Odre 9/10
Fabulous, flavorful, well-crafted, and impeccably presented tasting menu for $42 in the East Village! The space is simple and elegant, because the presentation of the food and cocktails really deliver the experience. The waitress was incredibly knowledgable about each course and cocktail, and the care and thought put into the menu really showed through. The menu is a tasting menu with choices of 3 courses and a palate cleanser soup to start. Dishes include raw fish, flavorful and inventive vegetable dishes, and beef shank, running the gamut but all living within the same stylistic universe and fitting together any which way you eat them.
My guest and I each started with the Hwe Platter - a few raw pieces of Scallop, Yellowtail, and Conch in a delicious somewhat spiced red Yuza Chojang sauce with basil. Next up I had the broccolini and mussels, which was not my favorite, but my companion had the snow crab rolls in crab bisque, which were his favorite of the night.
Your main course comes with a tray of additional flavors, "Banchan" - small side dishes in traditional Korean flavors - ours included kimchi, rice, egg, and a warm and rich side soup with cabbage. The elements of the Banchan are not the same from one day to the next, but the setup includes a steamed or braised ingredient, a fresh vegetable, a simmered ingredient in broth, and pickled, seasoned, and fermented vegetables.
My main was the cod, which came in a delicious miso-esque sauce with black trumped mushrooms, but the tender and sweet beef shank with leeks and Pyogo mushrooms stole the show!
Cocktails were as well-crafted as the food, and the restaurant serves a generous happy hour until 7 pm, the waiters even checked in with us before happy hour ended to put in another round. We opted for the martini night ($15), and the old fashioned ($15). The soju martini was finished with a twist of lemon peel, and stood its own with the plates of food in craft, flavor, and balance. The beverage menu also includes reasonably priced glasses of wine, soju, and non-alcoholic fermented beverages
The tasting menu and Banchan format allows you and your guest to try more than 10 distinct flavors and combinations (including the 6 banchan elements), and will have your conversation turning to dish comparisons immediately. We almost forgot anything else we had to talk about, as it’s near impossible not to comment on close to every bite you take, as each bite produces a new combination of flavors due to the mix-and-max elements of the Banchan platter.
Odre was a 10/10 on service, 9/10 on food, the vibe left a little to be imagined, but the place filled up quickly and the buzz of other diners provided a stimulating backdrop for the rest of the meal. Would visit again soon!
