- Michelin-starred steakhouse Cote is one of several NYC restaurants that have recreated the iconic ram-don dish from "Parasite."
- Owner Simon Kim told Insider he initially offered the dish to celebrate the film, but the $18 dish — which combines instant ramen noodles and American wagyu — was such a hit that he decided to keep it on the menu.
- Ram-don was inspired by jjapaguri, a Korean dish that combines two popular instant ramen brands.
- In "Parasite," the noodles are topped with Hanwoo beef — one of the most expensive meats in the world — to symbolize the film's central theme of class conflict.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
It has been a few weeks since "Parasite" swept the Oscars, but the South Korean picture is still having a major influence.
If you search the hashtags #Parasite and #ramdon on Twitter, you will find that fans are still recreating the dish that director Bong Joon Ho invented for the film.
Multiple NYC restaurants, including Michelin-starred steakhouse Cote, are creating their own version of ram-don, which features instant ramen and premium cuts of beef
Cote owner Simon Kim told Insider that the restaurant's ties to "Parasite" go back long before it became the darling of awards season.
The steakhouse hosted an after-party for the film in October, where Kim and his team had the chance to meet with Joon Ho and his cast and crew.
So when 'Parasite' received six Academy Award nominations in January, Kim wanted to create the ram-don dish as a way to wish the 'Parasite' family good luck
"Little did we know, 'Parasite' literally cleared the Oscars and everyone was talking about it," Kim said. "We were over the moon for them. So we decided that, until further notice, let's keep it on the menu and share it with as many people as possible."
Ram-don was inspired by jjapaguri, a Korean dish that combines two popular instant ramen brands
The dish is made with Chapagetti (spaghetti noodles in a black soybean paste) and Neoguri (udon noodles in a spicy seafood broth).
"Korean people love ramen because it's cheap, convenient, and delicious," Kim explained. "Rich or poor, it's everyone's guilty pleasure."
"Mixing the two instant noodles was never intended by the manufacturer at all, it was supposed to be completely different noodles," he added. "But there's a demographic that eats ramen for every meal, it's their main source of nutrition. The people who eat this every day, they said, 'I'm tired of eating this one way, why don't we mix the two together?'"
Jjapaguri may be a real dish, but ram-don isn't
In 'Parasite,' the instant noodles are topped with Hanwoo beef — one of the most rare and expensive meats in the world — to symbolize the film's central theme of class conflict.
"Even the rich kid, he's still a kid and that's why he loves this dish, but the mom can't accept the fact that her son would eat such a cheap dish," Joon Ho told Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times. "And so she has to add a topping fit for the rich."
When Kim first broached the idea of bringing ram-don to Cote, he said his chef was 'kind of hesitant because we're a Michelin-starred restaurant'
"No one thinks of instant noodles when they think of Michelin-starred restaurants," he added.
Other NYC restaurants that have recreated the dish, like Mokbar in Brooklyn or Zusik in Chelsea, have used housemade noodles and their own sauces instead.
But Kim wanted to offer 'the most authentic version' of ram-don possible
"Ultimately, it's just two instant noodles coming together," he said. "If you were to divert from that humble way of thinking, you'd be diverting from the origination of that dish."
To create ram-don at Cote, the chef first cooks the instant noodles in a pasta cooker so that they can get "the perfect al dente" and soak up all the sauces.
The instant noodle sauce packets go in next, along with some sautéed onion.
Cote's ram-don is topped off with American wagyu and thinly julienned cucumber "to add that freshness to it," Kim said, and is served with Cote's housemade kimchi.
The $18 dish is served from 10 p.m. until closing from Thursday through Saturday. But it has become a huge hit, which has surprised Kim.
"We literally had no expectations," he said.
The ram-don was so successful that Kim said he considered raising the price, due in part to how much American wagyu is served with each dish. But then he remembered why he decided to serve ram-don at Cote in the first place.
"This is more about being fun and congratulatory, it was never intended to make money for us," Kim said. "So, instead of taking advantage of a situation with high demand, we just wanted to share it and cheer the movie on."
And, even more importantly, Kim said he has loved getting to share a piece of his own childhood with New Yorkers
"I'm Korean-American, I grew up in Korea and eating these instant noodles was my favorite guilty pleasure," he said. "So to be able to share my childhood nostalgia with New Yorkers, it was really kind of euphoric."
The irony of a Michelin-starred restaurant popularizing instant noodles has not been lost on fans of the film. But Kim said he is glad that people are so passionate about "Parasite" that they're seeking out different ways to experience it.
"I feel like 'Parasite' was so historical, not just for Asian people but for America as a whole," he said. "We've started to accept something that's diverse, that doesn't look like what we're used to seeing. And people can experience it here, with a noodle dish that's very authentically Korean but very readily available in America."
"It's fourth-dimensional," he added. "Imagine eating that noodle dish while watching the movie. You're living the movie."
Kim said he has always tried to use food to bring people together at Cote by keeping his prices low for a top Manhattan steakhouse. And he hopes that "Parasite" will keep inspiring Americans to try new things, while also encouraging Korean chefs to continue bringing their culture to restaurant tables.
"I feel like a lot of the time in America, we try really hard to see how we can fit in and, in doing so, you kind of lose your authenticity and lose what made you shine in the first place," Kim said.
"I feel like winning at the Oscars helped people view Korean culture," he added. "And I believe it's a really crucial time. We have a great spotlight on us to focus on really elevating our cuisine. I believe this may encourage more authentic and exciting Korean concepts to come to America."
"I feel like the golden age may be coming."
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