There’s no doubt that Korean is the “it” cuisine of the moment, from trendy café culture, to the nation’s diverse range of Insta-worthy street food, to down-home Korean barbecue. In Hong Kong, casual and more affordably priced Korean restaurants dominate, eclipsed only by a select few Korean fine-dining concepts.
What’s missing in our city’s Korean dining landscape? Something middle of the road – more sophisticated than your typical KBBQ or tteokbokki joint, but still approachable. Newly opened O’rm, a cosy, secluded spot on vibey On Wo Lane in Sheung Wan, nicely fits the bill.
Fine-casual O’rm has been opened by a trio of Korean hospitality experts. Chef Junwoo Choi, the former executive chef at nearby Korean hotspot obp., leads the charge in the open kitchen. Ted Ko and Stella Yim of Korean liquor distributor KAVE Group take on the respective roles of beverage director and marketing and curatorial director.
The best eight seats in the house are at the chef’s counter. Chef Jun, as warm and friendly as can be, takes inspiration from visits to his family on Jeju Island to craft a menu that’s creative, refined, and tailored for sharing.
We began our tasting with the yukhoe (HKD168) and soy-marinated shrimp (HKD98), already social media darlings.
Chef Jun has expertly elevated the classic Korean seasoned raw beef dish of yukhoe, using Wagyu beef alongside an umami explosion of crispy seaweed chips, soy glaze, and a heap of caviar. These are impressive one-biters.
Or’m’s soy-marinated shrimp is a worthy counterpart to the dish of gejang, marinated raw crab, that’s more commonly found at Korean restaurants in Hong Kong. The naturally sweet shrimp has a luxurious mouthfeel, and all the complementary components are bold and moreish, from the soy sauce and wasabi mayo to the final flourish of soy prawn essence drizzled atop upon serving. Save the prawn head to suck and savour for last!
Up next we have a combination that chef Jun describes as “bread and butter” in Korean cuisine: the LA-cut short rib (HKD278) and bibim buckwheat noodles (HKD138).
The short rib is the pinnacle of KBBQ, thick cut and impossibly tender. The beef undergoes a triple cooking procedure at O’rm to up the tenderness and flavour; it’s first chargrilled, followed by sous-viding for 16 hours, before finally being chargrilled once again.
The BBQ meat platters at O’rm come with a ssam platter (lettuce and perilla leaves), seasonal barchan plate, and homemade apple ssamjang. All of these components are quintessential foils to the rich savouriness of the meat.
In contrast to the beef, the earthy buckwheat noodles, served cold, break the meaty monotony with caramelised kimchi and scallion soy sauce competing for attention. This dish is vibrant and refreshing – spicy, sweet, and tangy all at once.
Drinks also play an important role at O’rm, making for an all-encompassing culinary experience. The beverage menu features about 60 traditional Korean spirits. We highly recommend opting for the Moonlight yuzu makegeolli (HKD78/HKD238) as a complement to your meal, but take it slow because it’s dangerously quaffable.
Our verdict of O’rm
O’rm is destined to become a hit in the Sheung Wan neighbourhood and far beyond. There are so many things to love about the Korean eatery: the electric atmosphere, chef Jun and his all-Korean kitchen and service teams who wear their hearts on their sleeves, the delicious and reasonably priced contemporary Korean dishes. We’d go so far as to say that O’rm is amongst our favourite openings of the year.
O’rm, G/F, 8 On Wo Lane, Sheung Wan, 5500 3679, book here
| Order this: yukhoe, mini crab kimbap, soy-marinated shrimp, bibim buckwheat noodles, LA-cut short rib, spicy pork jowl, makgeolli bingsu Menu: not available online Price for two: HKD600–800 | Atmosphere: Buzzy Seoul-chic Perfect for: Kfood fans in search of the cutting edge of Korean food and drink |
This review is intended to offer an individual perspective on the dining experience and should not be considered as a definitive judgement of the restaurant’s overall quality or reputation. The views expressed in this review are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions of Foodie.
