Lunch #49: J Sushi

MSG150 stepped up to the big leagues today. Food writer Leslie Kelly (blog) and photographer Paul Joseph Brown (also does weddings) from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer met us for lunch at the next stop on our route, J Sushi. We've been trying to hook up with Leslie for a couple months. She finally caught up with us today and is giving us our big break into analog media. We arrived at noon on our best behavior. Adam even took a shower.

Update: Read Leslie's article and see our mugs in the Seattle PI.

J Sushi, Seattle
Address: 674 S Weller St, Seattle, WA, 98104
Cuisine: Japanese: Sushi
Average rating: 3.4 chopsticks
Lunch date: 4/30/2008 @ 12:01:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 2 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 20 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 79 minutes
Chopstix quality: Nice Metal
Do they use MSG?: No
Where is the owner/chef from?: Owner: Canton, China; Sushi Chef: Hawaii
Number of tables: 9
Number of occupied tables: 5 (55%)
Number of business lunch tables: 5 (100%)
Number of "local" tables: 0 (0%)
Healthcode Score: 10
Links: Yelp!, Urbanspoon

Luncher: Emmett

Lunch: Bento Box with Salmon Teriyaki and Sushi - $7.95
Rating:

Emmett's Review

I'm a big sushi fan, and frequent Shiro's, Chiso, Fuji. J's is small, but has a nice atmosphere. We were greeted immediately and they showed us to our table in the back. We regaled our guests with stories both of adventure, and woe. We ate some sushi.

I got the bento box at a not-so-bad-price of 8 bucks. The salmon teriyaki was tasty, a little charred (which is how I like it). The nigiri was forgettable - a piece of salmon, I think, maybe a shrimp, and a white fish (maybe Saba). Like I said - forgettable. Accompanied with some white rice, salad, and an orange, it was a fine spread for lunch. The orange in my lunch box is always a nice touch - makes me feel like a kid in the cafeteria.

The real highlight was the dragon roll. Little sprouts were sticking out as eyes, lots of flavor. We also ordered a Hawaii Five-O roll. It had some fruit in it or something, but kind of skimpy in the fish department.

All in all, I was not blown away by the sushi. Nothing in the food department really stuck out as 'great' but the service was good and the price was decent for sushi. I could see myself coming back.

Luncher: Adam

Lunch: Bento Box with Chicken Teriyaki and Sushi - $7.95
Rating:

Adam's Review

What a special day. In our DLZ, this is the only (real) sushi place. A Bento box with a couple pieces of sushi, a salad, an orange wedge, and some chicken teriyaki.

There is something to be said for teriyaki at a sushi restaurant... its probably going to be mediocre. This wasn't an exception. My sushi pieces were excellent. And my salad came with some good dark-green lettuce and an amazingly delicious salad dressing.

We also split some rolls amongst the table members. I only tried the Catepillar roll, but it was most excellent.

When in Rome, do as the Romans... eat sushi.

Luncher: Geary

Lunch: Bento Box with Salmon Teriyaki and Sushi - $7.95
Rating:

Geary's Review

"J" Sushi? I don't get it. There's an I Sushi in Issaquah (actually iSushi on their sign). Is this just the logical next step? I also had trouble visually unwrapping the octopus from the "J" in the logo and thought at first the name of this place was just Sushi, or maybe Octopus on an Anchor Sushi. I'm a huge sushi fan, but spend most of my sushi budget on straight sushi (sashimi or nigiri) rather than elaborate rolls. I also tend to shoot for the "great bargain" type sushi spots where you can get high quality fish at a reasonable price. A couple of my favs are Musashi's in Walingford and Hana up on Broadway. For quick, close to home sushi I go with iSushi, a conveyor belt sushi restaurant with a Japanese owner/head chef, but predominantly Mexican sushi chefs. J Sushi is a bit spendier than these bargain spots, but the prices are not outrageous. In addition to sushi, they also offer some typical Japanese lunch options at reasonable lunch prices. Since I was intent on having some sushi without blowing out my lunch budget, I went with the Bento Box with the sushi and salmon teriyaki options. We also got a couple of rolls to share with the table including a Godzilla Roll (looked like a spider roll on steroids), Caterpillar/Dragon Roll (Is there a difference? There was some confusion.), and a Hawaii 5-0 Roll (book 'em Danno). We reluctantly passed on the Super Dave Roll. What, they have a Super Dave Roll, but no Rick Roll?!

The Bento Box was excellent, the salmon was tender and flaky and a larger portion than Bush Garden; the salad was made of nice mixed greens with a light, tangy Japanese dressing; and the sushi consisted of three large, fresh pieces: one shrimp, one salmon, and one albacore. The shrimp was fine as far as shrimp sushi goes, but in general shrimp sushi (which is cooked, unseasoned shrimp filleted and stuck on rice) is really just a waste of shrimp. The salmon and albacore were excellent. Both were ample pieces of fish without a bit of chewy connective bits that often shows up in sushi of bargain joints. The salmon also had nice fatty striping. Yum! The rolls were fantastic. I didn't get a bite of the Spider Roll, but it was huge, with large chunks of crab. The caterpillar roll was beautiful. It looked like a caterpillar, with eyes, scales, and antenna. This is not the type of roll you get off of a conveyor belt. The caterpillar roll has always been one of my favorites. The distinctive taste of the unagi is complemented perfectly by the avocado and sweet and tangy sauce. Rolls done like this are fun for a splurge, but for my money, I'd still rather just have high quality fish on a ball of rice.

VIP Luncher: Leslie Kelly from Seattle PI

Lunch: Catepilar Roll, Spider Roll, Dragon Roll, and a Godzilla Roll - $20.00
Rating:

Leslie Kelly's Review

Awww! What an adorable dragon.

Whenever I eat at a new sushi place, I always test the waters by ordering rolls. I want to see what kind of care the kitchen takes with its cooked fish before I go for the raw.

J Sushi’s dragon roll – eel, crab and cucumber with avocado on top – was finished with octopus tentacles for eyes and sprouts for horns. The seaweed layered inside was just a little bit chewy, but beyond that, the flavor was great.

I also tried the Godzilla roll ($11.95; pretty good, not great) and the Caterpillar ($9.95; I’ve had better/worse, not too memorable.)

This place gets high marks for friendly service and fun décor.

If you want to read more, check out my Cheap Eats review in the May 9 Seattle P-I.

VIP Luncher: Paul Brown from Seattle PI

Lunch: Catepilar Roll, Spider Roll, Dragon Roll, and a Godzilla Roll - $20.00
Rating:

Paul Brown's Review

I had the spider roll, caterpillar roll, and three pieces of sushi: hamachi, unagi and maguro. I also had a bento with salmon teriyaki and sushi option. I thought the rolls and the sushi were excellent, 5 chopsticks. The bento was uneven, not amazing 2 chopsticks for value, 3.5 over all.

For sushi and rolls J Sushi is in the top 20% of sushi places in Seattle. Their bento is about average.

Luncher: Michael

Lunch: Bento Box with Salmon Teriyaki and Sushi - $7.95
Rating:

Michael's Review

All the walls of the place had giant paintings of aquatic critters. Behind me a jellyfish, to my left a giant octopus, and in front of me a huge pair of koi. This vibrantly colored orange and black carp watched me eat his relatives for lunch. I think it helped set the mood for lunch.

I tried both the bento box with salmon teriyaki as well sampling several of the rolls. The salmon was good, the sushi was tasty, and the rolls were both fun and flavorful.

If you’ve never ordered a ‘caterpillar roll’ now is the time. A caterpillar roll is a large sushi roll with an outer layer of avocado to give it the appearance of green skin, as well as decorations and eye spots done with fish roe. Top it off with bean sprouts for antennae and you have something that vaguely looks like a giant green caterpillar on your plate. And it tastes great.

Overall this is a quiet lunch spot that puts out a good bento and sushi product for not too much money. Tasty affordable lunch, and a nice splash of orange Koi. J Sushi is a solid place for lunch.

Luncher: Rob

Lunch: Bento Box with Salmon Teriyaki and Sushi - $7.95
Rating:

Rob's Review

I really wanted to love this place. Huge paintings of fish on the walls, the idea of good sushi for lunch in downtown Seattle, Aji (Spanish mackerel) featured on the sushi menu (although they didn't have it this day). I ended up with the lunch special bento box with salmon teriyaki and three pieces of sushi, as did most of the rest of the MSG150 crew. Also picked out the Hawaii 5-0 roll, featuring tuna and mango. Our new friends at the Seattle P-I picked out some other rolls and various pieces of nigiri. My salmon teriyaki was pretty dry, although the sauce was good. The small salad was one of the best bento box salads I've had -- real leafy greens with a nice dressing. The sushi was average. They were good sized pieces of fish, but the salmon was falling apart and the albacore didn't have the best texture. I've had worse, to be sure, but I've also had much better. The Hawaii 5-0 roll was interesting, but, again, the fish was just average, and there were only four pieces -- less than half the size of the other rolls. I also tried a piece of the very cute caterpillar roll, and that was okay, but not great. None of the fish really stood out. On the plus side, with the P-I folk there, Adam was on his best behavior. We should have newspaper reporters join us more often.

J Sushi Photos

J Sushi


Lunch Special menu with authentic soy stain


Miso


Giant Spider Roll & Caterpillar Roll


Caterpillar Roll & Spider Roll


Bento Box with Chicken Teriyaki and Sushi


Bento Box with Salmon Teriyaki and Sushi


Bento Box with Salmon Teriyaki and Sushi (again)


Hawaii 5-0 Roll


Koi Mural


Sushi Bar

05/06/08 - Fixed table stats
05/07/08 - Added link to Seattle PI

Lunch #48: 663 Bistro

The MSG150 crew was seven lunchers strong today as we headed back past the intersection of Weller and Maynard to find our next spot in the Heart of the DLZ. Just next door to Ho Ho is the simply named 663 Bistro (at 663 Weller). Program note: Semi-vegetarian Rob is back with us after an extended battle with the flu. Welcome back Rob!

663 Bistro, Seattle
Address: 663 S Weller St, Seattle, WA, 98104
Cuisine: Chinese: Congee, Chinese: Noodles, Chinese: Cantonese, Chinese: BBQ
Average rating: 4.3 chopsticks
Lunch date: 4/18/2008 @ 12:17:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 0 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 8 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 53 minutes
Chopstix quality: Really Nice Plastic
Do they use MSG?: Yes
Where is the owner/chef from?: Canton
Number of tables: 18
Number of occupied tables: 11 (61%)
Number of business lunch tables: 2 (18%)
Number of "local" tables: 9 (81%)
Healthcode Score: 20
Links: Yelp!, Urbanspoon

Luncher: Emmett

Lunch: Noodles in Soup with BBQ Pork and Wontons - $5.95
Rating:

Emmett's Review

The first time I came here, Geary and I tag-teamed an entire duck. For some reason we thought we could put it away ourselves. But they brought this humongous piece of fowl against which we had no chance. It was delicious, I looked forward to our return.

663 is another bright Cantonese spot with an extensive menu covering soups, noodles, congee, etc. We had a good crew, affording us the opportunity to try a few different things. I wanted to do soup, cause I had such a good experience at Ocean City II with their soup. I ordered the Noodles in Soup with BBQ Pork and Wontons.

They offered three different types of noodles - Cantonese noodles, wide rice Noodles, and thin rice noodles. I opted for the Cantonese, which are the standard. Their soup was fantastic, and the pork was as savory as Ocean City II. It held up well to Mike's Noodle House. I also got to sample some of Rob's Curried Fish Fillet, which was fantastic, and the other assorted Beef and Noodle dishes.

Everything was solid. I'll return.

Luncher: Geary

Lunch: XO Sauce Pan-Fried Noodles with Sliced Fish + Pea Vine Greens - $7.95 + $9.95
Rating:

Geary's Review

663 Bistro has a medium-sized dining area that is clean with appealing, but muted, decor. Even though it isn't much of a name, it is unusual for a Chinese restaurant to have a name that doesn't immediately identify it as Chinese. And it puts them in the same neighborhood as Travis Shred and his neighbor, The Beast. 663 has a sizable menu and no specific lunch specials (YAY!). The menu selections include noodles, soups, congee, BBQ meats, and various other southern Chinese favorites. I was in the mood for noodles so went with the XO Sauce Pan-Fried Noodles with Sliced Fish. I noticed our waitress delivering a plate of greens to a neighboring table, so threw in an order for some Pea Vine Greens of our own.

Rob's fish arrived first and was a clear winner. He was kind and shared bites. The curry was thick and flavorful. The fish was fresh, moist, and flaky. My XO Noodles were also great. I wasn't sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. It was similar to beef chow fun, except with fish. The fish wasn't deep fried, like Rob's curry. It was just stir-fried in with the noodles, onions, and sprouts. The sprouts and onions gave it a nice crunch and the XO sauce added a tangy flavor. Yum! The Pea Vine Greens were cooked perfectly and were a welcome companion to the heavily noodled main course. The fish balls, however, were a bit too fishy for my taste.

Luncher: Adam

Lunch: Noodles in Soup with Roast Duck and BBQ Pork - $5.95
Rating:

Adam's Review

The menu for 663 Bistro was pretty damn huge... so I was having a hard time deciding what to get. I thought the 663 was because of their address, but it turns out it's the number of items on their menu... <groan>. I saw some Meat in the Window, so I knew I wanted to get something with that. I opted for the Noodle Soup with Roast Pork and Roast Duck.

I didn't actually get roast pork in my soup, there was a bit of a miscommunication, and I got the Honey BBQ Pork. This little mishap ended up being quite a little pig-tastic blessing. The Honey BBQ Pork is sweet and salty (as opposed to just salty like BBQ pork from some other MIWs), and lent a nice flavor to the soup that it was in. The roast duck was good, but I wish there had been more.

I was going to give this place a solid 4-chopsticks review, until I tasted the Curry Fish Fillet on Rice. The curry sauce was very flavorful and creamy. The bowl that contained the curry was nearly overflowing with fish... they crammed-in at least 2 servings of fish. This is one of the best lunches I've ever tasted, and I'm heading back to this place to specifically get this dish! It was so good, I didn't even mind that the Vegetarian Rob ordered it.

Great prices. Great food. One of the International District Gems.

Luncher: Rob

Lunch: Curry Fish Fillet on Rice - $6.50
Rating:

Rob's Review

I'd been to 663 Bistro once before well over a year ago (and I sat at the same table in almost the same seat), and the dish I had was fairly unremarkable (what Joey got, but sans beef). This time, however, I went with the curry fish fillet, in no small part to Joey telling me, "The curry is pretty good here," and I must say that I won today's lunch lottery (they even served me first!). The curry is actually pretty great -- creamy, flavorful, with a decent kick (didn't need any extra hot sauce) -- generously poured over an ample amount of breaded, tender, and moist flounder, onions, bell peppers, and potatoes. One of the best curries I've had in quite a while, in fact. The pea vines in garlic sauce was a great side dish to the curry -- the garlic sauce was nice and light (a smidge too salty on first taste, but fine on subsequent ones). So, there are great things here at the 663, but you have to choose wisely. Today was my first msg150 lunch in three weeks (I was out sick with a horrible, horrible flu and what have you), and it felt so good to be back that I didn't even mind Adam's feeble attempts at humor.

Luncher: Michael

Lunch: Tossed Noodles with BBQ Pork and Roast Duck - $6.25
Rating:

Michael's Review

I had the opportunity to sample most of the dishes on the table and with the exception of Joey's RMV everything was far above average. My noodles with duck and pork, Rob's curry, and Geary's pan fried noodles were all spectacular.

This isn't your usual boring lunch fare with breaded chicken covered in sugar. Fresh noodles, tasty broth, juicy barbeque, and the most awesome pea vines in garlic sauce make this bistro a big improvement over the usual 'lunch special'.

If you consider that this feast cost maybe 10 bucks including tax and tip you will have to agree that this is one of the best lunch spots we've found in the ID.

Luncher: Torrey

Lunch: Noodles in Soup with BBQ Pork and Wide Rice Noodles - $4.95
Rating:

Luncher: Joey

Lunch: Beef and Fresh Vegetables on Rice - $5.75
Rating:

663 Bistro Photos

663 Bistro


Menu


Curry Fish Fillet on Rice


XO Sauce Pan-Fried Noodles with Sliced Fish + Pea Vine Greens


Tossed Noodles with BBQ Pork and Roast Duck


Noodles in Soup with Roast Duck and BBQ Pork


Noodles in Soup with BBQ Pork and Wide Rice Noodles


Pea Vine Greens


Beef and Fresh Vegetables on Rice


Noodles in Soup with BBQ Pork and Wontons


Curried Fish Balls

Lunch #47: Ho Ho Seafood Restaurant

The MSG150 crew headed out a bit later than usual, around 12:40, to find the next spot. Just down the street from Bush Garden is the Ho Ho Seafood Restaurant. Like many of the spots on this last stretch, Ho Ho is a place where none of us had ever been. Also, unlike you might expect, Ho Ho is neither Christmas nor chocolate cupcake themed.

Ho Ho Seafood Restaurant, Seattle
Address: 651 S Weller St, Seattle, WA, 98104
Cuisine: Chinese: Hong Kong
Average rating: 3.6 chopsticks
Lunch date: 4/16/2008 @ 12:47:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 1 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 10 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 47 minutes
Chopstix quality: Nice Plastic
Do they use MSG?: Yes
Where is the owner/chef from?: Hong Kong
Number of tables: 18
Number of occupied tables: 7 (38%)
Number of business lunch tables: 4 (57%)
Number of "local" tables: 2 (28%)
Healthcode Score: 0
Links: Yelp!, Urbanspoon

Family Style Dishes

• 4 x Hot & Sour Soup
• 8 x Egg Rolls
• Grandmom's Tofu
• Beef with Double Mushroom
• Pepper Salted Prawns in Shell
• General Tso's Chicken
• Shrimp Fried Rice

Luncher: Geary

Lunch: Pearl Lunch (family style) - $6.95
Fortune: Someone will lose your fortune on the way back to the office.
Rating:

Geary's Review

Wow! The first thing you notice when entering Ho Ho is the modern interior. So many places in the ID are either outdated or over themed (or both). Ho Ho has attractive modern furniture and decor. Its large windows and stylish light fixtures provide ample lighting. It's how you would expect a modern restaurant in Hong Kong might look.

The lunch menu has the typical American Chinese lunch offerings but in addition to the standard per person lunches, they had a couple of family style lunches with 2, 3 or 4 entrees depending on the number of lunchers. Al went with the General Tso's Sticky Goo lunch special, while the rest of us went with the Pearl Lunch for four. With the Pearl Lunch, we got Pepper Salted Prawns in Shell, Grandmom's Tofu, Beef with Double Mushroom, General Tso's Chicken, Shrimp Fried Rice, Egg Rolls, and soup.

The H&SS was good with just the right amount of tang and spice and not overly thick. The Egg Rolls were a surprise. I usually avoid these overly greasy "delicacies", but the Ho Ho Egg Rolls are a petite, cocktail-frank-sized variation on the usually kielbasa-sized rolls. They were hot, crisp and delicious. The Prawns were large, finger-sized prawns deep fried with shell, heads and all and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and jalapenos. They were delicious. No need to peel, just eat from the tail and stop at the head. The shell is fried crisp enough that it is not chewy at all and adds a pleasant crunch. The Shrimp Fried Rice was light and fluffy and not at all greasy. The beef and tofu were good, but nothing outstanding. I tasted General Tso's Abomination and was again amazed that anyone would choose to put this concoction into their body given other reasonably edible options.

Luncher: Adam

Lunch: Pearl Lunch (family style) - $6.95
Fortune: You will lose your fortune on the way back to the office.
Rating:

Adam's Review

Seriously? This place is called Ho Ho? There has to be some meaning behind the word... because I know Hostess isn't going to let them sell delicious goo-filled baked goods. Luckily they sell Chinese food in a building with plenty of windows and natural light in a recently-remodeled eating-room.

After a quick rundown of the menu, we noticed a reasonably priced family-style lunch. We'd get the basics, plus 3 entrees for a normal lunch price... sounds good to me. All of the food was good, and there was plenty of it. The General Tso's was unique -- it was much redder than I'm used to seeing. Other than that, nothing stood out. All of the food was on the tastier side of 3-chopsticks, but nothing pushed it over to a 4.

It looks like they have some other decently priced lunch options... some of their soups looked like they would be pretty good. This is definitely a solid standard Chinese lunch place. Good prices. Good food. Well lit.

"Ho Ho" means "Good Good."

Luncher: Emmett

Lunch: Pearl Lunch (family style) - $6.95
Fortune: Someone will lose your fortune on the way back to the office.
Rating:

Emmett's Review

Ho Ho - another nondescript storefront in this ocean of Chinese Food - surprised in many ways. The first thing you notice is it's very clean, and very well lit - with big floor-to-ceiling windows. The decor is modern and classy looking. The menu is detailed, and has a large selection. They're playing whiny Chinese pop songs.

We got the Pearl Lunch Special, and shared four dishes amongst the four of us. I got to try a little bit of everything. The egg rolls were tasty, fresh fried, and hot. The tofu had a nice pepper flavor. The shrimp came whole, complete with heads and legs, deep-fried. We had to eat through the skins, but they were scrumptious. The mushrooms and beef were average, and the General Tso's was surprisingly tasty.

For the price, this place delivered a lot of tasty food, with good selection. I look forward to exploring the rest of the menu. I'd come back.

Luncher: Al

Lunch: General Tso's Chicken Lunch Special - $4.75
Fortune: Someone will lose your fortune on the way back to the office.
Rating:

Al's Review

This General Tso could win Iraq on a budget.

Luncher: Jon

Lunch: Pearl Lunch (family style) - $6.95
Fortune: Someone will lose your fortune on the way back to the office.
Rating:

Ho Ho Seafood Restaurant Photos

Ho Ho Seafood Restaurant


Ho Ho's Entrance


Ho Ho's Lunch Menu


H&SS


Egg Rolls (-2)


Grandmom's Tofu


Beef with Double Mushroom


Pepper Salted Prawns in Shell


General Tso's Lunch Special


General Tso's Assault on American Tastes


Shrimp Fried Rice

Lunch #46: Bush Garden

The MSG150 crew headed out just before noon to meet up with Naomi, The GastroGnome, who was joining us for lunch today at Bush Garden, the next stop on our death march tour. Some of us have been here before after work for Karaoke and cheap booze, but none of us have ever heard of anyone eating here.

Bush Garden, Seattle
Address: 614 Maynard Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98104
Cuisine: Japanese
Average rating: 3 chopsticks
Lunch date: 4/14/2008 @ 12:10:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 0 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 15 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 49 minutes
Chopstix quality: Nice Wood
Do they use MSG?: Didn't Ask, but it doesn't feel like it.
Where is the owner/chef from?:
Number of tables: 32
Number of occupied tables: 7 (21%)
Number of business lunch tables: 3 (42%)
Number of "local" tables: 3 (42%)
Healthcode Score: 0
Links: Yelp!, Urbanspoon

Luncher: Adam

Lunch: Two Choices Lunch: Chicken Teriyaki + Tonkatsu - $7.75
Rating:

Adam's Review

Yay! not Chinese food! I was excited for the change of pace that Bush Garden was going to provide. Should I get Sukiyaki? Should I get teriyaki? Some other kind of yaki? I guess I'll get the "Two Choice Lunch Special" with Chicken Terikyaki and Tonkatsu (pork cutlet).

The lunch special came in a bento box with a cup of white rice. There was a token iceburg lettuce salad and 6 fried green beans. The piece of chicken they made the teriyaki with was actually pretty fatty. The chicken sucked up the teriyaki flavor very well but I couldn't get over the flap of fat on the back. The tonkatsu was the definition of mediocre, though. If I were a skinnier man... I may have not eaten the tonkatsu.

Pretty good place. If you're tired of Chinese food in the International District, this is a pretty decent alternative.

Luncher: Emmett

Lunch: Katsudon - $7.75
Rating:

Emmett's Review

Goodness. I was hoping I would have something good to write. Bush Garden has intrigued me as a dining establishment since I started coming here for karaoke. As I belted out R. Kelly, I would dream of sukiyaki, tempura, and sashimi. I drank their cheap rail drinks, and would gaze at the sushi bar, wondering, longing, hoping. I had hopes for something fried, delicious, and not nutritious.

This place is classy, with their pleather seats and rank odor of fried food. I ordered the Katsudon, hoping for a tasty rice, egg, and pork cutlet feast. What I got looked kind of gross - which normally doesn't discourage me. However the rice was mushy and greasy, the egg was flavorless, the breaded pork cutlet was soggy, and the entire dish was permeated with oil. There were a few sick little peas peppered thoughout.

The other food looked quite good, and the price is certainly right. I gave it a decent effort, but left with a mildy upset stomach and a longing for something a little fresher and lighter. Bush Garden, I'm afraid, disappointed. I'll stick with the higher prices and better quality of Fuji up the street.

Luncher: Geary

Lunch: Two Choices Lunch: Salmon Teriyaki + BBQ Pork Ribs - $7.75
Rating:

Geary's Review

When I was a kid my folks took me to Busch Gardens theme park in Williamsburg, Virginia. I got a Bud Man Frisbee. Bud Man could kick Mickey's ass. There is no Bud Man at Seattle's Bush Garden, but its Mike Brady designed exterior, with its stone wall and neon "Cocktails" sign, reminds me of a more simple time when it was considered okay for a kid to ride unbuckled on the armrest of the family panel wagon or for a giant beer company to open a branded theme park complete with super hero mascot. But, luckily, neither has had any effect on me. Mmmm... beer.

Once I made it past the dimly lit and overly themed entry and my eyes adjusted to the soft light in the Karaoke lounge, I spotted the MSG150 advance team at a table just off the stage. Luckily there is no singing at lunch. The lunch menu offers a nice selection of reasonably priced Japanese favorites including a nice "Two Choices Lunch" bento with nine options to choose from (that's 72 different lunches for those counting). I went with the Salmon Teriyaki and Japanese BBQ Pork Ribs. After we ordered, the waitress brought us a tray of hot towels. Yes, hot towels! Every table is in the first class cabin here at the Bush Garden.

The food arrived quickly and my lunch was delicious. The salmon was small, but perfectly cooked and drizzled with a light teriyaki sauce. The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender. I still don't understand the crappy salad you always get at Japanese restaurants. It's nice to get some crisp fresh greens, but come on. Maybe it's time to modernize the salad a bit. The orange slice was tasty, too. Yum! Put me back in coach. I'm ready for the second half.

Luncher: Erin

Lunch: Two Choices Lunch: Tuna Sashimi + Tempura Shrimp and Vegetables - $7.75
Rating:

Erin's Review

Bush Garden is one of those old school ID places. It has been there since my Dad can remember – the very early 60’s! Walking in, the place has a split personality. There is a sushi bar to one side, and then we sat in the regular restaurant place, where apparently they host Karaoke.

Service was prompt and the tea was in a nice ceramic pot – not the metal ones that lose heat. I ordered a lunch special with two entrees ($7.75): tuna sashimi and tempura shrimp and veggies. One could order two items from a selection of about 12 different things for this particular lunch special. It came with miso soup, salad, an orange slice, rice and a little side of sautéed green beans. The lunch menu had a good selection of different items. Service was quick and efficient.

Overall my food was nicely prepared. It was, however, a little bland. The sashimi was fresh – always a good thing, especially since the place was not particularly busy. The vegetable tempura was good, with a nice selection of veggies. The shrimp was a little mushy and the dipping sauce had no flavor. Bush Garden is a nice Japanese standard, but otherwise unremarkable.

VIP Luncher: Naomi from The GastroGnome

Lunch: Sushi Lunch Special - $6.75
Rating:

Naomi's Review

For $6.95 I was served a miso soup, a small salad, 5 nigiri sushi and 2 hand rolls. That is dirt cheap, my friends. For $6.95 you get the pieces of square shaped half frozen tuna maki at the grocery store. And this was definitely better than store sushi. It was clearly made on the spot, the rice was made that day, though not too recently. The fish quality was definitely not top notch. It was cut into odd shapes and was slightly grainy. It tasted fresh though, not old, and they did not skimp on it. My 5 nigiri were ahi and albacore tuna, salmon, shrimp and a white fish that I didn’t identify and can’t remember. One hand roll was cucumber and the other was spicy tuna, a favorite of mine.

Overall, I have to admit I was pretty impressed at the amount and quality of sushi I got for 6.95, though I’m not sure I wouldn’t just rather get cheap food elsewhere and save sushi for the splurges!

Naomi's full review of Bush Garden.

Luncher: Jared

Lunch: Kobe Beef Sukiyaki - $7.75
Rating:

Bush Garden Photos

Bush Garden


Hot Towels!?


Bush Garden Lunch Menu


Miso & Salad Starter


Lunch Special with Salmon Teriyaki & BBQ Pork Ribs


Kobe Beef Sukiyaki


Two Choice Lunch: Chicken Teriyaki + Tonkatsu


Two Choice Lunch: Tuna Sashimi + Tempura Shrimp and Vegetables


Katsudon


Sushi Lunch Special


Bush Garden Sign & Parking

Lunch #45: Ocean City II, Noodle Cafe

On our first visit to Ocean City, we noticed that the space was split into two different dining areas: one is a large dining room that serves mostly Dim Sum for lunch, the other is a small noodle house. The second area, called Ocean City Restaurant II, Noodle Cafe, seemed separate enough that it deserved its own visit, so today we headed out with a comfortable group of seven to give the sequel a shot.

Ocean City II: Noodle Cafe, Seattle
Address: 609 S Weller St, Seattle, WA, 98104
Cuisine: Chinese: Noodles
Average rating: 3.6 chopsticks
Lunch date: 4/11/2008 @ 12:00:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 0 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 10 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 45 minutes
Chopstix quality: Nice Wood
Do they use MSG?: Didn't Ask
Where is the owner/chef from?: San Francisco
Number of tables: 13
Number of occupied tables: 4 (30%)
Number of business lunch tables: 1 (25%)
Number of "local" tables: 4 (100%)
Healthcode Score: 0
Links: Yelp!, Urbanspoon

Luncher: Geary

Lunch: Congee with Pork and Thousand Year Old Egg + Chinese Doughnut - $4.50+$2.50
Rating:

Geary's Review

The Noodle Cafe is part of the same building as the large main dining room and shares a main kitchen, but it has a separate entrance, its own small kitchen for noodles and soups, and its own menu. In fact, we were given three menus. In addition to the Noodle Cafe menu, we were given a short lunch specials menu and the full Ocean City menu. It's a nice cozy space, about the size of Mike's or HHKC, but with no crowd. It's perched up half a story above the street with lots of big windows that give a nice perspective on the lunch traffic walking and driving past.

Since the few other guests were eating noodles, I figured it was safe to skip the lunch specials without violating rule #2. I missed out on the congee at HHKC so I went with the Congee with Pork and Thousand Year Old Egg and added in an order of Chinese Doughnuts for good measure. The food arrived quickly and we dug in.

The congee was good with ample pork and egg enhanced with spices including slivers of lemon grass. The doughnuts were great, larger and crispier than the ones we have had at previous spots. If you are not familiar, the Chinese Doughnut (Youtaio) is not sweet. It's a crispy deep fried log of dough cut into large bite size chunks each a couple of inches long and the circumference of somewhere between a nickel and a half dollar (these were in the half dollar range). It is very light and full of holes, sort of like a miniature loofah. The doughnuts are often served alongside congee and eaten like crackers in clam chowder.

Mike's and HHKC have a better selection for noodles and congee, but for if you want a less crowded alternative with good food and friendly service then Ocean City's Noodle Cafe is a great option.

Luncher: Emmett

Lunch: BBQ Pork Dumpling Noodle Soup - $6.25
Rating:

Emmett's Review

Ocean City, like Jalisco, has a sibling - Ocean City II. This place is more my style - quiet, nondescript, good food. It also exemplifies the goal of our quest - to find good eats otherwise overlooked. In fact, we almost overlooked this place as it is housed in its Dim Sum serving brother. Good thing we didn't - this place was awesome.

We were seated at a large table in the back of the small, bright place. I had a seat by the window, and had a nice elevated view of Weller. They have three different menus - a Noodle menu, a Lunch Special menu, and a regular dinner menu. I went for the Noodles, and got BBQ Pork Dumpling Noodle Soup. The soup was fantastic. The broth was flavorful, the noodles were tasty, the dumplings had a nice consistency, and were plentiful. The BBQ Pork was the highlight - sweet, juicy, melt in your mouth delicious. They didn't skimp on the puerco either.

I have noticed I tend to give all of the places that serve noodle soups a higher than average rating. Other restaurants should heed this advice - you can't go wrong serving a delicious noodle soup. I'll be back.

Luncher: Adam

Lunch: BBQ Pork Braised Noodle Soup - $5.95
Rating:

Adam's Review

After Ocean City's mediocre showing for Dim Sum, I didn't know what to expect. Although, they weren't showing their true guns like they should, because this Noodle place is actually a Meat in Window joint! My favorite kind of joint.

I had to hurriedly pick my food from one-of-the-three menus because I was late to this lunch party. I picked the first thing on the first menu I was handed: BBQ Pork Braised Noodle Soup. The star of this show was definitely the BBQ'd Pork. It had an excellent flavor. Wasn't fatty. Wasn't too salty. And one side had a gentle crisp to it. ZOMG, I'm in love.

The braised noodles and soup that came with it were good, but nothing too special.

If you're heading into Ocean City, you'd do well to turn left into the Noodle place.

VIP Luncher: Joe from Joe's Blog

Lunch: Roast Duck Lunch Special - $7.95
Rating:

Joe's Review

The MSG150 folks were kind enough to let me tag along for today's lunch at Ocean City's unassuming little annex. It's a cramped dining area which is either called Ocean City II or Noodle Cafe, depending on which one of the three different menus you want to believe. The only remarkable feature of the place is an enormous roasting oven that takes up about 3/4 of the kitchen counter, just tempting you to order one of the birds or swine hanging inside.

Unable to resist that power, I ordered the Lunch Special with roast duck. It included a cup of hot & sour soup that might have been the high point of the meal. It was perfectly hot in both senses of the word, and chock full of the stuff that goes into hot & sour soup (bamboo?). The broth was thick and savory, just the way I like it.

The main course came with a scoop of fried rice that was pretty standard, an egg roll that I didn't eat, and about 8 small pieces of roast duck, still on the bone. The duck pieces were rather inconsistent. Some were crunchy, others soft. Some were choice meat, others fatty or sinewy. The one consistent thing among all of them was the delicious roasted skin covering the whole thing.

The portion was on the small side. I probably wouldn't come back here a second time. Also, no fortune cookies! What was the deal with that?

Luncher: Jeff

Lunch: Roast Duck Lunch Special - $7.95
Rating:

Jeff's Review

I missed the original voyage, so my only frame of reference is the sequel: Ocean City Part Duex!

The cafeteria style venue had me wondering how "take out" this was going to feel. I decided to order directly off the lunch special menu – which seemed to be written specifically for visitors looking for standard unintimidating Chinese food.

That said, I ordered the Roast Duck which was probably the most adventurous of the pre-fab lunch plates. To be fair, the H&SS soup was good. Not the best I've had in the ID, but better than main-stream Chinese in the suburbs. The generic fried rice left a lot to be desired. It was pretty bland. At least the texture was good. The Duck was pretty darned good. The ducks themselves were only 10 feet away in the roaster so my confidence was high. The duck was nicely prepared and flavorful. I was glad I ordered it. My only complaint was the quantity. They gave me a ton of rice – but not much Duck when you remove the bones from the mass served. For $7.95 it wasn’t the most affordable of the lunch specials – but I didn’t feel it was over-priced either.

Luncher: Michael

Lunch: Roast Duck Won Ton Noodles - $5.95
Rating:

Michael's Review

Given the choice of going to OC1 or OC2 I'm going with Ocean City 2. Fast and cheap with a side of awesome. My soup was just right, with savory wontons and chunks of duck to chew on. The dim sum next door was really nice, but this is what lunch is supposed to be. I stole a chunk of Adam's bbq duck when he wasn't looking and it was amazingly tender and fresh. Next time I want duck and pork!!

Luncher: Torrey

Lunch: Roast Duck Won Ton Noodles - $5.95
Rating:

Ocean City II: Noodle Cafe Photos

Ocean City II, Noodle Cafe


Lunch Menu


Noodle Cafe Menu


Inside the Noodle Cafe Menu


H&SS


Congee w/ 10k y/o Egg & Pr0k


Roast Duck Lunch Special


BBQ Pork Dumpling Noodle Soup


Roast Duck Won Ton Noodles


Roast Duck Won Ton Noodles


BBQ Pork Braised Noodle Soup


Chinese Doughnuts


MiW


Noodle Cafe Shrine

04/15/08 - Fixed typos. Thanks Rob.

Lunch #44: Ocean City

We started into the inner most loop of the MSG150 route today as we headed up Weller to find the next lunch spot. Even though we only have a handful of blocks left, the restaurant density is pretty high so I figure we still have a couple of months to go before we have to expand the DLZ. We headed out with a good sized group today and met up with Erin in front of Ocean City, arguably the most ornately decorated restaurant in the ID. They make China Gate look like they are not even trying.

Ocean City, Seattle
Address: 609 S Weller St, Seattle, WA, 98104
Cuisine: Chinese: Dim Sum
Average rating: 3.4 chopsticks
Lunch date: 4/7/2008 @ 12:00:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 0 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 0 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 41 minutes
Chopstix quality: Nice Plastic
Do they use MSG?: Didn't Ask
Where is the owner/chef from?: San Francisco
Number of tables: 30
Number of occupied tables: 20 (66%)
Number of business lunch tables: 2 (10%)
Number of "local" tables: 18 (90%)
Healthcode Score: 0
Links: Yelp!, Urbanspoon

Family Style Dishes

• 2 x Shu Mai
• 2 x Tofu Wrapped Shrimp
• 2 x Fired Tofu w/ Shrimp
• Shrimp Stuffed Eggplant
• 2 x Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf
• Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce
• Chinese Broccoli in Oyster Sauce
• BBQ Pork Hum Bow
• BBQ Pork Turn-over
• Steamed Dumpling with Scallops
• 2 x Egg Tart

Luncher: Emmett

Lunch: Family Style - $10.00
Fortune: You are surrounded by true friends.
Rating:

Emmett's Review

This place is huge. Big, fancy, ornate lions guard the entrance. They're not fucking around - they have a parking garage. Walking inside - what is this? Is that a ... an Elevator? Don't know where it goes, but dang, those other dim sum places don't have elevators.

As is often the case, we were the only white people in the building. They have disco balls on the ceiling and a big throne in the corner. So the king can sit there and watch minions eat dim sum and dance the night away. I didn't inquire to the rental rates, but I will.

The dim sum itself? Nothing stood out. The scallops were alright, I guess. I think I remember having some chinese brocolli. The rice was really hot. The Sui Mai weren't bad.

Nothing here really distinguishes it from the competition. The hustle and bustle of Jade Garden is just more fun. But the atmosphere here is relaxed, and the service was good.

Luncher: Geary

Lunch: Family Style - $10.00
Fortune: You will soon travel on a business trip.
Rating:

Geary's Review

Ocean City is all about the glitz. Other places have private parking lots, Ocean City has an underground parking garage with an elevator to the main dining room. Other places have murals with pandas, Ocean City has giant golden dragons on the walls and golden lions flanking the entrance. It's a bit more toned down once you get into the dining room, but they do have fancy chandeliers and, like House of Hong, they are set up for Chinese weddings with a large dance floor and stage with a golden throne.

The large dining room was not completely full, but there was a large crowd of mostly Chinese. This was a good sign and offset my innate fears brought on by all of the gold paint. Dim sum appeared to be the lunch of choice and a cart showed up as soon as we were seated. It started a bit rocky as they brought us all forks and were quick to offer egg rolls and pork buns, but we were able to work through that and were even glad that they served us all ice water. Not all profiling is bad. It's a shame that they didn't recognize that I'm accustomed to foot massages during my lunch. We loaded up the table pretty quickly and set about working away at our bounty. This part was made slightly more difficult than it could have been since our large table had no lazy susan and the plates were tiny. They have an elevator but no lazy susan.

Even though we were there in the midst of the lunch rush, many of the items were only lukewarm. Nothing was bad but most was just average. The sticky rice was good but the shu mai were sub par as were the spareribs. I think we were recognized at some point during our lunch. Near the end of our lunch, the managers started each stopping by making sure we were happy and making suggestions like, "make sure you get a picture of the throne". Unfortunately, however, there were no bribes.

In the pantheon of Seattle ID dim sum (so far) I place Ocean City just above House of Hong (even with all of the gold, it doesn't feel as much like Disney's version of a Chinese restaurant; It's more like the Vegas version) and just below Sun Ya.

Luncher: Adam

Lunch: Family Style - $10.00
Fortune: Your lover will never wish to leave you.
Rating:

Adam's Review

Another day, another dim sum. This is one of those places we've walked-by and noticed... but never bothered to go in.

We ordered all the standard stuff, and it tasted like all the standard dim sum. The shu-mai was tasty, as per usual. The one real kicker about this place was the potatoes in the blackbean spare ribs. I took a big bite of (what I thought was) a spare rib, but it was soft and mushy... and felt like a big piece of pork fat. But, it wasn't, it was just a potato.

This is decent food, but in the sea of dim sum of the ID, swim elsewhere.

Luncher: Wayne

Lunch: Family Style - $10.00
Fortune: You will soon find a treasure.
Rating:

Wayne's Review

• Plus 1 for the giant golden throne at the end of the room.
• Minus 1 for hot dishes that weren't hot.
• Plus 1/2 for the wild bird flying around inside the restaurant.
• Minus 1/2 for the lazy-susan that wasn't at our table.

It was an OK dim sum experience. They had some tasty dishes, but nothing particularly exceptional. Worse yet, some of the dishes were not served as warm as they should have been. The worst was the Asian broccoli which was barely warm.

If Ocean City was the only game in town, I’d give it another try. As we have multiple better choices, I doubt I'll return.

Luncher: Michael

Lunch: Family Style - $10.00
Fortune: You will have an opportunity to reach your goal.
Rating:

Michael's Review

A really nice looking place to have lunch. Very tasty foods at a very affordable price. My only real complaint was the forks that were rushed to our table as we sat down.

The little egg custards at the end of lunch were flaky and fresh. Egg custard good, forks bad.

Luncher: Erin

Lunch: Family Style - $10.00
Fortune: You will speak to an important person today.
Rating:

Erin's Review

Ocean city has a very elaborate building – like something I imagine would be in Hong Kong (from what I’ve been told) – so it’s very distinctive. It has a grand entrance. Inside it has very old school Chinese decorations, lots of red and gold, and we were seated at a table on a dance floor. A dim sum cart arrived almost immediately after we sat, and several more streamed by in short order. The dim sum offerings were pretty standard, although well executed. I tasted eggplant stuffed with shrimp, a square of tofu with a shrimp stuffing, a honey walnut shrimp, sticky rice, some Chinese greens, shu mai (shrimp and pork), and of course an egg tart. Some of our food was not as warm as it should be, since it looked freshly prepared; some was nice and hot. It seemed to depend on which cart it came from. Everything was fresh and tasty, but not really different from any other dim sum offering in the ID. The egg tart was very good, with a fresh eggy custard and a nice flaky crust. This is a place to return to, especially if you wish to introduce a newbie to dim sum. I give this 3 chopsticks instead of 4; it was well done, but nothing was particularly outstanding.

Luncher: Al

Lunch: Family Style - $10.00
Fortune: You will have good luck in your personal affairs.
Rating:

Al's Review

If you can’t get a seat in the Garden, the larger Ocean will suffice.

Luncher: Jared

Lunch: Family Style - $10.00
Fortune: You will receive a promotion soon.
Rating:

Ocean City Photos

Ocean City Restaurant


Ocean City with Adam as The Lion Tamer


Ocean City Parking


Throne


Dining Room


Shu Mai


Tofu Wrapped Shrimp


Fried Tofu w/ Shrimp


Chinese Eggplant w/ Shrimp


Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf & Spareribs


Chinese Broccoli


Pork Buns


The Spread


Again with the Spread


BBQ Pork Pastry


LBB (little brown bird) on Party Lights


More gold dragons

Lunch #43: Blue & Pink

Wishes can come true! Back in January when the MSG150 route took us past the Historic Chinatown Gate (HCG) we had to skip the Blue & Pink Korean restaurant since it had apparently closed down. We hoped that it was just temporary and tried fruitlessly (and somewhat ineptly) to solve the mystery, but to no avail. However, last week on our way out to Sea Garden we noticed that our hopes had become reality. Blue & Pink is back! So today we executed the biggest backtrack in MSG150 history and showed up at the base of the HCG for a Bibimbab love-in.

Blue & Pink, Seattle
Address: 502 S. King St, Seattle, WA, 98104
Cuisine: Korean, Teriyaki
Average rating: 4 chopsticks
Lunch date: 4/4/2008 @ 11:54:00
Time taken to be seated: 0 minutes
Time to take order: 0 minutes
Time for food to arrive: 21 minutes
Total lengh of meal: 50 minutes
Chopstix quality: Nice Wood
Do they use MSG?: No
Where is the owner/chef from?: Seoul, South Korea
Number of tables: 8
Number of occupied tables: 4 (50%)
Number of business lunch tables: 3 (75%)
Number of "local" tables: 1 (25%)
Healthcode Score: 0
Links: Yelp!, Urbanspoon

Luncher: Adam

Lunch: Pork Bulgoki - $10.95
Rating:

Adam's Review

This is one of our standby restaurants... and we were really disappointed when it was closed. We found that they had closed their doors because of the construction of the historic Chinatown gate, and only just recently reopened. I've had a hankerin' for their "Well-Being Stone Bowl Beebimbob" for 4 months now, and couldn't wait to order it. Unfortunately, the PayScale Sales team beat us there, and there weren't any stone bowls left.

Being forced to try something else, I went with the Pork Bulgoki. This was some swine cooked with a sauce and some veggies. The dish didn't appear to have any kim chi in it... but there was a hint of fermented-flavor in the dish. This was a new dish to me, so it was fun to eat, but I would definitely stick with the Stone Bowl Beebimbob because its a total experience when you're eating out of a bowl that can (and does) fry an egg. The price ($10.95) definitely prices it out of the normal lunch spectrum, but a good solid Korean dish for lunch + snack

This is one of the only Korean restaurants in the International District, and is definitely worth visiting.

Luncher: Emmett

Lunch: Bibimbob - $7.95
Rating:

Emmett's Review

Me and Korean food - we go way back. I think my first experience, like many, was in college. It was a beautiful spring evening in North Carolina. The smell of flowers was in the air. The time was right. My college roommate, who is Korean, set up the encounter. It was Kimchi soup, or something like that. It was... awful. But then again, the first time often is.

Fast forward ten years or so, my coworkers and I discover Blue and Pink. Blue and Pink, or Booo Pooo as I like to call it, replaced Saigon something or another that was famous for their two dollar sandwiches and upset stomaches they caused. I quickly became a big fan of their Bibimbob. On a summer day it's ridikulous. It's kind of cold, with the greens, sprouts, rice, mixing with the hot beef, and tasty red sauce. An egg cooked easy, and layered over the top. I get hungry just thinking about it. Then one day they throw the "Stone pot Bimbibob" on the menu. What is this? The same, only 1000x times better. They put the aforementioned ingredients in a piping hot ceramic bowl, that literally cooks the food at the table while you eat it. The rice gets crunchy, the egg touches the edge of the pot and instantly scrambles. It's fun to watch, more fun to eat. I've also had their kimchi, which is quite good.

This visit, they had run out of stone pots for the bibimbob. No matter, I'm happy with the regular as well. The service here can be on the slow side, but they never rush you. They took about 20 minutes to bring me the Bibimbob, which is very slow. They serve tea in a large cup, not some dinky thimble like many other places. I've had many other dishes. Their mushroom fried rice - delicious. Their gyoza is decent, and the Bulgogi has a nice flavor.

Vegetarians have options as well. Steve - my vegetarian friend, immediately dismissed this place quickly when I invited him out. However I persisted, and made him a convert and evangelizer of their Bibimbob, though he does it without meat.

Easily this is one of my favorite places in the ID.

Luncher: Geary

Lunch: Beef Bulgoki - $10.95
Rating:

Geary's Review

Blue & Pink took over the the spot that was previously occupied by Saigon Gourmet. You can still see the "ET" poking out from behind the Blue & Pink sign. The space has two entrances, one into the cozy dining area and the other into the kitchen and what used to be Saigon Gourmet's walk-up $2 sandwich (bahn mi) counter. The fried egg & tofu bahn mi was a long time staple of the pre-MSG150 MSG150 crew. Today there is no sandwich counter just a short menu of Korean favorites and teriyaki standards.

I have had a number different dishes at Blue & Pink, but I come back for the "Well-Being Stone Bowl BiBimbob". Bibimbob (or bibimbab, or 비빔밥) consists of hot white rice, namul (marinated vegetables), beef and a lightly fried egg in a super heated stone bowl. It is served with a large spoon so that you can stir it all together. As it is stirred, the molten hot bowl finishes cooking the egg. As you eat from the top, the rice mixture that is still in contact with the bowl is seared into brown crispy goodness. Today, however, we learned that Blue & Pink only has seven stone bowls. We also learned that the only other party in the restaurant, a table of seven of PayScale's finest sales folks, had already been served the seven stone bowls. Once I regained my composure I chose the first item on the Korean section of the menu as a back-up: the Beef Bulgoki.

The bulgoki was a huge portion and a bit spendy for a lunch entree, but it was delicious. It consisted of thinly cut strips of beef cooked in a tangy sauce with bits of cabbage and other veggies. It is fairly meat heavy, but luckily we were served four vegetable sides (or banchan) to share: kimchi and various namul. They were all crispy and tangy and a nice complement to the bulgoki. The pea vines and kimchi were my favorites. Welcome back Blue & Pink. You were missed.

Luncher: Torrey

Lunch: Chicken Yakisoba - $6.50
Rating:

Blue & Pink Photos

Blue & Pink (aka BOOO POOO)


Blue & Pink under the HCG


Blue & Pink Menu


Specials Menu


Chicken Yakisoba


Beef Bulgoki


Pork Bulgoki


Bibimbob


Bibimbob sauced up


Banchan (Kimchi and various Namul)


Well-Being Stone Bowl BiBimbob remains