Tofu Village

9889 Bellaire Blvd.
Dun Huang Plaza

We walked by Tofu Village last week and saw a lot of people inside. So this week, instead of Noe or Cafe Laurier, we tried Tofu Village. This Korean restaurant rocks. They decorated with simple elements like wood, oversized pictures of popular singers, and the occasional television. Incredibly, some of the patrons actually sounded Korean.

This is not a Korean BBQ restaurant with large vents going up the ceiling and expensive prices coming down your wallet. Rather, this is a restaurant that prominantly displays bulgogi, a kind of comfort-food type dish in Korea.

We had the tofu soup with clam, shrimp and beef. The kimchee flavor of the soup overwhelmed all other flavors, so it's a good thing we liked the flavor. Too bad they didn't cut down on the tofu. You should also ignore the inclusion of clam and shrimp since those elements added little to the flavor.

For our main course we ordered the very brilliant barbecue shortribs. It comes on a sizzling fajita-platter. The ribs were fantastic. The marinade makes the meat so tender, we didn't need a knife--just our teeth.

Our meal came with kim chee, small marinade potato, blanched greens, and some bean sprounts. Not an overwhelming number of side dishes, but more than enough considering the price of our entire meal... $21. And considering the tastiness of the kim chee, the meal was a bargain.

All meals come with an earthy Korean hot tea. They all end with yogu, a small yogurt-based drink. The service is slow because of the high volume. But the good taste of the beef and kim chee overshadows every flaw.