Moim
206 Garfield Place (Betwn. 7th & 8th Aves.)
Brooklyn
718-499-8092
My boyfriend and I had just left Union Hall when he stopped and pointed. “What’s that?” he asked. I had just missed the entrance to Moim, the new addition to Park Slope’s cluster of restaurants and bars.
206 Garfield Place (Betwn. 7th & 8th Aves.)
Brooklyn
718-499-8092
My boyfriend and I had just left Union Hall when he stopped and pointed. “What’s that?” he asked. I had just missed the entrance to Moim, the new addition to Park Slope’s cluster of restaurants and bars.
Minimal, modern and understatedly chic from the exterior, the restaurant—with its vertically situated rectangular box jutting out at the entrance and a neon green “M” beaming at the bottom—resembled a futuristic entrance to a European subway hub.
My boyfriend rushed over, pulling me by the hand and, after a couple seconds of digesting the menu offerings, exclaimed in awe and disbelief, “Korean! It’s Korean food!”
Moim, meaning “gathering” in Korean, comes at an opportunistic time in my life. Growing up with a Korean-born Chinese mom, my family always had a huge vat of homemade kimchi pickling in the fridge. Since moving to Brooklyn from Seattle, however, I’ve found it difficult to satisfy my Yookaejang cravings without a trade off: Either trek up to K-town, or settle for sub-par Korean food from the one of local options located in nearby Prospect Heights.
While the decor, presentation and subtle twists on dishes at Moim whisper “modern Korean,” it still manages to offer plenty of traditional grub. And its interior—gray brick walls combined with dark wood and bamboo—reminds me of bathhouses in South Korea.
The menu is a bit limited but includes a few of the popular dishes on most Korean restaurant menus: Dol Sot Bi Bim Bop, a hot stone rice bowl with vegetables and bulgoki (thinly sliced marinated beef); and Jap Chae, stir-fried glass rice noodles with vegetables.
Dishes appear to be arranged according to size and range from $4 for Sook Ju Na Mul (sautéed bean sprout salad) to $22 for Kalbi (marinated beef short ribs). More modern options include O Lee Gui (duck breast with goji berry and Asian vegetables) and steak tartare with Asian pear and pine nuts. It’s also currently BYOB since it has yet to get its liquor license.
Traditionally, an assortment of banchan—or complementary side dishes—floods the table before the main course. To our disappointment, Moim offered only three small side dishes, none of which included the traditional kimchi. There was, however, a pickled cabbage that resembled kimchi without the usual bright red pepper flakes and pungent garlic taste. It was refreshingly crispy and cool with a hint of vinegar but didn’t have the comforting taste of the Korean staple.
We started with Dduk Bok Kim ($8), soy-seasoned rice cakes and bulgoki. This was listed under the rice and noodles section of the menu, but probably would’ve fared better in the small plates section. It came with tube-like shaped rice cakes lined up on a rectangular plate, with sautéed onions, carrots, green onions and mushrooms. Not a bad start—savory and satisfying—but it had only three small pieces of bulgoki.
After scouring the menu and not finding my beloved Yookaejang, I ordered another dish on my Korean Top 5, the Soon Doo Boo ($10), a soft bean curd stew of shrimp broth served with mussels, shrimp and a clam. Usually red in color, mine was a translucent broth with a side of spicy sauce. Maybe chef-owner Saeri Uyoo Park—who has cooked at Spice Market, Café Gray and the Modern—figures Brooklynites can’t handle a little spice? Adding all of the sauce didn’t do much to perk it up, but it was filling, with a pungent seafood flavor—although I still missed the egg that usually arrives atop the concoction.
My boyfriend ordered the sizzling Dol Sot Bi Bim Bop ($14) and, in a surprising reversal, it arrived with the red sauce already on top of the rice when it usually comes on the side. It was also served with a fried egg for an extra buck (which our server failed to mention). The hot stone bowl looked elegant on its own mini wooden table and confirmed once again that, on the whole, Moim is going for stylish presentation and a sophisticated attitude at the expense of some authenticity. The trendy ambiance also translates into smaller portions than most no-frills restaurants, but will likely become a destination for anyone looking for a quality Korean fix in the neighborhood.
