Soup Dumplings Get a Korean Remake at the Exceptional Octo in Koreatown

Though Korean barbecue often gets more attention in Manhattan’s Koreatown, Korean Chinese restaurants have long been a feature of the neighborhood. Offering a smattering of Chinese American and regional Chinese dishes, their menus have traditionally focused on noodles, specifically jajangmyeon — thick wheat-flour pasta smothered in an inky sauce of fermented bean paste, pork, and onions. The dish is said to have been introduced by guest workers from the province of Shandong, just across the Yellow Sea from Incheon, where a Chinese community formed in the late 19th century.

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Gradually, the menus of Korean Chinese restaurants here have expanded to include modern takes on Chinese food from a Korean perspective. Banchan are served alongside, and the use of chiles often mirrors the way they are used in Korea. The latest and most cutting edge example of these restaurants is Octo, which opened at 1 East 33rd Street, just east of Fifth Avenue on the northeastern edge of Koreatown last December. It is related to New Wonjo, a barbecue said to be the oldest in Koreatown, founded in 1993.

Octo’s chef is Segun Song, who previously worked at a Korean Chinese restaurant in Seoul called Palais de Chine. He has assembled a menu that incorporates Korean Chinese classics, Cantonese and Hong Kong cuisine, northern Chinese specialties from Beijing, and the food of Shanghai, embracing and reinterpreting the wildly popular soup dumplings. Here are seven reasons to check out Octo:

1. Kimchi soup dumplings: It’s hard to imagine a more complete remake of this Shanghai standard. The bright orange wrapper contains carrots; the soup is sweet and sour; and the meatball inside features pork, cabbage kimchi, and Thai chiles. These wobbly babies pack a spicy punch absent from the mellower originals (five for $15).

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2. Jajangmyeon: This iconic dish is where Korean Chinese food got its start: black as midnight based on a mild fermented sauce shot with chunks of onion, and dotted — in this version — with bright green soybeans. As is traditional, the presentation includes the noodles concealed underneath. Mix thoroughly. ($18, $9.95 at weekend brunch)

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3. Beijing duck: The large format dish is available by the whole bird or half ($94.95, $59.95), with an optional set of side dishes that could make it the entire meal. My party ordered the whole duck by itself, which arrived thoughtfully portioned on two identical platters. With a dark bronze skin and little visible fat, this version was as good as any in town. A second course consisted of leftover tidbits with lettuce leaves for wrapping. (A luxury black duck with truffles and gold leaf for $155 is available, but must be ordered two days in advance.)

Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

4. Cumin pork back ribs: Baby backs get a new treatment in this dish. Tender and fun to gnaw, they come annealed with mild chiles and flavored with crispy garlic. The dish is inspired by the distinctive cumin lamb ribs found on most Sichuan and northern Chinese menus, with a flavor profile said to have been inspired by Uyghur cuisine. Here the dish has been propelled in a stickier direction, from which the cumin emerges among a concert of flavors. This was a favorite dish at our table. ($28)

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5. Fish of the day: This dish is truly thrilling. In our case, it was a whole red snapper steamed in the Cantonese style, but instead of a simple flavoring of leeks and scallions, this fish benefit from a catalog of aromatic flavors, topped off with the restaurant’s homemade soy sauce, adding subtle notes. The fish arrives mainly deboned and conveniently parsed into segments. ($48)

6. Service and ambiance: The service at Octo is top tier, and a multi-course meal I enjoyed there with seven other guests went like clockwork. The dishes arrived in twos and threes, with fresh plates and silverware provided at each juncture. Water glasses were regularly refilled, and alcoholic drinks replenished as requested in an unobtrusive way. The two-level dining area is purely functional, like an elegant diner, consisting of a small bar in front, booths and tables up a ramp in a well-lit dining area, a couple of colorful murals, and a busy kitchen visible at the end.

7. The overall excellence of Octo: Octo is the best Korean Chinese restaurants in Koreatown, and may even be counted among the best Chinese restaurants in the city. The flavors are refined, the preparation and presentation top-notch, and I guarantee you’ll have a great meal there. Note that it is also open at lunch and weekend brunch, in which some dishes are deeply discounted, with bento meals representing regions of Korea available at weekday lunch.

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