Your reviewer is blessed living in London, arguably the culinary capital of the world. If any other city were to go head-to-head with it, then New York would be the most likely candidate. England’s capital boasts more Michelin-starred outlets than its North American rival, although NYC wins on the metric of stars per square mile. It also boasts more restaurants in absolute terms.
However, this is not a competition. What makes both cities so culinarily vibrant are their diversities rather than commonalities. A recent brief trip to Manhattan abundantly revealed this. The two dining highlights were eating high-end Korean food and being introduced into the joys of Hawaiian cooking. Neither option exists properly in London.
Begin with Oiji Mi, a trendy Korean in New York’s Flatiron district. Any restaurant that wins a Michelin star in its first year of opening (2022) and still has a two-month waiting list for reservations must clearly be doing something right. It is worth reading chef-proprietor Brian Kim’s mission statement on the venue’s website. He writes extensively about the thought process behind creating an aesthetic, both in terms of cuisine and décor. Everything about the venue is intended to emit warmth joy and comfort, albeit in a very refined way. This is a cool, class act.
Service could not have been friendly at Oiji MI. With a view from our table into the open kitchen, it was also evident just how effortlessly well the culinary team functioned. There appeared to be harmony in their movements. Cooking here is more vocation than chore. Maybe it helps that diners have to order a prix-fixe menu. Five courses do not come cheap at $150/head, although London’s KOL does something very similar. Across the dining journey, there are some options. Our server was on hand to point out the best combinations and most popular dishes.
Each dish was a masterpiece in composition and harmony. Spice is used judiciously and balanced with umami and acid. Flavours meld rather than jar. They linger too. Case in point is the opening trio of amuse-bouches, pictured. Beef tartare nicely balanced off against celeriac, and prawn with a savoury vinaigrette. The standout was a quite remarkable shitake broth, whose depth of intensity was off the charts. Finding drinks pairings for the dishes was also a delight. The Sommelier knows his stuff. Both a Korean-influenced take on the classic Negroni and a steely Riesling from the Nahe were superb matches.
Walk some dozen blocks south from Oiji and then east and you will find yourself in Manhattan’s ‘Alphabet City.’ Nestled on First Avenue and easy to miss lies Noreetuh. This is a local’s place (hat-tip to CA for the recommendation). As with Oiji MI, part of Noreetuh’s success lies in the enthusiasm of the general manager co-proprietor, Jin Ahn, whom we met. His enthusiasm and passion was evident. He is keen to bring modern Hawaiian food to the masses and to pair it with wine. Noreetuh has a 300-bottle list. Guests can also bring their own.
Translate ‘noreetuh’ into Englis and it means ‘playground.’ The venue is happy to experiment and push culinary boundaries. The dishes on offer include classic retro-Hawaiian (spam) as well as a heavy dose of Japanese (think sushi and poke). However, there are also other influences from across Europe (Spain, Italy) and south east Asia (especially Korea). A stand-out case study would be Noreetuh’s excellent grilled Iberico rib meat, which paired off superbly with a ginger cabbage pickle. Elsewhere, a truffle campanelle dish was a masterpiece of composition, involving homemade pasta, Chinese broccoli, Hawaiian smoked pork shoulder and black winter truffle. We left full and happy, as all diners should.