New York's Best Korean Restaurant?

A Korean restaurant in New York Koreatown has been selected as one of the 'Top 8 New York City Dishes of 2023' listed by The New York Times.

The New York Times

Okdongsik is a restaurant opened by Mr. Okdongsik in 2016 in Mapo-gu, Seoul, which shares the same name as the founder.

매일경제

It became increasingly popular over time, eventually establishing itself as one of Korea's representative pork soup restaurants. In November 2022, it opened a branch in Manhattan, New York. It started as a pop-up store initially, but due to positive response, it settled down as a regular business. It's planning for another branch in Hawaii.

The New York Times

The New York Times highly praised Okdongsik's pork soup, calling it "Okdongsik's dweji gomtang is the kind of soup you could eat everyday." What exactly is pork soup (Dweji Gomtang), and why is Okdongsik's pork soup so special? Let's briefly explore the Korean soup and Okdongsik's culinary artistry.

The New York Times

Firstly, 'Dweji Gomtang' is a compound word. 'Dewji' means pig, and 'Gomtang' refers to a soup made by boiling various parts of meat such as bones, tripe, brisket until the soup is rich and thick. It's said to have evolved from the word 'Goda,' meaning to boil deeply, which then transformed into the word 'Gom.' And comes 'tang' which means soup, therefore ending with the word 'Gom + tang.' When 'chicken' is the main meat source, it becomes 'Dak(chicken) gomtang,' and when 'pig' is added, it becomes 'Dewji gomtang.' Also, there is 'Sagol Gomtang,' which adds 'sagol(四骨)' meaning four leg bones of cattle.

Dak(chicken) gomtang (중앙일보)

Alongside pork soup, you may have also heard of 'Dweji Gukbap' among Korean dishes. Gukbap is also a compound word, combining 'guk' meaning 'soup' and 'bap' meaning 'rice.' Some people occasionally mix up 'Dweji Gukbap' and 'Dweji Gomtang'. Even among Koreans, many may not know the difference, and it is true that the distinction isn't divided in a clear manner. However, 'Dweji Gomtang' generally has clearer broth. Perhaps Okdongsik named it 'Dweji Gomtang' instead of 'Dweji Gukbap' due to the clear broth it contains.

Dweji Gukbap (부산일보)

Any kind of Korean pork soup tends to have a strong smell. Moreover, since various parts of pork are used, the broth can be heavy. However, Okdongsik selects meat carefully to achieve a clear and clean taste. It's known for boiling only the front and hind legs of Jeju black pork to make the broth. This resulted in a clean broth that is neither heavy nor smelly.

Perhaps this aspect is what appealed to international customers, as well as New Yorkers. Even many Koreans dislike the smell of original pork soup, let alone foreigners. The New York Times described Okdongsik's clean pork soup broth as 'pale gold' which implies that the taste of broth didn't bother international customers nerves.

The New York Times

The typical serving at Okdongsik starts warm tea in winter and cold tea in summer. Alongside, there's barely fermented crispy kimchi that can be refilled as much as you like.

And 'gochuji' is provided which is made out of pepper. They're not that spicy, but spicy enough to complement the rich flavor of the meat. Instead of dipping them into the broth, it's better to lightly dip them into the meat.

Finally comes Mandoo, which is the Korean version of dumplings.
Okdongsik provides kimchi dumplings that can be ordered as a side menu.

The New York Times

Alongside Okdongsik, there's Hadongkwan, which is also one of the most famous pork soup restaurants in Korea. It's a very old restaurant founded in 1939 (It has branches in Myeongdong, Yeouido, and Samsung-dong in Seoul). Similar to Okdongsik, the meat broth is clear and transparent. They also use shiny golden brass utensils. The difference is that they use beef instead of pork, and various parts including intestines and tripe are included. Since preferences vary regarding intestines, if you ask in advance to exclude them.

Hadongkwan (중앙일보)

As a Korean, it's somewhat surprising that Dweji Gomtang is becoming famous internationally (It was all about kimchi until now). We don't know which Korean food will receive attention in the future, but I believe it's a positive phenomenon that 'everyday Korean dishes' like Dweji Gomtang is becoming internationally famous, instead of artificially glamorized tourism products.