For starters, SYKO, a new counter-service restaurant that opened a couple of weeks ago in Windsor Terrace, doesn’t serve mashups of Syrian and Korean food. You won’t find anything called a “falafel bibimbap” here, nor any “kimchi moussaka.”
Instead, SYKO is a collaboration between two friends, Mazen Khoury and James Kim, the former from Syria (he left with his family in 2013 and says he misses it every day), the latter you may have met already if you’re from the neighborhood — Kim’s family operates both J&H Farm and P&E Grocery, both within a block of SYKO.
Actually, Khoury and Kim are themselves family now: Kim is married to Khoury’s sister. The portmanteau “SYKO” is, of course, a nod to their combined cuisines, but also, says Kim, what he calls his young son.
Inside SYKO: Love that brought the two families — one from Syria, one from Korea — and their cuisines together (Scott Lynch)
Both sides of SYKO’s menu are packed with familiar favorites, from platters of beef bulgogi to chicken shawarma sandwiches, but there are plenty of less-obvious offerings worth exploring as well. Try Khoury’s sujok rolled-flatbread sandwich, which comes stuffed with a funky Syrian sausage, lots of pickles and tomatoes for acid, a scattering of French fries for fun, a garlicky white sauce pulling it all together. It’s delicious, and eats something like a Middle East version of a Southern California-style burrito.
Sujok, a Syrian sausage sandwich, $11.50 (Scott Lynch)
The Syrian spicy potato salad is also good, a craggy pile of soft and crunchy tuber chunks gloppy with a strong, deep orange pepper paste.
Warm spicy potato salad. $8.50 (Scott Lynch)
There are grape leaves and fattoush, falafel sandwiches and feta-filled cheese rolls, sticky baklava and staggeringly rich peanut butter balls dipped in dark chocolate. If you live nearby, you will not get bored.
Peanut butter balls covered in dark chocolate (Scott Lynch)
On the other side of the menu, Kim’s Korean offerings are just as ample and varied. I got the japchae because I always get japchae and SYKO delivers a solid entry into the canon, the noodles all slippery with sesame and soy oils, slivers of shiitake mushrooms bringing that sexy, earthy flavor to the mix.
You can get beef bulgogi as a main course, accompanied by banchan like kimchi and pickled radish, fishcakes and spinach, or rolled up with rice and seaweed in a kimbap, which makes for a terrific summer supper. Other options on this side of the menu include a tofu kimchi “fatboy” sandwich, salmon over fried rice, Korean dumplings, and fried chicken poppers with spicy dipping sauce.
Khoury and Kim have already been expanding their offerings, serving up a weekend brunch with things like a fatteh hummus platter and a spam sandwich.
Most of SYKO’s business has been takeout so far, said Khoury, but there is a comfortable little outdoor sidewalk patio on Windsor Place, complete with whimsical mural, if you want to eat your haul immediately. Khoury also said they hope to build a curbside dining area once the weather gets colder, though SYKO will remain a counter service operation.
The only tables here for now are at this cute little sidewalk seating area (Scott Lynch)
SYKO is located at 126 Windsor Place, just off Prospect Park West, and is currently open on Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (929-424-0423)
Scott Lynch is a freelance food writer, photojournalist, and preschool receptionist in New York City
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