SDG Tofu House

Santa Clara, CA

Sometimes you just need some really simple good ethnic food. There's no need to judge creativity, or ingredients, you just go into a simple Korean restaurant that offers a few specialty items and executes them in a perfect traditional way. You can have your pick of these type of places while driving down El Camino Ave in the South Bay. Chu-Toro found SDG Tofu House on yelp, a place specializing in tofu soup and bi bim bap. Upon arrival on a Tuesday evening, the large simply furnished restaurant was filled up. We patiently waited for about ten minutes for a table to clear up and during our wait our orders were taken by a server, a nice touch of attentiveness. Once our table cleared up and we were being seated, the banchan was already being placed on the table. 

Banchan

One of the best things about Korean restaurants are the banchan. From left to right was kimchi, napa cabbage in rose water, bean sprouts, japchae, spicy pickled radish and spicy squid on cabbage. Each item was great in its own way, except the napa cabbage in rose water, which I've never had and didn't particularly like. 

Bi Bim Bap with barbeque pork

The bi bim bap came out piping hot with the rice continuing to form a crunchy crust on the bottom of the stone bowl. Mixing the carrot, spouts, raw egg, and meat altogether is a perfect balance of homestyle Korean fare, one of my fave dishes. 

Tofu Soup with Octopus and BBQ beef

Chu-Toro's favorite Korean dish is tofu soup, another simple standard Korean dish bursting with flavor. It comes with a bowl of taro rice to enjoy the silky smooth tofu combined with tender octopus and BBQ beef. 

Everything was excellent and a bargain at $12.50 for each dish. We were stuffed and happy by the food and the friendly service. These are the type of meals that we have really learned to appreciate, a simple restaurant, really homey comfort food and great prices.

December 28, 2010

Rating 7.5/10