Ginseng Korean BBQ and Tofu in Mountain View, CA

August 19, 2008

Ginseng Korian BBQ and Tofu
475 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041, (650) 967-3913

Last night, being the hungry man that I am around dinner time, I was in the lookout for a restaurant.  A good restaurant mind you- not something that I could eat while in Utah.  When I’m on the road, I want good, ethnic and authentic cuisine.  As such, that means no Mexican, Chinese or fast food.  No standard restaurant chains, like Chili’s or IHOP. No steak houses (with a couple exceptions).  In other words, I’m looking for “the best kept secret” of the city.  Ginsing- Korean BBQ and Tofu may just be that secret.  At least one of them.

At first impression, I thought to myself that I hadn’t had Korean in a long time and it would be good to try again.  So, I entered the restaurant ready to be served.  At first impression, the restaurant was styled nice and had an inviting atmosphere.  What I found a little odd, but appreciated later, was the fact that there was no counter, no podium for the waiter, no till in public view.  All that was visible was the tables to sit at and the chairs to sit upon.  However, something that caught my eye, as my waiter took mput the beef on top toe to my table, was the fact that there were grills in the table itself.  Is the chef going to cook for me, like those famous Japanese steak houses?  He certainly doesn’t have the room to do so.  However, above every table is a vent to catch the smoke and steam from grilling.

Beginning to grill the beef and ribs.

The large assorted array of side dishes.

The restaurant interior looking from my table.

Well, I was intrigued to say the least.  So, as I got my menu, and looked it over, I made my decision.  BBQ beef and ribs.  Within a minute or two, the waiter brought a number of side dishes to my table.  I had no idea what they were, and still don’t.  I wasn’t sure if they were part of the main course, or if I should start eating them.  I waited to see what the main course would provide.  Very shortly after bringing out the side dishes, my waiter brought out a drill plate for the grill in my table, lighted it with a lighter and walked away.  I’m getting excited.  This is going to be good.  Then, he quickly came out with a large plate of raw beef, raw corn and two raw ribs.

Then walked away.

Wait, what?  Does he expect me to grill this myself?  Certainly, there must be some mistake.  I was hoping to purchase cooked food, or have the chef grill for me.  I’m in no mood to grill for myself.  So, I called the waiter over, asking him what I’m supposed to do.  He politely showed me how to grill the beef and ribs, explaining that the slice of onion is to keep the beef warm when I’m finished grilling it.

Well, I’m here.  I might as well start.  So, I began grilling the beef slices and two ribs.  Within a few minutes, I actually started enjoying it.  This is kind of fun.  The waiter also kept coming to my table, making sure I was doing everything correctly, and that I was ok.  He would adjust the flame of the grill as necessary, so as to not burn my beef, then walk away.  Needless to say, by the end of the meal, I was thinking to myself that I would be perfectly happy coming again, and trying something different from the menu.

As far as the flavor of the meal itself.  The beef was marinated to perfection.  It had a most wonderful flavor.  It was a little sweet and tangy.  The ribs, which were huge, were mostly fat and tendons, but had a good flavor as a result.  The corn was exceptionally sweet- absolutely a joy to eat.

Some of the side dishes were good, some, well- odd.  One side dish was dried and baked anchovies (I think- could have been sardines).  I wasn’t fond of that, but some of the vegetables were good.  I only wish I knew the names of those side dishes, so I could document them here.

All-in-all, I would highly recommend this restaurant.  I really enjoyed grilling my own dinner, and the food was fabulous.  The atmosphere was inviting and the service was outstanding.  The only things I would improve with the restaurant was having all the side dishes listed on the menu, so I knew what I was eating.  Further, it would’ve been nice to know before I ordered that I would be doing the grilling.  However, with that said, not all items on the menu required the patron to cook for themselves.  Some items I noticed were coming out of the kitchen already prepared and cooked.

Posted in Restaurant Reviews

This post was written by Aaron