SEA by Jungsik

Known for Michelin Stars, This Restaurant Team Loosens Up at SEA | Eater NY

"Opened in August at 151 W. 30th Street near Seventh Avenue in a nondescript stretch of north Chelsea edging toward Penn Station, this Jungsik Yim follow-up presents a casual spot with a fine-dining base, steered by the young, energetic Jun Hee Park. The restaurant’s all-caps name references South East Asia and the menu reflects Yim’s passion for the region—he’s hosted pho and other Southeast Asian pop-ups in Seoul—so expect a mashup of elements from disparate cuisines assembled on the same plate rather than a literal fusion. The vibe is no-frills: a dining room with teal tiles, woven lampshades, and travel posters and maps taped to the walls; it fills up late, gets loud (not ideal for visiting relatives), and is a fun place to take friends to share cocktails and plates or to dine solo at the bar. The food includes a beautiful seafood tower with fish “bejeweled” with garnishes, oysters served with a trio of sauces that includes a verdant herb granita, and scallops topped with salmon roe ($75). Among appetizers, do not miss the lacy prawn roll ($18): Park imports the wrappers from Ho Chi Minh City, then fills them with diced carrot, onion, wood ear mushroom, bean sprouts, egg, and pork. Another starter, the nearly round Thai links ($17), are made in-house as two variations of sausages with snappy skin and a super-juicy interior, served with diced chiles, peanuts, and lime—a pairing inspired by Isan sausages’ tangy notes and Chiang Mai sausages’ herbal flavors. Order it with a Singha draft ($11). The pork noodle soup is a signature and a next evolution of Yim’s pho parties: Park combines Vietnamese pho, Malaysian bak kut teh, and Korean gomtang, simmering a broth with ribs, trotters, and other bones along with a blend of cinnamon, clove, and star anise, then adding braised pork belly and rice noodles and serving it with cilantro, bean sprouts, lime, and Thai basil (get the smaller portion, $14, so you can try more dishes). Another standout, influenced by Vietnamese bun cha, is the crispy pork ($38): sliced paper-thin after being seasoned and dried, a thin layer of oil is left on the skin side to help it crisp during roasting; it’s plated with vermicelli and served with lettuce for wrapping plus mint, basil, and nam jim jaew. Drinks are a highlight: a gingery calamansi sour ($19) with frothy egg white; a shots section that includes a banana cream martini shot ($26 for two) and a pink coconut shot featuring ube, clarified milk, and soju ($13); wines (sparkling, rosé, orange, red) from $16 to $25; beers (from Tiger to a Magpie saison) around $11–$14; and nonalcoholic options like a calamansi spritz and single-origin teas (lemongrass-ginger blend to a red oolong) at $10. Desserts, including a creamy coconut sundae, hit the right notes, but the drinks are arguably the more playful element of the experience." - Melissa McCart