Do Hwa
55 Carmine St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 414-1224
Official Site
Ask any person on the streets of New York City for a Korean restaurant and you would most likely be directed to Flushing Queens or Koreantown (aka K-Town) in Midtown Manhattan since these areas have the highest demographic of Korean population and businesses. I’ve never been to Flushing and quiet frankly the food at K-Town although not bad, just doesn’t do it for me. However there are a few Korean restaurants that have successfully ventured out from those areas. One such restaurant is Do Hwa in the West Village. Located on Carmine Street, this restaurant along with the neighborhood’s eclectic food scene makes the West Village a buffet of restaurants.
Do Hwa caught my eye while walking along Carmine Street after having dinner at a nearby restaurant. I was intrigued by the happy hour special on blackboard outside so I decided to take a peek. The place is dim, loud and caters mostly to the hip and trendy West Village crowd. Unlike restaurants in K-Town, there were very few Korean diners which lead me to question the authenticity of the cuisine. But other than the hot dog, pizza and the bagel, is there any niche food that’s a 100 percent authentic in NYC? Please let me know.
If one is into spicy food this the place to dine. One such spicy dish is the Dak Teegim crispy boneless fried chicken drizzled with jalapeno pepper sauce. Seasoned to perfection, it is juicy and soft while the jalapeno pepper sauce provided the right kick of spiciness. Starter dishes like the Dubu Junpan – seared organic tofu, scallion vinaigrette, and the Mak Gooksu cold buckwheat noodles topped with sesame kimchi, are pretty solid appetizers. The Dubu Jun seared tofu has a great soft texture and the Mak Gooksu has a sweetness that worked well with the kimchi. You are given 2 options with entrees – either with a grill, where guests can cook it on their own – served as a Ssam dish accompanied with chilli and miso sauces and other condiments like kimchi and vegetables; and the other option is already cooked by the kitchen. On one of my visits I went for the grill and had the Dak Gui chicken barbecue (thin breast slices) in sesame marinade; and the Seywoo Gui grill, peel and large shrimp with chili dipping sauces. The shrimps were fresh and so was the chicken. I also had the cooked in the kitchen Dak Gui which was very good with a very “far eastern” taste of mild sauces. Entrées are accompanied by condiments of cooked and pickled vegetables in small plates that can be a meal on its own.
The specialty drinks at Do Hwa is as good as the food. Such drinks were the Ginger Cinnamon Tea with Bourbon, where the bourbon dominated the taste while the flavor of the ginger tea complemented in the background; and the Jalapeno Margarita with pineapple and agave – which is spicy with the jalepeno and salt fusion and yet sweet with the agave and pineapple – a perfect combination.
The simple but chic décor along with its trendy staff of women gives the restaurant a hip setting. The dining room is dominated by black and white hollow block walls, concrete floors throughout and black wooden tables (some with a grill) partnered with black wooden chairs. While a white wall in the middle with Korean designs that plug the squarish cut out of the wall serves as a separator between the dining room and the bar area. At the bar guest can enjoy creative libations on the black wooden bar table where the paint is slowly chipping away showing the natural color of the wood. The happy hour menu is written on the wall and various movies are continuously showing in the bar area’s wall.
Before I began exploring the gastronomic beauty that this city has to offer I was a closed minded diner and would always think that if an ethnic restaurant is not in its own neighborhood, the food must not be good. Now, for me there are two types of foods, one that tastes good and one that tastes bad. Although Do Hwa may not serve the most authentic Korean cuisine and caters more to non-Korean diners, the food is still good and the atmosphere is enjoyable. Do Hwa is sure to offer a home cooked meal served family style that will leave you satisfied and more.
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