Namu Gaji - SF

[Robert Lauriston]

No reports on this place except for takeout?

I went to a prix-fixe dinner organized by Tasting Table the other night. The room (corner of 18th and Dolores, next to Bi-Rite Creamery) is much nicer than the old space.

Oysters with ponzu and gochujang (spicy miso) were fantastic. That's on the regular menu, 6 for $16. The housemade gochujang was the best I've had.

Stone pot rice with vegetables and egg was great. That's also on the regular menu, $16.

Main course was barbecued pork belly, chicken, and black cod with lettuce, nappa wraps, ssamjang, assorted vegetables such as perilla leaf and jalapeños, and cabbage kimchi. The pork belly with jang and nappa wraps was the best Korean BBQ I've had. The chicken and fish were fine but paled by comparison. The pork belly's not on the regular menu but I think they have it occasionally as a special.

Dessert was a kabocha custard with whipped cream and toasted pine nuts, barely sweet, kind of bland but the nuts made the dish.

http://namusf.com

[mariacarmen]

we tried a few dishes here the other night: the potato puffs, the shitake dumplings in dashi, okonomiyaki, and the stone pot with added steak. by far, the best dish of the night were the dumplings. so incredibly rich with umami! the broth was subtle and perfect for the depth of flavor the shitakes gave. the texture of the dumplings were wonderful too - silky yet firm. the potato puffs were fine, but nothing special. i loved the okonomiyake, which came on an iron cast plate so hot that the bonito flakes literally danced throughout the entire meal. the hot pot was great, each component a distinct flavor, the egg perfectly cooked. these latter two dishes were very homey and warming, perfect for a rainy night. but we both agreed that we'd come back specifically for the dumplings. we had a carafe of chilled sake that i don't see on the online menu - it had a slight vanilla flavor to it - went very well with out food. though (and i know it's supposed to be a reserve) i thought $39 for a carafe was a bit much.

there are a lot more dishes i'd love to try. but the BF said he'd double up on those dumplings and call it dinner.

[mr_darcy]

Thanks for the review - really like Namu Gaji.

I highly recommend trying the shaved ice there, to anyone who's not into super-sweet / rich desserts. They have a build-your-own for lunch and a fixed seasonal one for dinner. It's not Hawaiian but rather the Asian style shaved ice with fruit toppings. It's good enough that I go there for dessert after a meal elsewhere.

[indigirl]

I dropped in a while back w/ spousette, & shared the okonomiyaki. Yum! Perhaps a little on the salty side, but that can be forgiven in okonomiyaki more easily than in other things. Would order again.

[Dustin_E]

randomly stopped by here a few months ago.

had a seafood ramen special. broth was very weak - definately wouldn't get this again. thought the ramen at their main (old?) branch was the best in the city, so could see their non-seafood based ramen being good.

tempura was decent. thought it was funny that the blonde girl who brought it out made a point of calling it "tempuLra". also thought it was funny they made a big point of saying their kimchi / ponchan was "free".

[Robert Lauriston]

Panchan is $5 on the current dinner menu. I don't know if it's also included with entrees.

[Thomas Nash]

We have been given a small panchan with dinner entrees at no extra charge.

[Dustin_E]

panchan is always given away for free at the start of a meal at "real" korean restaurants.

[Robert Lauriston]

Depends on the restaurant and what you order. Some places if I order appetizers the panchan doesn't come out until the main courses. At a soju bang, you're lucky to get kimchi and peanuts.

[drewskiSF]

some places, even if you don't get apps, banchan doesn't come out until the main courses.

people think banchan are provided as appetizers and get annoyed if they aren't brought out right away, but really they are side dishes to be eaten alongside the main dishes.

[Thomas Nash]

We have gone 3 times and have been particularly impressed by the okonomiyaki (described as
kimchee, oysters, yamaimo, cabbage, bonito, scallions, kewpie, okonomiyaki sauce) and the ramyun (handmade noodles, 4505 hot dog, panko crusted egg, housemade kimchee, mung beans). They make only 24 of the latter per day. Both are real Seoul soul food.

Tempura was good also.

[od_sf]

Okonomiyaki is Seoul soul food? I think people in Kansai might disagree with you.

[Thomas Nash]

OK, allow a little poetic license. Yes, it is a Japanese dish. But there is plenty of Japanese influence in Korea. The chef is Korean and his version has kimchee in it (which apparently is allowed in Kansai). It is certainly available in Seoul and I bet it is popular there.

Anyway, it was delicious ...

[mr_darcy]

For the sake of completeness, you might say the same about ramyun and China.