The crew at the new Edo serving Korean and Japanese cuisine. Starting fourth from left is Miyoung Lee, her daughter Jess Lee and her dad, David Lee at the end.
Courtesy Edo
The new decor at Edo Kitchen in Norwalk, which features elements of Korean and Japanese design.
Courtesy Edo
The new decor at Edo in Norwalk, which features elements of Korean and Japanese design.
Courtesy Edo
The new decor at Edo Kitchen in Norwalk, which features elements of Korean and Japanese design.
Courtesy Edo
La galbi, a popular Korean barbecue dish with beef short ribs cut thinly across the bone and marinated in a sweet and savory soy sauce blend.
Courtesy Edo
Sushi at Edo restaurant in Norwalk which serves Korean and Japanese cuisine.
Courtesy Edo
NORWALK – The new owners of Edo, formerly a Japanese restaurant, aim to bring the same authentic Korean dishes they cook for their family to Fairfield County.
The family-owned restaurant at 666 Main Ave. in Norwalk will continue to serve Japanese dishes the former eatery was known for, such as sushi, sashimi, udon noodles, teriyaki and tempura, but will highlight the menu with Korean fare.
Article continues below this ad
David Lee, a sushi chef, bought the 20-plus-year-old restaurant, bringing in his wife, Miyoung, as chef for the Korean dishes and their daughter, Jess, to run the front of the house.
The Korean dishes will not be limited to the trendy Korean barbecue that is popping up all over the state, Jess Lee said.
“Korean barbecue, it’s such a small part” of typical Korean food, she said. “A lot of Korean traditional cuisine comes from the warm soulful soups, like the stews that are from soybean paste or from tofu or from our traditional kimchi.”
A traditional Korean tofu stew, soundubu.
Courtesy Edo
Patrons may recognize well-known Korean dishes and sides include bibimbap, a colorful, warm rice dish with sauteed vegetables and marinated beef served with gochujang (chili pepper paste) and bulgogi, which is thinly sliced marinated rib eye steak.
Article continues below this ad
“I grew up with this entire menu plus more at home every day,” Lee said about the newly-added Korean dishes. “My mom is an amazing cook, and she always wanted to run a restaurant, but my mom is not a business savvy person.”
With all three working together — mom, dad and daughter — they struck the right balance to run the eatery, said Lee.
Her mother, Lee said, is “happy that she’s able to cook for other people without having to deal with the business side because that’s where me and my dad step in.”
Article continues below this ad
Taking over Edo for David Lee is like coming home in a way — the sushi chef had worked there about a decade ago. As chef-owner, he will work in his previous role and will also oversee cooking of all the Japanese dishes.
Jess Lee said soon after they opened the new restaurant, they discovered many non-Asian diners had a big appetite for Korean food and happily found a larger than expected Asian demographic in Fairfield County.
“We’re pleasantly surprised to see a lot of Asian representation,” Lee said. “The biggest thing I hear a lot is ‘We’re so happy that there’s something local for us to eat where it fits our taste buds.’”
Kimchi fried rice at Edo in Norwalk.
Courtesy Edo
Despite the growing numbers of Korean barbecue places, Lee said it’s challenging to find good Korean food in the area.
Article continues below this ad
When her family doesn’t feel like cooking, she said, “My parents and I have to drive an hour to Flushing, New York to get decent Korean food.”
With Edo, they wanted to showcase “a different side to Korean cuisine,” she said.
One of their lesser-known Korean specialties gaining traction with customers is pa-dak jeon, a crispy chicken and scallion pancake served with a soy-vinegar house sauce, she said.
“It’s shaped as a pancake, but you actually pull it apart and it’s topped with a scallion salad,” she described. “It’s not like a fried chicken. It’s a battered chicken and it’s really tender inside.”
Article continues below this ad
While Korean and Japanese cuisine are distinct from one another, there is some overlap. While the two cultures share udon noodles, their approaches to broth are somewhat different.
Korean broth is not as heavily seasoned as Japanese noodle broth, which often features miso. Korean broth is more chicken or anchovy based, she said.
Lee, a first generation Korean-American, said Edo is a way to share her heritage with others: “This is a gem for a lot of Asian Americans that want to experience Korean culture.”
Article continues below this ad