Came to Bann for Winter Restaurant Week. $38 Price Fixe will persuade me anyday. I knew going in that it was more of “Asian fusion that leans slightly to the Korean side of the spectrum”. My friend has never ventured into Korean cuisine before and we were itching to escape from the cold and have a nice, relaxing, inviting meal. We reserved a table beforehand, which they honored as soon as we got there. The inside was very dim, very modern with Asian influence. I’m glad I came in my work attire. If I wore jeans, I would have felt under-dressed. We were led through a bar area, several side rooms and then sat in the main dining area. It was very spacious and intimate in nature.
We received our Restaurant Week menu, which gave a nice assortment of options to choose from. Our waiter was very kind and patient when deciding what to order. And he answered some of our questions graciously. I ended up deciding on the Bulgogi Buns for the appetizer, the Kalbi Jim for my main and the Banana Sabayon for dessert.
Bulgogi Buns
-Bulgogi Buns:
Comes with two. The steamed buns were light, fluffly and held together despite the generous amount of beef rib eye and spicy daikon. It wasn’t all that spicy in my opinion, but it delicious nonetheless.
Kalbi Jim
-Kalbi Jim:
The star of the meal. If you’re a meat-lover, go for the kalbi. You can’t go wrong. They not only gave us a generous portion (considering it was a price-fixe), but it was also plated beautifully. The beef was incredibly tender yet super flavorful and that sake ginger soy glaze enhanced it all. I savored every. single. bite.
Banana Sabayon
-Banana Sabayon:
I have to admit… this is my first experience with sabayon. For those of you that aren’t familiar with this dish, it’s a very light/airy custard served with fruit. I heard great things. Let’s just say I was transported to heaven as soon as I took my first spoonful. It was super silky and decadent. And despite that I don’t usually enjoy “banana flavored” things, I loved this.
Bann may not be traditional, but it is delicious. From seeing what others have said, I can agree on the letdown of authentic options. However, from my experience here, everything was on par. No complaints from me. Bann is certainly worth the occasional splurge. (From the dirt cheap options in K-town.) I’ll surely be back.
350 W 50th StNew York, NY 10019 b/t 9th Ave & 8th Ave in Hell’s Kitchen, Midtown West, Theater District (212) 582-4446 bannrestaurant.com
A Treat To Eat 