Danji 346 W 52nd St., (between 8th Ave & 9th Ave), New York, NY 10019
Korean and tapas? In Hell's Kitchen? Who would have thought? Well that is the concept of Danji. They have a "modern" twist to the menu and a "traditional" twist to the menu. Everything on the menu is served small plate style which is usually the complete opposite of my usual Korean experiences. Usually when I have Korean food in K-town it's in a glutinous BBQ style of eating. The one downfall of this meal was that I was only with one other person and it's pretty hard to enjoy tapas style eating with only two people.
The waitress suggested that we get 5 dishes, which seemed to be a bit excessive and considering that each dish is ~$15, a bit steep as well. We decided to get 4 dishes instead: 2 from the modern and 2 from the traditional side. From the modern, we got the fried calamari and wasabi mayo and the bulgogi sliders. From the traditional, we got the grilled pork belly with kimchi and tofu and the korean fried chicken. The fried chicken and calamari came out pretty quickly after ordering. When I first had Korean style fried chicken about 5 years ago, it was like having crack cocaine for the first time. I was instantly smitten and couldn't stop eating them. They were so addictive and Dan and I couldn't stop talking about it for days. Danji's fried chicken did not have that effect. While they were good, they just weren't as delicious as other chicken I've had before. Nancy made a comment that she thought that they were rather bony. It did have the sweet and crispy element to Korean fried chicken that I loved but they just could have been a bit meatier. I'm sure why the fried calamari was on the menu as it's not really a take on Korean food at all but I'm always a sucker for good calamari. They were actually really really delicious. They were perfectly and lightly battered with the right amount of crispness (almost a tempura-like texture). They were the least oily fried calamari I've ever had. The wasabi mayo was a nice addition but it tasted exactly like the jar of wasabi mayo I have in my fridge from Trader Joe's.
It then took a long time for the other two dishes to come out. The bulgogi sliders came out next and while I knew there were only 2, it was still a bit shocking when you know you're paying $14 to see two very tiny sandwiches on a plate. But they were some pretty good mini sandwiches. The buns were brioche bread (although it was a bit too greasy on the top of the bread for some reason) and the meat was nicely marinated with a definite kick to it. It's topped with scallion and cucumber for a nice cooling effect to the spice. We then waited another 15 mins (at least) for our pork belly dish. This was the one I was really looking forward to because I will sell my first born for good pork belly. Unfortunately, this was the most disappointing dish of the night. There was barely any pork belly and the best part of pork belly (which is the fat) was non-existent. Instead it tasted like sauteed pork slices. The dish was primarily kimchi which was a bummer because even though it was good kimchi, it's not worth the price of the dish. I did also really like the extra soft silkly tofu that came with the dish but it seemed a bit out of place with the rest of the meal.
The decor of the restaurant was very modern and sleek. It was also pretty tiny, so I would definitely suggest you get there early. I would come back with a larger group of people and try more dishes since I'm not sure if I tasted the full range of the menu with only 1 other person. Total bill $29/pp including tax and tip.
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