

334 Massachusetts Ave

Boston, MA 02115

617.936.3608

Terrific Korean Fried Chicken at Mono + Mono & Dessert Club Chickalicious

Mono + Mono, I love you.  I love that cool, cool ambience with those old-school records lining the walls, and those lovely jazz notes floating in the background.

I love your pork jeon.  I had no idea that it would be little silver dollar-sized pork and onion-like sausages that had the most addictive soy-based marinade.  (I could eat dozens, but I usually only eat one because I know how to share, but not necessarily because I want to.)

I like your sesame leaf jeon a little bit less,

though the little sesame leaf wrapping is sooo adorable,

but the juicy pink beef interior is a little bit disconcerting.

But the main reason I truly love you is your fried chicken (naturally).

It's perfect.  It comes in two flavors - hot & spicy (and oh ! what a lovely level of spice !) and soy garlic (a lovely mix of sweet and savory). A large combo platter is my most favorite order in the world.  The chicken is twice fried to make the skin particularly thin and crispy, and the whole thing is a beautiful spectacle that brings tears to my eyes (and that's not because the chicken wings are spicy).

And that's all you should mainly order.  Jeon and fried chicken.  Repeat. And then do it again.  Oh, sweet happiness!

I did go ahead and try some other dishes for your sake though !

The bulgogi mung bean pancake was interesting, but I don't think I'd order it again.  Definitely beany with a touch of mung. Just kidding.  Quite the blandcake ! Ha !

Garlic seafood fried rice was a nice little dish, with chunks of fresh seafood, a nest of fried green onions, and sticks of asparagus.

Fries are thick cut and not quite memorable.  You should order the soft shell crab buns instead (not pictured) because they have like 25 spices on it (who knew you could fit that many spices on a soft shell crab?), and it's fun to see how those crabs barely fit in that bun, or in your mouth, but it's fun to try all the same.

After your lips are stinging and singing from the tastiest Korean fried chicken to hit East Village, mosey on over to Dessert Club Chikalicious for their tasty strawberry shortcake sundaes, thick and tasty soft serve, and more.

At the clerk's recommendation, I tried this multilayered mayhem of chestnut cake, almond paste, meringue, whipped cream and chestnut icing.  Not too sweet, this nutty thing, with crazy textures in every layer, was a hit among the group.

I kind of fell in love with the Michelle Obama though - salted caramel, soft serve with a dash of espresso.  It's a sultry little affogato that's un-fogatable.

Han's Nonsensical Rating: Mono + Mono and Dessert Club Chikalicious just might be my favorite food pairing in some time.  I am pretty sure angels sing every time I crunch my teeth into one of those gloriously golden glazed wings.  Okay, maybe that's just the crispy skin ringing in my ears, but boy is it a heavenly feeling !

Mono + Mono 

116 E 4th St New York, NY 10003

Dessert Club Chikalicious

204 E 10th St New York, 10003