A fun and delicious new dining experience has popped up in the LES recently called WooBerg’s. Co-founders Jenny Woo and Andy Berg are hosting tasting dinners focused on “inventive Jewish-Chinese fusion from the Lower East Side.” They serve creative and unique mashups in a multi-course meal that includes storytelling and hospitality based on both of their heritages.
Woo’s grandmother came over to New York from Shanghai and Berg’s grandfather came from Eastern Europe, stopping here in the Lower East Side for a few years, before moving to Philadelphia.
The two friends met as neighbors living near an unofficial border between the Lower East Side and Manhattan’s Chinatown. Woo was a creative project developer working for Adobe who took some time off to go to culinary school and Berg was a TV producer who grew up cooking.
On a night out with their partners, they happened to be joking about where Chinese food and Jewish food ingredients overlap, and how their immigrant heritages were passed down from their grandmothers in very similar ways.
The jokes led to brainstorming how they could easily merge their favorite family dishes into new Jewish-Chinese inspired meals. A good brisket is good on its own, for example, but how about brisket in wontons with chili oil?
Before they knew it, they were in Andy’s kitchen testing out a Reuben egg roll and a sesame noodle kugel. They kept testing dishes and riffs on their favorites, emphasizing their cultural stories and intergenerational connections, which led to formal invitations to friends and family to try out full menus.
Once they realized they were on to something that was a lot of fun and offered them both a creative challenge, they decided to give it a go. Their “hidden table series” is now available to the public, at various locations around the neighborhood, with 12-15 seats, 7 courses and wine.
The meals are deliberately playful and hybrid — each dish combines elements from both cuisines and tells a story of adaptation.
The menu at their most recent dinner included: Rosh Hashana Chicken Wontons garnished with tart cherry and crumbled fried chicken skin, Dan Dan Kugel garnished with peanuts and scallions, the now-famous Reuben egg roll with Russian dressing, Manischewitz glazed ribs, Judah’s Lion Head Matza Meatballs served with bok choy, and for dessert, an Ube Rice Pudding with whipped cream and matcha.
But the menu rotates, so returning guests get a new experience each time.
If you’re lucky enough to make it to one of their pop-ups, you’ll find by the end of the meal, a lot of cultural heritage has been shared, new friends have been made, and tasty new dishes have been devoured.
You can follow WooBerg’s on Instagram here and sign up at the link in their bio to get on their email list for updates on upcoming events.
