It was Sarah who introduced me to Atoboy in December, and it was love at first bite, so when April suggested that we went there for dinner last Saturday, I didn’t have any objections. Atoboy opened in August 2016, so it’s still a fairly new place, but it’s one of those places everybody is talking about, so a table reservation is absolutely crucial. Don’t wait until last minute like we did. Yikes! Still can’t believe we actually managed to get a table with such short notice.
You pick 3 courses from the menu and the food is served when it’s ready, so if you’re eating slow because you’re too busy chatting with your friend, you might find all 3 plates on the table at the same time.
I wanted the beef tartare and April wanted the lotus root, and we both voted for the steamed egg with sea urchin, but the rest of our meal was up for negotiation. I’m happy there were only 20 items on the menu, because when everything sounds delicious, it’s really hard to make a choice.
In addition to the dishes mentioned above, we also had Fried Chicken with spicy peanut butter, Sunchoke with black truffle and Pork Jowl with barley and ssamjang.
3 courses with kimchi and a bowl of white rice is $42 with the opportunity to upgrade to Special Rice for an additional $2. The food is modern Korean and the plates are rather small, but along with the rice and kimchi plus the purchase of a delicious pumpkin cheesecake dessert, we left fully satisfied.
PS: If The Egg is still on the menu, make sure you order it with the sea urchin upgrade. It’s a $15 add on, but it’s totally worth it.
My guide to Korean food and restaurants in New York City >>
Atoboy, 43 E 28th Street (between Madison Avenue & Park Avenue), Flatiron, New York
