Oyad — Review by Eater
New York, United States — Contemporary fine dining
Chef opens Oyad, his first restaurant in New York City after working at prestigious establishments like French Laundry and Atera Mix. The restaurant features a tasting menu with innovative contemporary cuisine highlighting seasonal vegetables and carefully sourced proteins, with a unique two-part dining experience combining casual canapés downstairs with fine dining upstairs. The chef demonstrates meticulous attention to detail and a passion for fermented ingredients and farm partnerships.
What was great: Innovative contemporary cuisine with meticulous preparation, exceptional sourcing from farms like Crown Daisy Farm, creative use of fermented and preserved ingredients, thoughtfully executed dishes like the smoked quail with hollandaise and spring green porridge, attention to detail in every component
What could improve: Nothing mentioned
The Dishes
Oyad presents a sophisticated tasting menu that showcases the chef's refined technique and ingredient philosophy. The smoked quail from Sonoma is a standout, featuring a six-hour brine, smoking process, and served with fermented butter hollandaise sauce made from special eggs sourced from Good Souls Farm upstate. The bird is incredibly tender and juicy with a mild, non-gamey flavor, accompanied by par-cooked einkorn and glazed white asparagus with lovage.
The spring green porridge dish, which debuted on Netflix's Culinary Class Wars, highlights the chef's resourcefulness and creativity. It combines golden queen and sacha moon brown rice cooked in mushroom and chicken stock, then finished with a spring green puree béchamel made from chrysanthemum and wild water parsley, topped with black garlic gastric and puffed barley for texture.
The cucumber dish presents multiple preparations showcasing the vegetable's versatility across charred, salted, and beer sauce versions, served atop a smoked eel mousse panna cotta made with domestic Maine eel. The lamb and fish courses feature meticulous accompaniments, including morel mushrooms stuffed with black trumpets.
Desserts show surprising creativity, including a mugwort creation with fava shoots, pea tendrils, fresh and jerky kiwi, pine tree oil, and preserved spruce tips, designed as a unique dessert salad course following the main proteins.
The Experience
Oyad offers a unique two-part dining experience reflecting the chef's philosophy. The downstairs atelier welcomes guests with six to seven different types of vegetable canapés in a casual setting for approximately one hour. Guests then move upstairs for the formal tasting menu portion in a fine dining style setting, creating an interesting blend of approachability and sophistication.
The restaurant has been fully booked daily since opening, reportedly due to the chef's appearance on Netflix's Culinary Class Wars. The chef demonstrates intense passion for his craft and expects meticulous execution from his team, constantly refining details and teaching his staff why specific techniques matter rather than just how to execute them. The opening day energy captures the nervous excitement of a chef's first solo venture.
Value and Pricing
Specific pricing is not mentioned in the transcript, though the elaborate tasting menu with multiple courses and premium ingredients suggests fine dining price point expectations. The sourcing of specialty ingredients from Crown Daisy Farm, Good Souls Farm, and premium suppliers like caviar and fermented black truffles indicates premium value positioning.
Notable Moments
The name Oyad came from my last name. It means plum blossom. That doesn't mean that I want to do the Korean cuisine, but I want to keep my heritage as a chef.
Right before I finding this a space I decided to participate the show on the Netflix because if I don't do anything nothing's going to happen.
To be honest, I'm learning every day that I'm not good enough to be a owner yet because it's so hard to hide my emotion.
At the end of the day, we are at this just one of many restaurants. My hope is that my team and guests, when they come to this space, they feel comfortable, enjoyable, and be happy.
The Verdict
Oyad represents a significant achievement for its chef, who meticulously studied at some of the world's finest restaurants including French Laundry, Geranium in Copenhagen, and Atera Mix before opening his own establishment. The restaurant succeeds in presenting innovative contemporary cuisine grounded in exceptional sourcing, thoughtful fermentation techniques, and precise execution. The unique dual-experience concept and commitment to farm partnerships through Crown Daisy Farm sets this restaurant apart. Despite the chef's admitted learning curve in restaurant ownership, the fully booked status and enthusiastic opening suggest strong market reception. This restaurant is best for adventurous diners seeking refined, ingredient-focused cuisine with a personal touch from a chef dedicated to continuous improvement and meaningful hospitality.