Thursday, February 23, 2023

Nami Korean Grill


I'm always keen to check out easy Korean joints away from the crazy crowded areas. While I really like Chang BBQ at Dempsey for its menu and garden location, it was prudent to find another one. Went to have dinner at the still-kinda-new Nami Korean Grill House (by Hanjip) that opened up at Greenwood Avenue with neighborhood vibes at the shophouses. 

Nami's marinades are of course unique to them and definitely taste different from other restaurants since they all use different ratios and different sauces. Cuts of meats are just that, but how one grills them (the length of time and such), will be quite the determining factor in the resulting flavors at the table. 

Chang's has a larger selection of meats and seafood on the menu, but their grill is inconsistent, and sometimes they can be careless. Nami's grill is more attentive and careful, with the timing done just right and the person grilling it understanding the cut of meat and the marinade versus cooking time. The prices are similar but Chang's serves up a larger variety of banchan and can be 15% pricier overall on the bill because of its expanded menu.

Nami offers ribeye, short ribs, and brisket, so it's not all fatty wagyu and ox tongue. I'm not fond of the pork items on the grill either. Cuts of belly, collar and jowl are all very fatty. The bossam is also done with pork belly, so that requires some bravery to eat all of it too. If I'm not keen on them, there's always grilled jeonbok-abalone and a pot of beautiful steamed egg for me. Or some tofu from the jigae. I haven't gotten around to trying their mul naengmyeon yet. Another time. 

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