Why leave grilling to the professionals when you can let the professionals leave it to you? At trendy Woo Lae Oak, a West Coast transplant in SoHo (formerly in Midtown), each table comes equipped with a gas grill in the middle for an entertaining, interactive dining experience. Just don't get carried away with the soju (Korea's answer to sake) if you don't want to singe your silk shirt or dangling wrist accessories. You can barbecue anything from tiger prawns, sliced rib eye and spicy pork tenderloin to swordfish filet and ostrich. Leave the heavy lifting to the kitchen, though, which prepares a number of contemporary Korean dishes. Starters include ahi tartare and flash-fried calamari, while entrées range from classics such as bi bim bop to the kal bi jim, beef short rib simmered in sake, ginger and soy glaze.
Full bar. Serving lunch and dinner daily.
"[Nearly] 20 options for the barbecue include Korean classics like bulgogi (strips of marinated beef) and kalbi (marinated short ribs) and spread out from there."
—The New York Times
"Food is to-the-point and assertively seasoned – no lack of authenticity here – but it's presented with far more panache than is typical for Korean restaurants."
—New York magazine
"Whether your meal is traditional (bibimbap) or nouveau (flaming giant clam) or somewhere in between (barbecued ostrich), it all goes well with soju, the national distilled liquor."
—Time Out New York
"In a sleek space dominated by brick, glass, steel, and marble, the restaurant serves cutting-edge Korean food."
– Newsday
The New York Times: ** (very good)
Zagat 2010: 21 food rating (very good to excellent)