Jungsik ⭐⭐⭐, NYC, May 2025

Octopus: While it tasted great, it was a tad overcooked/dry, and they needed to add more of the spicy aioli/sauce, which was amazing. Overall, a great tasting dish, though. 17/20

Scallop: This dish was… fine. The scallop was perfectly cooked and the rich sauce on top was nice. The rice, which had a nice nutty flavor, wasn’t a great pairing. I’d expect to be served something like this in a casual bistro, not a 3* restaurant. 16/20

Arctic Char: The char was cooked perfectly cooked, and the skin provided a nice crunch. The light sauce was nice, with the ikura adding a nice salinity, but once again, a very boring dish. 16/20

Galbi: A delicious course! The beef was exquisite, and the mushrooms and rice were a tasty addition. Yes, this dish is boring, but it worked very well, though I think it could have used a sauce. 18/20

Hodugwaja & Sweets: The hodugwaja was good, and while I’m no connoisseur of it, I don’t think it was any better than the versions I had in many regular restaurants/bakeries in South Korea. The macarons and gummies were alright. 14/20

Besides that, I had striped jack, yellowtail, kimbap, strawberry, and their signature dolhareubang dessert. Everything was cooked perfectly, unlike the octopus, but the flavor combinations, sides, and presentations were overall pretty dull and boring, besides the dolhareubang. 15-17/20 for everything besides the kimbap 19/20 and the dessert 18/20.

The service, wine sommelier/pairing/list, etc. were above average, but nothing spectacular. Jungsik NYC getting its third star was one of the strangest upgrades from Michelin in a very long time IMO. I’d say several 2, and even some 1, restaurants in NYC are definitely better, not to mention that I’d absolutely say Jungsik’s Seoul branch is better (though I’ve only been there once). Perhaps it is just that Korean fine dining (besides Atomix) isn’t for me, because I haven’t liked pretty much any of the places I’ve been to.