Moono

Moono was very good Korean dining experience in New York. The food was modern but still have comfort and deep flavor, not just pretty looking. Every dish had nice balance, and I could feel the details in seasoning and presentation. The room is stylish but not cold, and service was friendly and smooth. I like that it feels special but still enjoyable, not too stiff. とても美味しかったです. It is a great restaurant for dinner with friends, date, or people who want Korean food in more elevated style. I would recommend this place to many people.

Overall, a good meal with a few highlights and a few misses The standout for me was the buckwheat ice cream. I expected a rough, grainy texture, but it was surprisingly smooth with a subtle buckwheat aroma. The sweetness was very restrained and only became noticeable after a few bites, which made it especially enjoyable. The mushroom rice was another favorite. The seasoning was spot on and brought out the natural flavor of the mushrooms. The combination of green onions and mushrooms also looked beautiful on the plate. The fried chicken was solid as well, tender and well cooked The beef patty was fairly average and didn’t leave much of an impression. The vegetable tempura, unfortunately, was the weakest dish of the meal. The batter was uneven, and there seemed to be too much residual oil, making it feel quite heavy The seating arrangement was the other downside. We were seated in a corner where 3 tables had been placed in a relatively small area, which felt a bit cramped. The experience would probably be much more enjoyable in one of the more open seating areas Overall, some dishes were excellent, some were less memorable, but the buckwheat ice cream alone was worth trying.

The food at Moono was excellent, and the overall vibe was beautiful. The service was attentive and friendly throughout our meal. There were just a couple of things that kept this from being a full 5 stars. My 5 year old was required to order an entrée. We were planning to order one anyway, but I still found it a bit unusual. I also requested a birthday candle with dessert for our celebration when I made a reservation, but unfortunately the request wasn’t acknowledged. Despite those minor disappointments, we had a wonderful experience. The food and service really stood out, and I would definitely bring visiting friends and family here. I’d happily return again 4.5/5.

Short Review- Outstanding Restaurant Week Menu. Get the Hoe Muchim, Yukhoe, Gangjeong, Galbi-Jjim, and if you want to be very full, the Pyongyang Cold Noodle. I went back to this Korean spot with a group for their $60 Summer Restaurant Week menu, which I'll abbreviate as RW from now on. I was not expecting the biggest portions as the menu is a bit pricey, but I was surprised in a good way. Compared to the regular menu, this is a fantastic deal, being both high quality and with large portions. You can see the previous review regarding the nice space, which is from a converted library. The only distinction this time was that they were much more crowded. The server was friendly, though he did rather haphazardly drop off all of the appetizers instead of giving them to the specific people who ordered them, leading to a bit of confusion. To drink, I shared a bottle of 24% Soju Dokdo, which another person had ordered at the bar prior to me arriving during happy hour. As per the other time before we got the other courses, they gave us some kimchi as well as a cold soup as an amuse bouche. The soup consisted of cucumber, tomato agar jelly, basil oil, and Korean pear. The soup is refreshing, cold, slightly herbal, and a little bit sweet, and worked perfectly to whet our appetite. The RW menu that followed consisted first of one choice each from three different options: vegetable, sea, and meat. Afterwards, there was a choice of main and a side dish, and then dessert. From the appetizers, my vegetable choice was the Lotus Root Gangjeong/연근강정, a pair of fried lotus root slices with a mild sweetness, presumably from rice syrup/물엿. The lotus root had a light fry, with a mild crunch, but it was the most basic of the dishes. Other people enjoyed the Asparagus Japchae/아스파라거스잡재 and the Acorn Jelly/도토리묵. I tried the former, and it was refreshing and tasty with an interesting mix of textures. Compared to the other appetizers, this was also the only course without a supplement, which makes sense since it was vegetables. From the sea section, I ordered a dish I got last time, the Hoe Muchim/회무침. The fish in this case was raw salmon, which was buttery, and paired with the crunchy vegetables, the sweet/spicy/mildly fermented gochujang, and the nutty soybean powder. Another person enjoyed the Shrimp Pancakes/새우전, saying that there was plenty of shrimp inside, and no one ordered the $5 extra Abalone Salad/전복냉채. Finally, for meat, I went with the Yukhoe/육회. The meat was tender with a mild fragrance from sesame oil and a bit of sweetness from the paired, well, pear. No one got the Spicy Fried Chicken/닭튀김, while someone else splurged and loved the $5 extra Beef Cheek Suyuk/소뽈살수육. For my main dish, as with a few others as per my recommendation, I went with the $10 extra Galbi-Jjim/갈비찜. The short ribs were very tender, with some fat that was flavorful without being too chewy. The broth wasn't as sweet as some other places, with a delightful little bit of spiciness. This was outstanding, just like last time. Others enjoyed the Bossam/보쌈 and the Squid Stir Fry 오징어볶음, with no one getting the Tofu Mushroom Hot Pot/두부버섯전골. As a side, my choice was the Mushroom Sotbap 버섯솥밥, which is $10 extra, but shared between two people. The rice had a strong umami with a bit of crunch from the scorched part, and was delicious like last time. Another person liked the Seasonal Vegetable Bibimbap/산채비빔밥, and one other had the portion of Pyongyang Cold Noodle/평양냉면, with the broth poured at the table. The portion was noticeably gigantic compared to every other dish, and the bit of broth I tried was delicious. For dessert, there were two choices. I got the Korean Melon/참외. The dish was well composed, with a granita/ice made from melon, some coconut sorbet on the bottom, and a very mild cheesy flavor. It was refreshing. A few had the Burdock/우엉. They found it mildly bitter with a bit of nuttiness, and one person liked it, and the other did not. I tried a bit, and I thought it was decent, but I preferred my dessert.