Oiji Mi - Review - Flatiron - New York - The Infatuation
"Choosing a Korean fine dining restaurant for a special occasion can be as challenging as deciding between steakhouses or omakase counters. Every few months, there’s a new place where you can try the latest variations on bright, chojang-infused broths, or ice cold hwe. It’s a fantastic problem to have. You could eat fried anchovies while wearing a t-shirt at Atoboy, or dress up for dinner above a luxury vehicle showroom at Genesis House. If you choose Oiji Mi in the Flatiron district, you'll get a masterful prix-fixe meal in a room that's elegant while still being untucked. This is a place for people who like pretty things. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte Pause Unmute Before Oiji Mi opened in 2022, there was Oiji in the East Village: a small space with communal tables, where you could eat foie gras mi-cuit, chilled lobster ramyun and standout fried chicken. At Oiji Mi, the cooking shines even brighter in the setting it deserves. Groups fit comfortably into half-moon booths, under timber beams that recall traditional hanok architecture while still being completely modern. Custom lamps inspired by dainty Korean hair pins illuminate the corners. There’s enough room between the tables for servers to start a relay race. photo credit: Kate Previte In the relaxed, supper club-like atmosphere, servers glide more than they run, emerging from the open kitchen with spotted prawns in scallop shells, and pairs of golden chopsticks. You can order a la carte at the bar (or try the $275 tasting menu at Bōm, a separate chef’s counter), but the $150 prix fixe is the only format available in the dining room. Each course has three options. Yes, there are more decisions to be made. But choosing between dry-aged duck and springy somyeon doesn't feel as complicated when you know—just from glancing around the room—that it's all going to be great, and that you're already where you're supposed to be. Food Rundown Amuse Bouche Every meal starts with an amuse bouche course: a trio consisting of spotted prawn, beef tartare, and pumpkin gyeran-jjim. Start with the small square of beef tartare to whet your palate, then pick up the scallop shell to slide chunks of chilled prawn into your mouth, along with a refreshing gochugaru vinaigrette and green apple pearls that burst when you bite into them. Leave the fluffy steamed egg for last. It has pumpkin mixed in, but tastes like a silky fish mousse. photo credit: Kate Previte Striped Jack Hwe This particular version of hwe changed our feelings about spaghetti squash, which we tend to avoid for its overpowering sweetness. The ice cold striped jack sits on a bed of crunchy squash strings with a gingery aftertaste, and the little sweetness in the dish actually comes from a scallion vinaigrette. photo credit: Christian Harder Oiji Bowl The Oiji Bowl is an upgrade from your typical sashimi bowl, with a dozen pieces of creamy uni on one side, juicy sweet shrimp on the other, and some cucumber pickles (aka oiji), on top of an earthy bowl of seaweed rice. Swirl the egg yolk around, and try your best to get all the ingredients in one bite—our server insisted on it, and it really is a brilliant combination. photo credit: Kate Previte Dry-Aged Duck Maybe you didn’t come to a Korean restaurant expecting to eat duck and potatoes, but these ones are special. The tender chunks of dense duck are dry-aged for five days over white oak, then served with chewy potato dumplings in a peppery chorizo broth. It’s also one of the few hot dishes from a kitchen that seems to favor chilled ones. Get the duck. photo credit: Kate Previte Goguma Bingsu The desserts are especially different to choose from—there’s a pleasing rice wine makgeolli, or rice flour donuts that ooze raclette. But we'd go with this bingsu, because you probably won’t find it on other menus. Mango bingsu is popular enough, but this mound of milky shaved ice has sweet potato swirled throughout, just like the chocolate sauce in your Ben & Jerry’s. photo credit: Kate Previte" - Neha Talreja
