Moono

Moono is yet another Korean restaurant that has been on my list for quite a while. Its allure for me was uni rice and Pyongyang cold noodles. I finally got a chance to book this restaurant, and it was easy to book for 2 for 6 PM on a Friday evening. This restaurant is a new project by Chef Kim from Jua. When I learned this, I had higher expectations of what I was to experience. When you arrive at the restaurant, it’s located in this interesting 3-story building.

From the website:

Taking its name from the Korean word for “gateway,” Moono symbolizes a literal “door” to another world and represents a passage to diverse cultures.

Ambiance & Service

When you climb the stairs and walk in, you’re greeted by a very spacious reception desk. They took us to the second floor for some reason instead of the first. The second floor has a nice balcony that peers into the main dining room. There are a lot of nice wooden accents, and the restaurant decor feels quintessential modern Korean decor.

The service was very attentive and excellent. They took care of our water, and they timed all the food and servings appropriately.

Food

The glass of Failla Pinot Noir ($19) came from Willamette Valley, Oregon 2022. This balanced pinot noir was light, but succulent for a pinot. It was surprisingly balanced and worked well with all my courses.

The Botanical Splash ($13) was a non-alcoholic drink and came with tangerine, perilla leaf, and mint.

We ordered the three course prix fixe menu at $75 per person.

This is the first course which was 6 Korean small bites.

Starting from the top and going clockwise:

1. This was a spinach wrapped seasoned rice and littleneck clams. It was very good. There was some spice to this from what tasted like gochujang (red pepper paste).
2. This was a buckwheat roll with oyster mushroom and radish kimchi. The kimchi luckily hid the mushroom flavor, so this was pretty decent.
3. This was Japanese fluke sashimi with ssamjang and lettuce. This was a preview of what we’re about to eat for Korean Makhoe next.
4. This was the grilled pork jowl marinated with galbi sauce with oil and green onions. The pork jowl was tender and delicious.
5. This was fried sweet corn stuffed with shrimp paste. The corn was very delectable along with the shrimp paste.
6. Lastly, this Korean water kimchi is similar to what restaurants serve with some of their banchan. It had some fermentation to it because the soup has a slight acidic flavor to it. It was a nice cleanser to the end of this starter.

The Korean Makhoe (small portion for $48) came with seasonal raw fish (sea bream, stripe jack, and fluke), Makjang, and wrap greens. They give you a plethora of different wraps and garnishes, so everything together was delightful. If you’re a big fan of wraps and fresh fish, this is a must order.

For the second course, we got the Hokkaido uni sotbap (+$30) for 2 people. You also have the option getting it plain or mushroom (+$15). After the presentation, they took it in the back and served us 2 bowls of it all mashed up. The whole rice dish and flavors were sublime. I would highly recommend adding the uni to this because it gives a very delicious umami flavor.

My partner ordered the Galbi-Jjim (+$5) for their second course protein. They served this in a massive boat that includes 10 Korean banchan. The galbi was very flavorful, though the tendons were a bit chewy and difficult to get off. I think it could’ve been cooked a bit longer, so that it can be chewed easier. Regardless, the flavor of this was all very good and quite plentiful.

Along with some of the banchan, they served:

1. Kimchi (first row)
2. Lettuce wraps (first row)
3. Fermented kimchi (first row)
4. Ssamjang (second row)
5. Raw marinated octopus (second row)
6. Beef Jerky (third row)

I ordered the Bossam for my second course protein. The bossam itself looks very basic, but it tasted and reminded me of when I was in South Korea eating this stuff up. If you love pork as much as me, this was very good, especially when wrapped with lettuce and the ssamjang.

And here some of the banchan pictured are:

1. Fermented kimchi (first row)
2. Fresh kimchi (first row)
3. Kimchi radish (first row)
4. Garlic and jalapenos (second row)
5. The same raw marinated octopus (second row)
6. Stir-fried mushrooms (second row)
7. Some green moss(?) (second row)
8. Beef jerky (third row)
9. Shrimp in mustard sauce (third row)
10. Pickled persimmon (third row)
11. Pickled sunchoke (third row)

Along with the main course, they gave some beef bone soup. The soup also had little round Korean rice cakes in it. The soup was pretty good and was seasoned well. My partner thought it was on the plain side, but this soup always tastes like that.

The Buckwheat ice cream came with sesame caramel. The caramel was salted, and it was a bit too sweet for me. My partner enjoyed this though.

The Burdock dessert came with burdock ice cream with chocolate mousse and burdock chips. This was very lovely in that it was earthy, and the chocolate gave it some subtle not overpowering sweetness.

The Petit Fours starting from the top going clockwise:

1. Korean donuts - these were glazed with sweetness, and you can taste the fried flavor very thoroughly. My partner didn’t enjoy this, though I thought it was good.
2. This was similar to an earthy chocolate wafer cookie. It was not too sweet, and it had some interesting flavors to it.
3. This madeline reminded me of shiso forward flavors. I liked this because it was something different with its earthy, grassy flavors.
4. Lastly, this was like a sticky, fruit berry-flavored roll up tuile where the texture was more closer to jello than a fruit-roll-up. The sweetness was subtle and not as pronounced as I was expecting.

Overall Impression

Moono was a very pleasant, surprisingly good Korean restaurant. Like Jua, it’s not something that makes it in the news, but the flavors are quite delicious. The makhoe that we ordered was absolutely delectable, and I’d highly recommend it given its limited availability. The uni sotbap is another standout that we really enjoyed. The portion size was surprisingly respectable.

Yelp & Google Jabs

New York has a lot of modern upscale Korean spots, and this one is probably the prettiest of them all! The interior really is the big pull, it’s gorgeous: vaulted ceilings with backlit artwork and tasteful wooden details.

I wouldn’t say that this restaurant was upscale. It looked nice, but there were people dressed up and down coming here. It’s definitely a more casual restaurant than upscale.

If I were the owner and chef of Moono, I would redo the menu to focus on the North Korean and overall Korean classics: jeon medley, mungbean pancake, Pyongyang naengmyun, galbijeem, yookhae, and maybe the hwe moochim. That would be a differentiator and better way to highlight the story of Moono.

One of the more common complaints from non-Korean diners about some of the North Korean food is that it’s quite plain. If the owner of Moono was to listen to this Yelper, this restaurant would likely not last for very long. I think it’s possible to add to the menu to introduce some new renditions of these items, but I certainly would not redo the menu where the revenues in NYC are very slim.

Revisions

1. Nov 7, 2025 - Initial revision.