Chef Sungchul Shim opened Kochi in a smaller Hell’s Kitchen area room at the conclude of 2019. It bought its liquor license a several months later on, a person working day in advance of the citywide shutdowns in March of 2020. However, Shim’s Korean skewer tasting menu managed to rack up accolades in spite of the field tumult that adopted.
Kochi now tops our lists of the best dining establishments in NYC, it obtained a Michelin star previously this calendar year and it just won Time Out’s Ideal of the Metropolis award in the cafe class. Currently, Chef Shim is opening his 2nd venture nearby.
“We went by a lot of issues and survived,” he says in the hours just before opening the doors to Mari. “It’s complicated, but I consider to consider this concept will get the job done due to the fact we set so much electrical power and so substantially method and so substantially enjoyable. And also I’m Korean and I want to make our individual creative Korean menu.”
Shim’s two dining establishments are separated by a several blocks and an avenue. Reservations at both of those are booked by the weekend.
“I come to feel confident,” he states. We have a wonderful team, the fundamentals are so great, so that is why I sense a lot more relaxed. The restaurant small business is not only by a person. You have to make it jointly. Layout, menu, company, drinks, it is extremely advanced. I’m actually lucky to have these persons to get the job done with and to make with each other this Korean foodstuff society.”

His second solo venture swings absent from the sensational skewers that won Kochi so considerably acclaim and into new prix fixe terrain with a $125, 12-course prix-fixe influenced by Korean avenue food.
“This is not only a hand roll restaurant, this is a Korean whole tasting,” Shim claims. “The reason why I chose a tasting structure is that I test to give company a complete encounter, not a half. The similar as Kochi. Kochi’s inspiration is a skewer. Now, I’m applying the kimbap.”
Quite a few of the ingredients that go into his snow crab, pink caviar, pork stomach and Wagyu beef types are ready on-web page.
“Almost every thing we make in-dwelling,” he suggests. “I feel which is the vital factor. Since Korean food items is all about soy sauce, fermentation and timing. So we make all the key substances for the kimbap, which is a Korean hand roll, in dwelling. All the pickles and sauces and condiments, we make here. We have around 10, 12 different types of preserved greens and 15-20 different home produced sauces.”

Also important: another open up kitchen, type of like Kochi’s. The Mari group created an island get the job done house in the center of the eating area.
“Guests can sit at four sides of the bar and they can look at us: What we do, what we put together and what we’re serving,” Shim suggests. “A restaurant is not only promoting the food. The company have to enjoy, they have to have a excellent knowledge. They arrive below not just for a food. So I consider to give them a lot more fun. It’s pretty dynamic I think company really like it.”
The relaxation of the quite place is lined in pale wood banquettes, tables and chairs with pops of color in the blue upholstery. It seats 30 inside with home for 20 additional in its heated outside dining spot. The hand rolls that anchor Mari’s menu are bookended by other dishes like a sundubu with small neck clams, mussels, shrimp and charred scallion chili oil and a choco pie with sponge cake, black sesame seed marshmallow and strawberry jam to complete.
“It’s type of like, I want to exhibit them a Korean showcase,” Shim says.
