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San Francisco Bay Area, CA

korean restaurants?

5 posts · Nov 27, 1998 to Dec 2, 1998

PeopleNov 27, 1998
Someone asked;
> >>Hi
> >>Does anybody know good Korean restaurants located between Burlingame and
> >>Menlo Park?
> >>Thank you very much!

Well, it is slightly outside the boundries you've set, and I dunno the name, but we've always enjoyed the place in San Bruno on the east side of San Mateo Drive.  Buffet lunch, ala carte dinner, slow/indifferent service, very good food.

Paladin

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TxmNov 28, 1998
Hi, Paladin

I know a couple of Korean restaurant in San Bruno and I think I often go to the restaurant you mentioned. Yes, their food is very good. The problem is San Bruno is not very close to my place. Korean people should open some restaurants between Burlingame and Menlo Park and they are promised to have customers. Well, not really. I know the one in San Mateo did not have many customers and then closed. I wonder where Korean people in this area eat.

Anyway, thank you for your reply.

txm

Someone wrote:
>Someone asked;
>> >>Hi
>> >>Does anybody know good Korean restaurants located between Burlingame
and
>> >>Menlo Park?
>> >>Thank you very much!
>
>Well, it is slightly outside the boundries you've set, and I dunno the
>name, but we've always enjoyed the place in San Bruno on the east side of
>San Mateo Drive.  Buffet lunch, ala carte dinner, slow/indifferent
>service, very good food.
>
>Paladin
>
>---------------------------------------------------
>If you're not outraged, you aren't paying attention.
>---------------------------------------------------
>
Chris K.Nov 28, 1998
Geoff M. wrote:

> Txm wrote:
>
> > I wonder where Korean people in this area eat.
>
> There's a Korean restaurant-cum-"cabaret" on Bernardo
> Avenue near El Camino in Sunnyvale, directly across
> th street from the Cherry Chase Shopping Center.  I've
> never been there, nor do I know anyone who has.  But it
> might be worth checking out.

I believe you are referring to Dae Sun Kal Bi.  A kalbi restaurant specializes in Korean-style (i.e. marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and a little vinegar) barbecued meat, which can either be prepared for you or brought out raw for you to cook at your table to your liking. Kalbi is Korean for short ribs, which is the most common cut of meat one would order at these sorts of restaurants, although bulgogi (similar to flank steak, I think) is also available.  You can usually order beef, pork, or chicken barbecue at these types of restaurants.

I've been to Dae Sun Kal Bi once, but it was for a buffet dinner so it wasn't a typical meal.  Rather, it was a *huge* spread of dozens of Korean dishes, and all were pretty good.  Of course, the problem with buffet food is that it is often prepared well beforehand, but as I recall it was still tasty and there were a few dishes that are unusual to find outside of Korea.

> Koren restaurants seem to be surprisingly uncommon on
> the Peninsula and in the South Bay.  They're out there,
> they're just not as numerous as I'd expect.  The only
> one I've been to is Seoul on Main Street in Milpitas.
>

Actually, if you continue south a little farther on El Camino, past the Lawrence Expressway, you'll find quite a thriving Korean community, with grocery stores (Kyopo Shijang is one of the best), bakeries, video stores, and restaurants all within a fairly short distance (extending a little past the San Tomas Expressway).  My favorite of all the Korean restaurants in this area is Korea House (Hanguk Jip), which is past the San Tomas Expressway on the right and just beyond a Hollywood Video store, also on the right.  They have a fairly extensive menu which is representative of Korean cuisine; although Korean barbecue is the one dish has been filtered into the US the most effectively, Korean food is largely fish, squid, and vegetable-based, with thick stews (chi-gae) quite popular. Also, if you're new to the restaurant you might get comped a free dish of glass noodles with sesame oil (chab-jae).  The waitresses are business-like but efficient, and the matriarch of the restaurant is very sociable and quite a hoot.  Entrees range from $9-$15, and with all the free side dishes, including many versions of kimchee, that come with your meal, you're certain to leave full.  I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

The only other Korean restaurant I'm aware of outside of that area is in the Town and Country shopping center in Palo Alto (Embarcadero at El Camino).  It's oddly named Some Kind of Place, and is run by Koreans although they also feature a variety of Chinese and Japanese dishes.  It's very small, pretty cheap, and decent if you need a Korean food fix (as I often do).  They seem to do a good deal of business by catering meals, as I've had their food on a few occasions on the Stanford campus.

Chris
Howard S.HMS & AssociatesDec 2, 1998
I like the Invitation House on Highway One in Pacifica near the Moonraker. I know this is not quite between Burlingame and south,, but it is only about 20 minutes west of Burlingame.

They have occasional specials for lunch and dinner. Usual lunch is about 5-6$ and dinners are about12$ and up. They have a separate Bar b que room.

Overall decor is great and food is two notches above good. I live in Pacifica so I am a bit biased. I do recommend that you try it.

Howard
Chris K.Canonical NameworksDec 2, 1998
Chris K. wrote:
>
>Geoff M. wrote:
>> Koren restaurants seem to be surprisingly uncommon on
>> the Peninsula and in the South Bay.  They're out there,
>> they're just not as numerous as I'd expect.  The only
>> one I've been to is Seoul on Main Street in Milpitas.
>>
>
>Actually, if you continue south a little farther on El Camino, past the
>Lawrence Expressway, you'll find quite a thriving Korean community, with
>grocery stores (Kyopo Shijang is one of the best), bakeries, video stores,
>and restaurants all within a fairly short distance (extending a little
>past the San Tomas Expressway).

In this area I've been to Jang Tu many many times and I always enjoy it.  It's a small hole-in-the-wall place in a shopping center on (I believe) El Camino and Henderson near Pizza Hut.

It's a mom-and-pop-and-kids restaurant with a small menu and yummy food, and very inexpensive (~$6-$8 for most dishes).  The help can sometimes be a bit inefficient so be forwarned, but the food is worth it.
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