Decided on Kochi cos the concept of Korean skewer tasting sounds interesting so I thought I should give it a try. Located in Hell’s Kitchen area, the walk down 10th Avenue was a little daunting in my opinion. I was just glad to reach the restaurant safely and couldn’t wait to kickstart my meal
I was a little sad I didn’t get the counter seats but it’s okay, I believed I would still have a good meal (I hoped)
They serve a Chef’s signature menu which is a 9-course tasting priced at USD135
I thought the Sool menu looked interesting and it’s not often you get to try them unless you are at a Korean restaurant
I wanted to try the Seoul Night but they recommended something else that would go better with the first dish and so it began
Corn
Corn Fritter, Yuba Crumble, Lotus Root Tuile, Caviar
They left me to pour the corn squash myself and sorry, it was a disaster. lol. The corn squash reminded me of corn soup from MOS burger, just that this was thicker. But it was good. I also enjoyed the corn fritter. I thought it was done quite well
Hwe
Amberjack, Red Quinoa, Korean Pear, Kim Bugak
I really liked this dish. The sweetness of the fish went nicely with the pear and crisp seaweed. The sauce stood out on its own. It had a good balance of sweetness coming from the orange and saltiness coming from the fermented soy bean sauce. In all, you can taste the different layers and textures in this dish which was really good
Shrimp Twigim
Crispy Shrimp, Korean Remoulade, Celery Root, Tomato Gochujang
This was a little interesting. I’m not sure if I actually liked it. I mean, I don’t hate it. It was a unique dish. You can taste the even texture of the crust. The thin layer helped so you don’t feel too overwhelmed and full from eating it. There was a layer of crab meat around the prawn which was pretty nice, or so I thought it was crab meat. But in all, it’s not a dish I would want to revisit again. lol
Moving on to my second Sool, which I finally got to try Seoul Night
Spanish Mackeral
Charcoal Grilled Spanish Mackeral, Makgeolli Yuja Vinaigrette, Eggplant
When the dish arrived, you can smell it from a distance. It smells heavenly. The eggplant at the bottom was amazing. Crispy on the outside but soft inside without being overcooked. The fish itself was a little burnt and salty but it went well with the vinaigrette. And when you eat the whole thing together, it was simply delicious
And then the third Sool which would go well with the mains cos of its earthy tones
Pork
Pork Belly, Kimchi Marmalade, Charred Lettuce and Scallion, Perilla
The pork was cooked the Korean style. The meat was bare of flavours so you can thoroughly enjoy the pork itself. Not a fan of such cooking but I thought the kimchi slew was delicious and the chives a little oily
Skirt Steak
Galbi Marinated American Wagyu Skirt, Barley, Chimichurri, Sweet Potato (truffle supplement 21)
There was a confusion when I ordered the menu. I thought I was asked to choose if I want the beef or not so I said I’ll pass the wagyu. Then when this came, I was like ?! I thought I was skipping the wagyu? And they said oh, the beef comes with the menu. You were supposed to choose the skirt steak or the wagyu. I was like.. right. lol
I’m glad I didn’t skip the beef. And I was given free truffles so yay. Considering how they served skirt steak, this was amazing. It was so tender you wouldn’t believe this was skirt. I love the how the chimichurri sauce went really well with the dish and ending it off with the sweet potato to end the main nicely. Was given a side of cheesy butter to go along with it but personally I thought it was better without
Trout Bibimbap
Soy Marinated Steelhead Trout, Seasonal Sprouts, Candied Anchovy, Seaweed Rice (Sea Urchin supplement 14)
It’s very cute how they served in a metal bowl, like Korean-style, though a little more elevated
The gochujang sauce was spicy. I wonder how the locals would be able to take it. But as I looked around and saw the guests were primarily Asians, I’m like okay. They could take it. lol
The bibimbap was good and especially so with the candied anchovy. I felt like without the anchovy, it would be a letdown. The uni was a little strong on its own but when you mixed it all together, it worked very well
Froyo
Daechu Frozen Yogurt, Crispy Dates, Fig Compote
First bite, tasted weird. But it got better after a few mouthfuls of it and it went nicely with the crispy dates and fig compote
Ice Cream Sandwich
Black Sesame Seed Ice cream, Chocolate Sponge Cake, Misugaru
Last dish, together with Korean Espresso Martini cos I wanted to try the cocktail
The dessert, unfortunately tasted pretty normal to me. It didn’t leave an impression on me. It was just, icecream lor
The meal had its ups and downs though generally it was still pretty good. It’s a I-don’t-mind-going-back kind of place but not necessarily oh, I want to go back there again. Though service was great and it felt pretty relaxed and friendly dining there
Kochi
652 10th Ave, New York, NY 10036, United States
Easily satisfied, Hard to please 
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