As of late, Koreatown has been growing beyond its traditional area of 32nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, and NYC diners could not be happier. Steve and Christina Jang, the owners of New Wojo—the most successful Korean BBQ in the area—have created an elevated eatery called OCTO that features Korean-Chinese fare. OCTO is the only restaurant in NYC serving this cuisine. It dates to the late 1800s when Chinese immigrated to Korea. They also brought with them an Asian-Fusion style of cooking.
Popular spices from both countries are mixed to create sensations of extraordinary taste. Diners who have never experienced Korean-Chinese will undoubtedly be asking their servers to identify some of the unusual sweet and savory spices used—among them combos of shitake mushroom, smoked paprika, nori, cinnamon, sesame seeds, fennel, black pepper, garlic, ginger, nori, and Gochugaru. Some dishes are kept simpler and “purely Korean,” flavored with the three ingredients in every Korean kitchen—soy sauce, soybean paste, and chili paste.
WARM & WELCOMING
The OCTO cuisine is elevated, but you will feel comfortable the minute you set foot into the ultra-large dining room with lofty ceilings, oversized elegant Asian art, red leather booths, and a vast open kitchen, which is visible from every seat in the house. Co-owner Steve Jang tells us, “We want to be a warm and welcoming space for diners of all ages to enjoy a memorable dining experience. By locating ourselves near Koreatown, we sought to ensure easy access for customers from across the city, embracing the vibrant cultural landscape while adding our twist to Chinese cuisine that resonates with the Korean palate.”
Hanging in the front of the kitchen is both traditional Peking Duck and Black Peking Duck, created with Italian truffles that must be ordered two days ahead (many diners team this delicacy with truffle fried rice). All the dishes at OCTO are served family style. They are reasonably priced—each has about four generous portions, so arguably, a table can get packed on one shared appetizer (like the unique handmade dumplings) and one entrée (like the crowd-pleasing Garlic Chicken, which features deep-fried battered chunks of white meat chicken topped with sesame seeds and a sauce quite like the one on General Tsao’s Chicken).
DON’T FORGET THE DUMPLINGS
Dumplings are popular right now, and many restaurants and food carts serve them exclusively! OCTO has only been open since January 9th—still the press reviews have been roaringly positive for their unique dumplings, which include OCTO Truffle Siu Mao (filled with soft-boiled quail egg, pork, prawn, and black truffle) and the crowd-pleasing Spicy Pouched Dumplings (with a filling of pork, celery, peanut, black vinegar, and a spicy sauce). Both dishes are boiled, but you can get pan-fried dumplings filled with pork, shrimp, cabbage, and chives. We suggest starting with the Spicy Poached Dumplings, which come in a portion of six. The light, semi-transparent dough filled with fresh farm ingredients will make you want to move into OCTO and never leave!
NOODLES LIKE NO OTHER
The noodle dishes are something you will find unique. A half-dozen notable noodle and rice dishes are available, and we tried a meat and noodle dish never seen on any menu in the city before called OCTO Steak Jajangmyeon. This is an unusual combo of beef striploin, pork, truffle, onion, noodles, and bean paste sauce. The tender beef and pork pairing is a winner, and the bean paste sauce gives off an intriguing cinnamon-like flavor.
We then selected two large entrees for about eight people to share (we had no idea they would be so big, and we were not complaining!). Hot Garlic Chicken did not disappoint with its deep-fried juicy breast chunks, leeks, lettuce, and pepper. The saucy was mildly garlicky, and you can ask for hot oil and powdered cayenne pepper if you want to kick up the “hotness” a notch. The second dish was the Tangsuyuk, which is crispy pork, leeks, onions, mushrooms, and homemade sweet and sour sauce, nothing like the type you know in Chinese restaurants. This sauce is genuinely Koren-Chinese meaning it has a lovely touch of bean paste.
VEGETARIAN DELIGHTS & MORE
Vegetarians and vegans might be fearful that there are no dishes for them at OCTO, but nothing could be further from the truth. Top choices for “vegs” include Cucumber Radish Salad, which features marinated cucumber, radish, and garlic sauce; Kimchi Soup Dumplings, which are filled with pork, carrots, kimchi, Thai chili, and sweet and sour sauce; both the Ma-Po Tofu and Chili Eggplant sauteed in hot oil that can be made without the pork listed on the menu; and Seasonal Vegetables, which are stir-fried assorted farm-to-table exotic vegetables with oyster garlic sauce.
For pescatarians, there are plentiful seafood dishes, including Jellyfish Salad made with wood ear mushroom, cucumber, and black vinegar sauce; a Crispy Shrimp Mini Sandwich, which is filled with minced shrimp and seasonal salad; the Scorched Seafood Rice Hot Pot which has baby cuttlefish, shrimp, squid, bamboo shoots and a crispy rice crust; and Glazed Orange King Prawns which feature dried orange, crispy garlic, kale, chili and Chinese yellow wine.
Upon observing our fellow diners, we noticed many large tables sharing the traditional OCTO Peking Duck and a couple of dumplings and noodle dishes. What makes the ducks excel is that they are exclusively raised for the restaurant on a small Tri-state area farm and are only 48 days old when served.
OCTO is a culinary experience like no other. Jang reveals that great new menu additions are due this Spring: “While we have several exciting new dishes prepared, we are still in the process of finalizing which ones will debut on our menu. However, we can say with certainty that our focus will be on expanding the seafood and beef selection. Additionally, we’re excited to introduce more options that cater to vegetable enthusiasts and a variety of tempting options for dim sum lovers. Stay tuned for updates as we prepare to unveil our delicious new additions!”
For more information on OCTO, visit octo.nyc