Namu Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Namu closed at the end of 2011. Their new restaurant is Namu Gaji in a new location.

Namu is a stylish pan Asian small plates restaurant and lounge in the middle of a residential area’s business corridor. It would seem almost more at home south of market as they have live music and dj sounds Thursday – Saturday. They are ‘Inspired by Korean and Japanese ingredients, philosophy and techniques’. Lots of local and organic ingredients.

Vibe, Decor – Modern asian minimalist style with lots of wood.  Eaters included some locals, some small groups and couples in their 30′s-40′s.

Menu pics

Dessert menu

Drink Menu

Wine, Soju Menu

Picks:

Free Kimchee

Daikon Medallion ($9) – Is almost like a soup/stew hybrid with dashi braised daikon and oxtail meat.
Real yummy, especially on rice.  Quantity is low though, could have used a double order.

Jumbo chicken wings ($10) – Six crispy Fulton valley chicken wings with sweet chili dipping sauce.
Hot off the grill, very delicious especially with the sauce. Wish there were more. The wings at Sun Tong in San Francisco are still a little better and far higher in quantity.

Bi bim kooksoo salad ($9) – Cold soba noodles, chopped romaine, kimchee, pine nuts, tofu, cucumber
with kimchee sesame dressing. A nice refreshing starter with dressing that was not too spicy.  Decent quantity.

Black cod ($18) – Denjang saikyo miso marinated, line–caught bodega bay black cod was actually Sea Bass today. Cooked very well, teriyaki like sauce, a good bigger plate. Cod is a notoriously good way to judge a kitchen’s prowess.

Adzuki red bean cupcake ($6) – Adzuki red bean and chocolate cupcake served with yuzu creme anglaise.
Tiny cupcake, but very delicious. It could have used a scoop of ice cream on the side.

Kabocha chawan mushi ($7) – Silky coconut custard baked in a kabocha squash served warm
with a browned coconut milk and ginger reduction. This is an acquired taste as it isn’t too sweet, squash with a custard is not most people’s idea of dessert. It was good. Better quantities than the cupcake.

OK:

Crudo ($12) – Halibut, lemon, sake and ponzu infused battera konbu, fleur de sel, olive oil, garlic chili oil.
Tasty and beautiful, but too small for the price. Sauce could have been better.

Broccolini ($7) – Decent quantities of this broccoli variant. Little heavy with the yuzu ponzu sauce.

Okra ($6) – It is cooked with saikyo miso aioli. Tasty but very small dish. Kind of messy looking with all the sauce.

Yakitori ($11) – Had four Fulton valley chicken thigh skewers, sansho pepper, housemade teriyaki, shichimi.
Good quality, heavy charcoal grill favor. Decent sauce.

Portobello Mushroom ($8) – Garlic, kurosu reduction. Decent quantity, cooked perfectly, very tasty with vinegar accent. Looked great too.

Strong Soju

Pans:

Scallops ($14) – Four Hokkaido scallops, cucumber, ginger chili garlic sauce. Undercooked scallops and not crispy enough glaze.  The sauce was way too super hot.

The service was above average, with attendants floating by every so often. The food looked very good.
A problem was that quantities were so low on many dishes.  We had to hit about $35 a person without alcohol. There were some cheap wines by the glass for $6. With this place being out of the way, we’d need more reasons to come back.
There are some good dishes here which could be fashioned into a lite meal or perhaps consider lunch instead. The small plates at asian/french restaurant Isa in San Francisco are a better bet. Also consider Terzo for good tapas.

The Russian bakery across the street has some nice hot bread loaves around 6pm, so be sure to check it out.

Book Namu Reservation

$25 Dining Certificate for $5

Namu Overall Rating: (Good 2)

Come Back?

Food Rating:	(Good)
Service Rating:	(Good)
Atmosphere Rating:	(Very Good)
Value Rating:	(Average)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:	Full Bar
Attire:	Casual
Hours:	530pm-1030pm. Tu-Fri 1130am-3pm. Sa/Sun 10am-3pm
Parking:	Street
Reservations:	Yes
Prices:	$8 - $18