Gordon Y.
Yelp
Cuisine: 7
Service: 7
Decor: 7
Value: 6
Overall: 7
With all the hype, was I impressed? Not really. Was it a pricey for what you get? Yeah, for sure. But would I go back again? Probably not, unless I'm walking by, see there is no wait, and I'm in the mood for something extreme light.
I will start off by saying that I love specialty restaurants that only do a few things. Well, Okdongsik has only two items, Dewji Gamtong (soupy rice bowl with pork) and Kimchi Mandoo (pickled cabbage steamed dumpling).
As for the famous broth of the Dewji Gamtong, it was maybe the cleanest of any soup I ever had, similar to a pure consommé. With that said, I felt that it is quite bland, and lacked a stronger pork flavor. Even though I didn't want to insult the chef, I had to ask for salt in order to enhance the soupy rice. Once the salt was added, the porky taste finally became more noticeable.
As for the meat, each bowl of Dewji Gomtang ($18) comes with 100 grams of thinly sliced pork shoulder. If you like, you can add another 100 grams for $8, making the bowl $26. The pork shoulder was quite tender and enjoyable with the gochujang provided. Also, the delicious complementary kimchi that is included with the meal was fantastic. In fact, it was my favorite part of the meal.
Unfortunately, the Kimchi Mandoo ($12) was just decent even though I assume it is using the same kimchi. Other than the extremely high price, the main reason is that I felt the mandoo tasted too mushy. The skin was actually made very well, super thin and smooth. I just wish the filling had a bit more bite and flavor.
As I age, I am constantly seeking food that is more light and clean. This fits that requirement, though slightly on the expensive side for a quick meal. Also, this is not a walk-in type of restaurant due to the wait time. You can make reservations, but then it's not so casual any more. For me, though not bad, it's the type of place that will likely be squeezed out of my rotation of restaurants.