Illustration: Maanvi Kapur
Since opening Cote Korean Steakhouse in Flatiron in 2017, restaurateur Simon Kim has expanded to Miami, Singapore, Las Vegas — and back to New York. Next year, he will launch a three-level midtown surf-and-turf extravaganza, 550 Madison, with a bar he compares to Grand Central Terminal on the ground floor, along with another Cote downstairs and a sushi restaurant upstairs. Recently, however, the buzziest venue in his Gracious Hospitality Management group — thanks to viral chicken nuggets topped with caviar — is his Flatiron “altar of Korean fried chicken,” Coqodaq. “Koreans never really ate fried chicken until American GIs came over during the Korean War in the 1950s,” says Kim, who was born in Seoul and moved to Long Island when he was 13. South Koreans have been tweaking the quintessentially Southern dish since American GIs introduced it to the country in the 1950s. Have they now shipped back a better version of the Yankee original? “I mean, that is the intent,” says Kim.
Wednesday, October 8
I wake up around 6 a.m. in my Tribeca loft. That’s usually around the time Teddy, my 11-month-old bernedoodle, gets up from where she sleeps by the dresser and comes over to my bed.
I just got back from Las Vegas last night, so I’m easing back into my normal routine. I start the day like I always do, with a playlist of Japanese and Gregorian chants from an app. I was born in a Catholic family, but I also love Buddhist traditions — it’s a really cool, meditative way to start the morning.
Then I drink a glass of lukewarm lemon water, which is something I do every morning and night. I feel very blessed that I get to eat so many interesting things, but that can also be challenging. As a restaurateur, I’m always tasting things and going to restaurant openings, so a lot of stimulation comes my way. Once the sun sets, I feel like I have to go where the night takes me. But early in the day — that is when I’m in control. So I like to start with something very subtle. You need to hydrate, and lukewarm lemon water is very easy on your body. I smoke cigarettes here and there, I drink here and there, and lemon has a lot of detoxifying qualities.
I take Teddy out for a walk, and when we get back, I feed her and make myself a cup of green tea. If I really want to wake up, sometimes I go a little crazy and have jasmine tea, which has more caffeine in it. Making tea feels ceremonial; it forces me to slow down.
I’m not a big breakfast person, so I usually just have a smoothie. My assistant, Izzy, prepares different packages of fruits and vegetables depending on how I’m feeling — if I want to hydrate, I might start with a watermelon or coconut-water base and add cool vegetables like kale. Today, I start with a base of fresh orange juice and add blueberry, pineapple, mango, apple, strawberry, a little ginger for a kick, and turmeric.
Next I have a training session at Jtrain, which is eight blocks away on Greenwich Street. Ten minutes on a bicycle, followed by calisthenics and all sorts of different forms of personal training. I take a Citi Bike or a cab to my office on East 19th Street.
Today is exciting; we’re testing Coqodaq delivery. I’m usually the first guinea pig whenever we launch something new, and this is no exception. We’ve tested so many different kinds of packaging and this is probably the fifth iteration — we let the chicken sit in a delivery box for around 25 minutes so that we can understand how it holds together. I’m pleased with how it turns out.
From the delivery container, I sample a little of everything from the Bucket List, one of our signature menu items: a piece of the O.G. fried chicken, a soy-garlic glazed piece, a few bites of the Caesar salad, some chicken curry. Plus a cold Diet Coke.
The afternoon is back-to-back meetings — with the marketing team, the operations team, financial meetings. We have meetings with our head bartender as well as our beverage director, talking about different pairings. And we discuss the menu we’re building for the LACMA Art+Film gala in Los Angeles.
After work I head to Teruko at Hotel Chelsea for dinner with two friends. We order a few rolls, kamameshi, wagyu sukiyaki, and a few glasses of sake. I like dryer sake with a little bit of character — my favorite sake brewery is Daishichi, which translates to “big seven.” They have a sake called Minowamon, which means “heaven’s gate.” Whenever I see that on the list, it’s 100 percent guaranteed I will get it.
When I get home, I take the dog out and end my day the same way I started it: with a glass of lukewarm lemon water.
Thursday, October 9
My morning starts much like yesterday, with lemon water and tea. My days can get crazy, so I really try to stick to my routine.
Today is a big day — we host Taste of Asia in Madison Square Park, an event I co-founded in 2021 to celebrate the diversity and vibrancy of Asian cuisine in New York City. Around 40 restaurants are represented, and I spend the morning on calls with the teams to make sure everything is ready. I have another smoothie, this time with coconut water, watermelon, pineapple, blueberries, ginger, and turmeric.
I don’t want to go to Taste of Asia famished, so for lunch, I grab beef, chicken, and pork tacos with chips, guacamole, and salsa from Los Tacos No. 1 near my apartment. It’s dangerous having this place so close — the food is fast, delicious, and addictive.
After lunch, I head to the office to connect with my team before making our way to Madison Square Park. I make the rounds at Sushi Noz, Atoboy, Jungsik, Bangkok Supper Club, Icca, Lysee, and 12 Matcha. I’m so busy mingling that I can’t really eat much, but I take bites of uni sea urchin tartlette and salmon and tuna nigiri. The night is incredible, and we raise over $1.7 million to support Apex for Youth and the Madison Square Park Conservancy. I leave full, happy, and grateful.
After, chef Hoyoung Kim of Moono is gracious enough to host an after-party. I drink some Champagne and eat some naengmyeon: Korean cold buckwheat noodles with a cold beef broth and some pickled radish. And a slice of brisket. My ancestors come from North Korea, and naengmyeon is a North Korean heritage dish, so for me, it’s just so soothing.
Friday, October 10
My morning starts with my usual lemon water and green tea. I don’t have time for my smoothie because of early calls, so I grab an egg and bacon pastry from Frenchette on my way to the office around 9 a.m. I love the flaky, crispy edge, but the middle is oozing with the melted cheese and ham. It’s haute comfort food.
After a few hours of meetings and a walk-through of our 550 Madison project, I stop by ABC Kitchen on 18th Street to pick up the roast-carrot-and-avocado salad with a side of Faroe Island salmon.
I spend the afternoon in more meetings before heading to The Musket Room for a party to celebrate Apple TV’s Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars, in which I appear alongside its chef Mary Attea. In the garden, I have a few glasses of Champagne and enjoy oysters from Chef Mary. And Coqodaq’s chef, SK, contributes golden nuggets topped with caviar and black truffle.
Afterward, we head to Go Go Sing, Coqodaq’s karaoke room, for the after-party. I kick things off singing “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and sip more Champagne. We also serve espresso-martini towers, bluefin-tuna toro tartelettes, soy-garlic-and-gochujang wings, and more chicken nuggets,.
I slip out around 8 p.m. to meet my older sister, Sue, and my kids. I have a daughter, Dani, who’s 7, and my son, Eunu, is 6. They live with their mother, but I have them a couple of days a week.
We’re at Wild Cherry to celebrate Sue’s birthday. It’s a super-sexy space, and I surprise her with an icebox cake, which is a family favorite. It’s a chocolate wafer with whipped cream — a very simple cake. It’s got a little bit of saltiness from the chocolate, and I like how the moisture from the whipped cream seeps into the crispy wafer. Honestly, it’s more my favorite; I like to buy it for other people’s birthdays so I get to eat it. Magnolia makes a great one.
Saturday, October 11
I wake up to a full house with the kids around 7 a.m. and spend a little time relaxing with my dog in bed before starting our slow Saturday.
I start with my classic lemon-water-and-green-tea ritual, followed by my morning smoothie — watermelon, mango, ginger, turmeric, and coconut water. My daughter always wants a taste, so I gave her a few sips before we take Teddy out for a walk and grab bagels for her and my son.
On the way, one of our favorite traditions on Saturday mornings is going to the greenmarket in Tribeca. I give my kids $20 and let them figure out what they want to buy. Some vegetables, baked goods. It’s important to me that they understand the value of a dollar.
As the rain starts to roll in, we spend a quiet afternoon at home before heading to Shabu House in Fort Lee for dinner. It’s a hole in the wall and my kids’ favorite spot. We all order the dinner buffet, which comes with unlimited meat and ends with homemade mango sorbet. We pile our plates with beef rib eye, brisket, pork belly, and napa cabbage before finishing with extra scoops of sorbet. The kids get to make their own sauces, and they love it.
Back home, my sister watches the kids, and I head to Casa Cipriani with some friends. As a restaurateur, I really respect what Casa Cipriani has done. It’s a beautiful space with great food and offers a real escape in Manhattan. We share the tuna carpaccio with lemon vinaigrette and some vitello tonnato, then end with the soft-serve ice cream, which is so delicious I have to get it every time I go.
Sunday, October 12
I wake up around 7 a.m. and start the day with my usual green tea and a smoothie with fresh orange juice, mango, ginger, and pineapple. Sundays are for more family time, so I take it slow.
For lunch, we decide to cook at home, which they always love. I make a simple pasta: spaghetti with bacon and a classic tomato sauce using Buitoni fresh egg pasta. It comes together quickly and turns out so good that I end up eating more than I planned.
I’m still full by dinner, so I skip it, but the kids are craving sushi. We order from Takahachi, one of our neighborhood favorites. They each have the Sushi Deluxe with eight pieces of nigiri and a roll. Takahashi is no frills, but they’re authentic in what they do and everything is ’90s prices — the udon noodles are, like, $18. I don’t understand how they do it, but it’s high quality.
My kids are very experienced eaters. They’re probably the youngest people ever to eat at Le Bernardin and Per Se, and they like getting dressed up and going to really fancy places. They’re not these snobby little brats, but if I overcook their pasta, they’re like, “Oh, Daddy, it’s not as good as last time.”
