In LA a few weeks ago, a Korean called Hungry Crowd near our hotel in Burbank was just what the doctor ordered after a long drive from Napa. While munching on their Bibimbap I realized that it’s not only the first Bibimbap I’ve had in ages, but I havent even seen it on a menu in years. My last one may have been at Danji in Hell’s Kitchen (still temporarily closed), about a decade ago. I regretted telling this to the waiter, who was very puzzled by the news.
In NYC pioneers like David Chang, Jungsik Yim, and Junghyun Park (Atomix, Atoboy) converted Korean cuisine into something we cant define. ‘New Korean’ if you will as coined by Jungsik. Tremendous competition pushes newbies to reinvent and differentiate. We now have multiple Cajun/Korean and the haute joints keep multiplying and having babies. Just like you will rarely see new Italian showcasing Cacio e Pepe or Carbonara, you rarely see new Korean offering Bibimbap these days.
Outside of the big city, even in the burbs here, Korean simply means BBQ. In the expending Koreatown in Manhattan, there’s no shortage of BBQ, but new places like Olle on 30th, keep pushing the envelope. Olle is another Jeju inspired (Jeju Noodle Bar) establishment, with somewhat of a concept. Stylish Korean comfort food centered around one dish, the Galbi Jjim.
As with many concept places all over the city, ordering at Olle requires a bit of homework. But no worries. Good ole’ uncle Ziggy is here to help with the process, although I probably understand about 85% of it. All you need to do is order the Galbi Jjim, select the two sides for $10 more, and anything else from the menu. With that you get an excellent Banchan set of around 8 that includes Kimchi, Daikan, Onions, Scallion Pancakes, marinated egg, wood-ear mushrooms, and rice. There was not one dish that I didnt want to more.
But the star is the Galbi Jjim itself. Braised short ribs with oyster mushrooms and other goodies that continues to cook table side. Good luck finding short ribs with greater depth and consistency. The only thing that was missing was more of the excellent mushrooms, but this dish is billed for two people, not four. The price is a whopping $70 (there’s also a small option for $60), but once you add the other parts, its not a bad value. Especially if you successfully share for four.
Out of the two sides, I was surprised at how much I liked one over the other. Bibim Naengmyeon, cold noodles with spicy sauce wasnt quite up to par with my taste. People rave about it all over social media, but I found the sauce too tangy for the delicate noodles and quickly got bored with it. The fried rice dish on the other hand produced at the end of the meal with the leftover Galbi Jjim was stellar. Although it does come with some confusion among the staff on how long we were supposed to cook it in order to have a decent amount of Socarrat. When its done on your table, you are like a kid driving to the Luna park with your parents. Are we there yet?
We also tried the Skate with Soy-Garlic sauce which was another winner. Not exactly new flavors but the combination is unique and works beautifully. Pork bone soup with potatoes, perilla leaves & seeds features a phenomenal tasting broth, but even though it came as advertised, picking the meat from the bones was a frustrating exercise. There were moments where we felt like hamsters being experimented on. Pretty sure the staff were taking notes.
They handed us the bill before I even attempted to find out if there’s dessert. I guess the answer is no. Out of the four, Mrs Z was the only one who didnt care much for the experience, but I suspect it was because she wasnt drinking. That decision meant only $50 pp final bill. All considering, refreshing in this part of the city. Olle is a Go!
Olle
11 E 30th St (5th/Madison)
Recommended Dishes: Galbi Jjim, Fried Rice, Skate, Pork bone soup
Eating With Ziggy 