Restaurant Reviews – Page 6

Kirala

July 2, 2013

Folks have been tipping me over to Kirala for years now. The trouble is, I didn’t get around to visiting this Berkeley mainstay of Japanese cuisine until last winter. I’ve been making up for it ever since.

Kirala is hands down the best Japanese restaurant that I’ve been to in the East Bay, and their sushi is exceptional. The first time I went, I ordered a plate of gyoza to share with my dining companion. These dumplings were delicate, slightly crispy, and piping full of oniony meat.

We also had a plate of unagi and avocado roll along with a spicy tuna roll. I’m usually not a fan of spicy tuna, but this was good, though the unagi and avocado were even better. Savory, salty, creamy, crispy…oh man. These maki hit all the right notes.

The real standout of our meal, though, was the sashimi. Our plate included tuna, bonito, salmon, albacore, and yellowtail. It’s among the freshest sashimi I’ve ever tasted, and gorgeously presented at that. So delicious, so simple!

I’ve visited Kirala several times since this first visit and the food and service have been solid. Quality comes at a price, though, so be prepared to wait. Even on a weeknight, expect to see a line of hungry visitors waiting for a seat. Kirala is worth the wait.

Ryoko’s

July 1, 2013

Do you like Skrillex with your sushi? No? How about A Tribe Called Quest? Either way, I hope you like your nigiri with a heavy dose of bass, because Ryoko’s in San Francisco’s Union Square is part industrial strength speakers, part sushi restaurant.

Okay, I’m exaggerating. Still, the first time I visited Ryoko’s for dinner, I was not prepared for the house dj spinning his tunes at full blast, and right in the center of the crowded restaurant at that. This is good in my case if it’s Tribe, but not so much if it’s Skrillex.

Let’s talk about the food, though. On this visit, my dining companions and I started with a plate of agedashi tofu: slightly crispy on the outside, and oh-so-soft and molten on the inside. A healthy dusting of bonito flakes held us over while we waited for our sushi.

Our plate of toro nigiri was tasty and fresh and the slabs of tuna felt more like butter than meat. Our maki sushi was a treat, too, and while the yellowtail was on the bland side, the futomaki were just right.

Dining at Ryoko’s can be hit or miss depending on what the dj is playing and what iterations of sushi you order. And oh, be prepared for a wait. Very prepared. Ryoko’s may be a bit of a dining gamble, but it’s a popular one at that.

Bangkok Noodles

April 13, 2013April 13, 2013

What’s a no-frills and super authentic Thai restaurant doing in the heart of Union Square? I would have never thought to try out Bangkok Noodles until after a night of outfit hunting, I found myself ravenous. Located on the busiest block of Powell Street, I sat down with my dining companions Karen and Anoop and we quickly ordered, with the smell of garlic, shallots, and spicy broth permeating the air.

My seafood noodle soup did not disappoint. Flecked with loads of fried shallots and topped with fresh herbs, I added a couple of drops of chili sauce and went to town. This dish had just the right ratio of seafood to chewy noodles, and the warm broth was what I needed on a rainy San Francisco evening. Bangkok Noodles has non-noodle dishes on the menu too, but why deviate from a good thing?

Bangkok Noodles is cash-only and the wait can be long, but it’s worth it, especially in Union Square, where quick and good eats can be hard to come by.

Tov Tofu

March 11, 2013

Santa Rosa isn’t exactly synonymous with Korean cuisine, but I’ve noticed a slow, albeit steady rise in the number of Korean restaurants in Sonoma County these past few years. Tov Tofu may be the most authentic, especially for a restaurant 50 miles north of San Francisco.

Tucked away in a shopping center on Yulupa Avenue, Tov Tofu is a bit of a misnomer. The restaurant serves much more than just tofu (not that it’d be a bad thing — one can never have too many jigaes or soondubus). During my first visit with my family, we tried a little bit of everything.

We started with the Korean restaurant standard: bulgogi. The bulgogi here is especially tender, with great-quality beef on a generous bed of onions. Tov Tofu doesn’t have tabletop barbecues, but I doubt you’ll be missing that element with bulgogi this delectable.

Next, we had a plate of bibim naengmyun, or what’s billed as “chilled buckwheat cold noodle.” Whereas a Korean restaurant in Oakland or Santa Clara will usually list the menu item in transliterated Korean, Tov Tofu lists most dishes in English. Korean cuisine is still relatively new in Sonoma County, after all. The naengmyun here was good: chewy noodles with a great bite, although the sauce was sweeter and less spicy than what I’m used to.

We ended our meal with a bowl of bibimbap, which comes in a stone bowl so that the rice forms a crunchy, golden crust. For good measure, we also ordered a flamingly hot bowl of spicy beef soup, flecked with bits of egg, green onions, and bean sprouts. Crunchy, vinegary tastes of banchan helped cut through the heat between bites. So good, so fiery.

There are a few variances from your standard Bay Area Korean menu at Tov Tofu: the bibimbap comes with a fully-cooked shredded egg omelet, and the bibim naengmyeon is vegetarian. But it’s still delicious, and that’s really all that matters. Okay, service matters too. It’s super friendly and down to earth at Tov Tofu, making it one of my new favorite restaurants in Sonoma County. Who knew great Korean cuisine could be found north of San Francisco?

Namu Gaji

February 6, 2013February 6, 2013

Namu Gaji was one of San Francisco’s most anticipated restaurant openings last year, especially after its predecessor Namu closed up shop in the Richmond District in 2011. I visited their new Mission District outpost with my friend Penny last fall soon after their reopening, eager to try out their New-American-meets-Korean fare.

I wasn’t disappointed. We started with the grilled octopus, served with onions and coated in a spicy-sweet sauce. The octopus was tender and and slightly smoky, and we nibbled on bites of banchan to accompany this dish. (Speaking of which, banchan is not complimentary at Namu Gaji as it as at traditional Korean restaurants. It’s also less varied, albeit still tasty.)

Next, we shared a plate of the beef tongue. The tongue isn’t on the menu at the moment, but I’m crossing my fingers that it’ll be back soon, since this might be the best beef tongue I’ve ever hand. This was just wonderful: so tender you could cut it with chopsticks, but browned to a slight crisp on its exterior. A garnish of lime and ground red pepper made this a simple yet satisfying dish.

Lastly, we had the ramyun, which is purportedly a must-eat at Namu Gaji. Handmade noodles, a hot dog, a panko crusted egg, and kimchi make up this dish, and while it was good, it was actually my least favorite dish of the evening. The noodles were wonderful, but huge breaded egg wasn’t needed (gooey, runny egg, please!). Still, I love the riff on budae jigae.

Namu Gaji was worth the wait and I know I’ll be back for more. It’s worth the nearly constant crowd (make sure to make reservations) and the friendly waitstaff along with a solid menu make dining here an instant favorite. Just bring back the beef tongue, guys!