Latest news with #SungchulShim
Eater
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
The Korean Fare Is the Star of This Times Square Steakhouse
Sungchul Shim quietly opened Gui Steakhouse inside the Times Square William Vale Hotel this past winter. And while steakhouses aren't usually my thing, the food here is too good to ignore: dishes are precise and balanced, reflecting the skills of the chef. Shim, after all, is behind Kochi, the Korean tasting menu spot he opened in Hell's Kitchen in 2019, and Mari, the inventive hand roll counter that followed two years later. Both have Michelin stars. Following that duo, Shim opened in 2023, a more casual Mari spinoff, and DonDon, a buzzy Korean barbecue joint. Gui marks a stylistic pivot: For a chef whose restaurants are definitively modern Korean, an American steakhouse in Midtown's most touristy neighborhood feels, at first, like an outlier. Much like Daniel Boulud's new (showier) Flatiron steakhouse, La Tête d'Or, peppered in French influences, Gui – with its three separate spaces, the first floor bar, the second floor main dining room, and the not-yet-open omakase room – is rooted in an American steakhouse tradition, woven with Korean accents. On the menu, the mignonette is made with makgeolli for the raw bar. The brioche comes with a jocheong-seasoned butter. There's galbi as well as a porterhouse among the meat cuts. Dishes reflect Shim's precise, technique-driven style, which was honed at some of the city's most acclaimed fine dining restaurants (he cooked under Thomas Keller at Per Se, at Le Bernardin with Eric Ripert, and later at Neta). While Times Square gets a bad rap — even though there are good restaurants all over the neighborhood — Gui's food is a draw: particularly when you're with a group that includes a range of conservative to adventurous diners. The vibe: The setting wears an anywhere-in-the-world anonymity with its neutral dining room and private, dimly lit seating. Jazz plays softly. The bar on the far wall glows. It's not scene-y, nor is it a design marvel, which reinforces why you're here: to get out of the mayhem that is Times Square and to eat very good food. The service is tight, too, with pacing that's closer to fine dining, but less officious. The food: Gui runs on a choose-your-own-adventure setup. You could settle in at Bar 92 downstairs for cocktails and a brief menu of oysters, hamachi, and burgers (beef or shrimp: $26, $23). Upstairs, it's a mix of steakhouse hits and Korean dishes that feel dialed up and personal. But the crown jewel might end up being Hwaro, the omakase-style counter set to open this fall. Picture a 22-seat circle around a custom grill and oven, with course-by-course ceramicware and mother-of-pearl inlay accents flown in from Korea. If what Shim's doing now at Gui is any hint, it's going to be something special. On the steakhouse side, Gui delivers the classics with polish, showcasing meat from Creekstone Farm in the dry-age case behind the host stand. The bone-in rib-eye arrives nicely charred, deeply savory, and sliced tableside ($89). The prime rib marinates in shio kombu with a koji crust. Sides include two potato options — mashed with Comte or rosti with yuzu creme fraiche ($12). The eggplant katsu is a good pick, with celery root and tomato ragout ($12). Creamed corn is mac-and-cheese-like with a cheddar-miso mornay ($12). And a common side, pea leaves ($18), was recommended by the server as a dish she eats as often as she can, for good reason. Skip the steak, and you're still in for a great meal. Shim's mom ships him meju (fermented soybean blocks), gochugaru (chile powder), and yeotgireum (malted barley) so he can make his own soy sauce, doenjang, and gochujang from scratch: That attention comes through in every dish. In that vein, Korean offerings read like comfort food for the fine-dining crowd. There's the crispy-edged dolsot bibim bap with the extra umami of seaweed ($21) or a creamy uni add-on ($25). Thin-sliced chadol wagyu brisket is another option ($23). (This was the dish I was most thrilled to eat the next day for leftovers.) The doenjang jjigae with clams and fermented soybeans is elegant, stocked with clams ($15). If you're here with a friend, also order the sundubu jjigae, with chadol brisket and soft tofu and a chile kick ($15). Shim's version of the humble dan dan noodles, dressed with roasted peanuts and Sichuan chile pork, is arguably better than most around town. And while the kimchi waygu fried rice topped with bacon and fried egg might be a bit redundant ($32), the kimchi is so terrific that it makes the dish. For dessert, there's a wild coconut pineapple gochujang panna cotta, a yuzu baked Alaska, and a mousse with ssamjang caramel that's truly a black and white dish ($17 to $19). Gui feels less like a Times Square steakhouse and more like a proving ground for one of New York's standout Korean chefs: that it happens to be located in one of the city's most notoriously touristy neighborhoods might just be part of the trick. Good to know: If you're solo or with just one other person, head to the upstairs bar and order all the Korean dishes toward the bottom of the menu. The prices are fair, the flavors are memorable, and — if you're anything like me — you'll walk away quite pleased.
Time Out
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Gui Steakhouse
Nearly everything chef Sungchul Shim touches turns to gold. Or, in this case, Michelin gold, as Mari and Kochi have consistently ranked in the Guide (as well as achieving high marks on ours). He hopes his latest, Gui Steakhouse, will follow suit. Debuting in the Theater District in February of 2025, Gui Steakhouse feels like a classic steakhouse imbued with chef Shim's Korean heritage. The experience starts in the basement with Bar 92. With its oolong-infused and baijiu-based cocktail menu, the bar serves as its own standalone hang, pre- or post-theater, or an adequate middle ground if members of your party are running late. The host will shoot you up to the second floor via elevator once your entire party has arrived, and then, once the bell dings, the doors will open to a row of fridges that glow with steaks of various ages—signaling your arrival to the main event. The interior channels sophistication over stuffiness, pleasing the eye with curved blue-ish green leather banquettes, shoji screens and a soft glow of hovering globe lights. Found in touches around the main room and a fixture of the bar downstairs, the iridescent mother-of-pearl inlays sourced from Korea add an elegance to it all. If you happen to sit near the open kitchen, it's easy to catch the steady figure of chef Shim in the stark white light, hard at work. Classic fixtures of the steakhouse experience remain here, be it oyster towers, caviar service and, naturally, steak. But unlike the others who simply hawk butter and meat, Shim's steakhouse adds a touch of Korean flair. Mignonette is stirred with makgeolli and head-on shrimps in the Mala Gambas are baked in a Sichuan peppercorn sauce. The USDA prime rib is rubbed in shio kombu and koji before being grilled over wood and Bijangtan (traditional Korean charcoal), resulting in a crust with a tell-tale bit of funk. Fill the table with a few shareables, such as the bubbling Sundubu Jjigae with brisket in a chili-slicked sauce, or the kimchi Wagyu fried rice, featuring a fried egg that begs to be stirred alongside juicy cuts of prime beef. Coming off of an afternoon matinee? The steakhouse offers a killer lunch special: unlimited charcoal-grilled steak, fries and a salad that will only run you $23. If your hunger extends beyond meat and potatoes, the three-course Power Lunch Menu, priced at $37, includes a dry-aged burger made with prime beef as the main course, along with a choice of starter and dessert. Speaking of dessert, we'd highly recommend the black and white mousse. Dusted with cocoa powder, the incredibly airy mousse hides ribbons of gooey jang caramel, making it that much harder to share.
South China Morning Post
11-03-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Where to eat and drink in New York's Times Square now it's had a dining revolution
New York's Times Square is renowned for its tourists, its theatre, its neon. What it is rarely known for is food. Advertisement Yet now, the razzle-dazzle food swamp is in the midst of a dining revolution. Exhibit A is Gui, the swanky two-storey steakhouse opening on Eighth Avenue last month that has repurposed a former office supply store. The gilded space will feature fancy cuts of Wagyu beef, roving trolleys of caviar and pristine seafood, and a deluxe cocktail programme. 'We saw an opportunity to bring something different to this high-energy neighbourhood: a refined-yet-approachable American steakhouse experience,' says chef Sungchul Shim, who also operates the Michelin-star Mari and Kochi restaurants. Gui, a 'refined-yet-approachable American steakhouse experience', highlights Wagyu beef. Photo: Instagram/ Another hospitality expert who sees opportunity in Times Square is Danny Meyer . The famed restaurateur and his Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) have just reopened the View, transforming the tired, rotating tourist-filled bar into a David Rockwell-designed masterpiece complete with seafood towers and bone-in chops. Advertisement 'It's impossible to imagine Times Square without thinking of two eminently powerful business drivers in that neighbourhood: Broadway theatre and tourism. All by themselves, those two engines can fill a restaurant,' says the USHG founder.
Bloomberg
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
Times Square Is Now a Dining Destination. Here's Why and Where to Eat
New York's Times Square is renowned for its tourists, its theater, its neon. What it's rarely known for—Guy Fieri's infamous Guy's American Kitchen & Bar notwithstanding—is food. Yet now, the razzle-dazzle food swamp is in the midst of a dining revolution. Exhibit A is GUI, the swanky two-story steakhouse opening on Eighth Avenue on Feb. 22 that's repurposed a former Staples store. The gilded space will feature haute cuts of wagyu beef, roving trolleys of caviar and pristine seafood, and a deluxe cocktail program. 'We saw an opportunity to bring something different to this high-energy neighborhood: a refined-yet-approachable American steakhouse experience,' says chef Sungchul Shim, who also operates the Michelin-starred dining rooms Mari and Kochi.
