Woo Lae Oak

It used to be better.
I used to be a die hard fan of Woo Lae Oak. On top of their delicious food and great Korean BBQ, their décor is amazing. Very nice atmosphere.
Sadly, after a recent trip, I see the prices have gone up and the quantity and quality has dropped. They used to be much more generous with the quantity of food and it seems as though they’ve changed their chef.
The glass noodle Jap Chae used to be my favorite dish but they’ve changed the noodles they use and it’s not as tasty anymore.
However, I am a fan of their Korean BBQ. But quite honestly, you could have the same amount of food (and possibly better quality) at a more authentic Korean restaurant.
Still, this is one of my favorite places to eat. It’s more of like a once in a year kind of thing. Definitely too pricey to be a usual restaurant to go to.
P. S. if you’re going past 7pm, make reservations. Even though I made reservations, I still had to wait a while. The times that I didn’t reserve, I waited 20 – 50 minutes.

These guys get a 10 star from me if that was possible! I’ve been going here for the past 10 years and my goodness, this is one place where I have never been disappointed! A guaranteed good time and excellent food! The service is out of the world with courteous, knowledgeable and sweet could be on Vogue or in your latest movie male only crew! the while experience is a treat! Best Lychee and Apple Martinis. I die for the barbecues, hot pepper stuffed with sea bass and to top it all the hot chocolate cake with vanilla ice-​cream and sugared rose petals makes you feel like you’ve just been to heaven and back!
Enjoy! Can’t wait to hear what you think!

Happy Hour Rocks! I love sitting at the bar sipping a nice lychee martini, or two, or three. The bartenders and staff are very hospitable and friendly. The modern décor creates an environment that draws in a trendy crowd. You can’t beat a well made martini for $ 6 in the heart of SOHO.
They also have some quick bites at the bar on their Happy Hour menu. However, I found those portions of those Happy Hour appetizers to be quite meager so I would suggest actually ordering a full meal in conjunction with the Happy Hour drink specials.
So, that’s exactly what we did and ordered a meal at the bar. Although the bar space is limited, everything seemed to fit well on the counter. The food was really good. I ordered the Grilled Chicken while my friend ordered the Black Cod. Both dishes were excellent. My friend was fixated on one of the cute bartenders which made our night much more interesting.

Faux Korean BBQ with Quality & Style
Hey maybe it’s not authentic but the food is pretty darn good.
So you like to cook with friends, but you’re not in the mood to clean up at your place. Welcome to Soho, Woo Lae Oak can help solve your problem. Just choose your fixn’s and they will peel away the silver cover over your very own handy dandy gas grill. Don’t fret! If you’re not very good at cooking they’re more than happy to help.
Fortunately I’m a pretty good cook and have been here many times over the years — yep it’s still a favorite. Delicious, fresh, and just enough heat on the grill to charr the veggies if you’re in the mood.
Suggested dishes: Spicy Jap Chae (once you try it you’ll never order the regular version again), spicy pork, super fresh veggies.
Excellent sake list. Chic interior, friendly staff, and incredible pineapple sorbet. Great for groups, business, or a romantic evening.
If you like Korean BBQ this place takes it to the next level. Definitely come with as big of a group as you can the portions are large and you can try more dishes.
Date Rating: 9
Pick up Scale: 2
Strong Suggestion: If you’re bringing a group of 5 or more call ahead. Walk ins work most of the time.

Removing out of my head the Korean restaurant idea coming from k-​town I just have to ask myself what makes Woo Lae Oak different to worth a visit. Creative Korean Cuisine, autodefined as «.the dishes fuse together traditional elements with a modern flair.» (
). So, do Woo Lae Oak reach the concept?
Creative cuisine is usually associated with a fancy look which is perfectly accomplished at Woo Lae. The décor reminds me a castle, with soft candle lights, dark tones, except for the hang silky curtains separating each table, and stone walls. The service was good, correct and professional but our waiter couldn’t suggest or answer questions about the menu. which is mandatory in restaurants of this kind, either Korean, Japanese, new American or any fancy/​chef cuisine type… OK ok, matching with the place, he was supercute .
so. Creative Korean Cuisine… The banchan was nothing special except for the size, in a bad way, micro in size and variety. :/​The description of the dishes makes the decision difficult since it looks to be very elaborate and a complex mix of textures and flavors. I wanted to try everything…
As appetizers we order Cham Chi Hwe –ahi tuna sashimi dressed with a tart, citrus soy served over sliced Asian pear and Ke Sal Mari –dungeness crab and leek wrapped in spinach crepes with a light mustard sauce.
The spinach crepes was delightful, just 4 and bite size, tho. The Tuna sashimi comes as one of the most impressive presentation I have never see. A few Tuna sashimi slices over a block of ice with a long feather. The fusion flavors worked perfectly well for me, I just wish we could get more.
As main dishes one of my friends order noodles, I can’t remember the name, but he said it was nothing special. We also order Soon Doo Boo, just regular tofu soup; and Pae Joo Gwan Ja– baked giant scallops over sweet potato and sunflower seed croquette with a savory mungbean sauce. The scallops was the winner of the three dishes, very tasty, Korean flavor but innovative and influenced for the rest of the ingredients. It was small but heavy, we couldn’t finished it.
To finish we also order Tea. no Korean tea ?? so we order Genmaicha, the Japanese roasted brown rice green tea that at least was really good.
The quality of the ingredients is of course good, and some of the dishes was creative but it wasn’t that exceptional and so, clearly overpriced. I still think that one visit is not enough to judge all the dishes that they offer. I guess you just have to find out the different ones. I guess I can risk another $ 60. but I will probably bet for Woo just one more time.

3.5 stars
Stylish, trendy atmosphere, attentive service. Convenient location for a meal after a day of shopping in Soho, with access to different neighborhoods for nightlife following dinner.
Nothing to complain about for the drinks, appetizers, or meats. Though I would suggest using the two different marinades sitting on the table with your BBQ to enhance the flavor. Overpriced? I don’t think so, it’s comparable to restaurants of similar caliber.
Sit here for a few hours cooking your own Korean BBQ and not smell like you’ve been in the kitchen all night. I’m sold.

My experience here was nothing special. I like the open kitchen and modern décor. The food was fine but I’ve had much better Korean for much less. I didn’t feel welcomed or appreciated by any of the servers. They are a bunch of wannabe models and actors with long sticks up their asses. Losers. Overpriced to boot. I won’t be back again.
UPDATE — SUBSEQUENT TO MY VISIT I DISCOVERED MY WAITER DOUBLED THE TIP ON MY CREDIT CARD. BEWARE!

I was really surprised by the quality and the variety that this Korean fusion has. I enjoyed their vegetarian friendly menu and their presentation of their dishes were phenomenal.
I went here with my coworkers and it was a great group outing. There were six of us and we sat in a very comfortable booth. The atmosphere is very nice for chilling or even a romantic date too.
I really liked the Dol Sot BiBimBop (my Korean staple), enjoyed all the veggie friendly appetizers like the mung bean veggie cake, LOVED the dessert especially the special Yellow Mungbean Profiteroles which is a organic mungbean custard baked in a toasted pistachio crust… that was sooooo yummy!!! I loved every bite. :D
It’s great that they have both traditional Korean foods and those that are Asian Fusion too. They have the Korean BBQ of beef too if that suits you.
There is a next time. :)