Friends had raved about Genesis House, the upscale Korean restaurant in the Meatpacking District curated by Onjium, a one-Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul.

After glancing at the unusual menu, I decided to stop by the restaurant on the second floor of the Genesis luxury car showroom one afternoon to see if I could learn more about the experience before dining there. I met Patricia, the maitre d’, who had time to show me around and give me a detailed description of the menu and its royal history as it was midafternoon. I learned that Genesis House restaurant adapts its generations-old recipes — from 300 to almost 1000 years old — to modern-taste Korean royal cuisine.

Being better prepared with knowledge of the ancient cuisine, I was ready to dine there.

We started on their expansive outdoor patio, where we could sip our cocktails and take in the beautiful views of the High Line. We sipped our unusual cocktails. I preferred my friend’s Dangeun Lji ($24) with ginseng-infused tequila, a Korean take on a margarita, to my Kimchitini ($24), a very dirty martini.

We moved inside to dine and were seated with magnificent views of the Hudson River, Little Island and Lower Manhattan skyline.

We opted for the tasting menu ($175) with the addition of the Suranchae, the dish my friend had described as one of the best things she’s ever eaten. That dish interprets a recipe from the noble class Choi family in Gyeongju. The kitchen decided where along the tasting menu to serve it.

Before starting, we were treated to a Soju tasting, selecting one bottle to accompany the food.

To tickle our palate, we had a chilled pea and rice porridge garnished with fresh peas and some light bites, including chips made from kale and seaweed chips with sesame, plus beef jerky made from wagyu flank steak and dried persimmon filled with cheese and walnuts.

So unique!

Next, we sampled the Suranchae specialty of gently cooked, thinly sliced seafood  — abalone, crab, red sea cucumber and octopus — topped with crispy, sweet Korean pear slices, a poached egg and savory and nutritious pine nut juice.

Our first real dish from our tasting menu (DAEHA YUKJEUP NAENGCHAE) contained spring vegetables (asparagus, cucumber, tomato), bamboo shoots, thinly sliced Asian pear, a prawn, abalone and a mustard meat sauce.

The black cod was layered with scallops and prawns, dipped in rice flour, then pan-seared to crisp and served with a seasonal salad with mint, speckled endive and pickled lotus root perilla leaves.

Next, they served us CHAMCHI DOENJANG MUCHIM, yellowfin tuna crudo that wasn’t on our tasting menu. The food just kept coming!

The NEOBIANI & BOM NAMUL was a favorite. The marinated, thinly sliced Wagyu sirloin came with julienne spring veggies — broccoli rabe, tree ear mushrooms, purple sweet potatoes and pea shoots. To eat, we used the meat to wrap the veggies. Not to be missed.

The JINJU BIBIMBAP came in a ceramic bowl with moo radish, spinach, bracken fern, mung bean sprouts, and steamed doenjang sauce served with soup and seasonal kimchi.

We finished with the BAESUK, a poached pear, pink peppercorn crumble with cream cheese and a pear and brandy reduction. The desserts kept coming, including one with a candle for the birthday girl.

Why have all this excellence and not promote it, I wondered. The well-staffed appointed restaurant may be a loss leader. A marketing ploy. Something to get you into the showroom and talking about Genesis. It’s working.

I highly recommend a visit to learn about and enjoy Korean past and present royal foods.

Genesis House
Meatpacking District
40A 10th Ave.
New York, NY 10014
855-444-0836
genesishouseNYC.com