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The team behind banchan-inspired casual Korean restaurant Atoboy is planning to go more upscale with a new fine dining restaurant. Atomix, located nearby at 104 East 30th Street, will be a mix of two concepts, with the dining room downstairs and a small cocktail bar upstairs.
Considering co-owner and chef Junghyun ‘JP’ Park used to cook at Michelin-starred Jungsik, the move makes sense. Here, he and partner Ellia Park plan to serve Korean food in a kaiseki style, which is the Japanese tasting menu format that focuses on hyper-seasonality.
Beyond expanding the scope of modern Korean cuisine, the Parks hope to raise awareness of Korean culture in general and show New Yorkers that Korean food is more than the casual, rowdy style found in nearby Koreatown.
Atoboy opened in August 2016. Times critic Pete Wells was pleased enough with the banchan-inspired fare to give it two stars, and New York mag critics The Robs were similarly excited, rating the restaurant three out of five stars.
The lease is currently being finalized, and pending all stays on track, Atomix is set to open at 104 East 30th Street, near Park Avenue, in early spring.
