439 balboa st. @6th ave, san francisco, ca 94118 | 415.386.8332 | website

My fine friend and frequent dining partner JT coordinated brunch last weekend at Namu, a neighborhood restaurant in the inner richmond.  It is a cozy spot that serves the kind of delicious food that I just wish we had out in my corner of the east bay…   The business is run by three brothers and according to their website, they serve new california cuisine that is humble, innovative and personal while keeping Korean traditions close to heart.  In the kitchen they use local organic and sustainable products and methods  as much as possible. They are so into local sourcing that the very design and name (namu means tree or wood in korean) of the restaurant is inspired by the 14 foot cypress slab bar top which was made from a reclaimed tree from nearby golden gate park.

The chef and co-owner Dennis Lee (in the beanie) is dedicated to supporting and building a community around food and offers his own hand picked produce boxes with an informal and flexible CSA.  We noticed produce filled crates stacked out front, which are available for pickup during Sunday brunch.  Read more about it here.

We all began with selections from their lovely breakfast libations, four barrel french press coffees (5) and Mr. K with a bloody mariko that was so fiery with thai chili and wasabi (10) that it set him off on a coughing fit.

The menu offers alot of things that would freak out my inlaws from the midwest…  but for me, it was a collection of some the best breakfast dishes I could imagine. Natto, umeboshi, furikake, kimchee, pickled daikon, these are things that will definitely wake up your tastebuds!  Most of the dishes are savory, I saw only granola (which they were out of) and french toast made from challah for those with a sweet tooth.  I had to order the natto when I saw it on the menu.  If you are not familiar with natto, it is a funky fermented bean that the Japanese are mad about that I talked about here.  This is my bento box filled with spicy octopus bokum, natto, a perfectly cooked sunny up egg, a variety of pickles, furikake dusted rice, and a bowl of miso soup (14).  Our server said that natto is always on the brunch menu, usually served with fish.  Now you know where you can get a really top notch Japanese/Korean breakfast!

The octopus was spicy, the flesh tender and squishy and so good mixed up with the rich golden egg, The beans were surrounded by a vibrant selection of pickles, including two umbeboshi bombs.  The natto had a fine slimey texture and was accompanied by a mound of freshly grated daikon and green onion.  They left spiderweb fine filaments of probiotic enzymes flapping from my lips and I’ll just say that no one at the table shared my enthusiasm for its funkalicious stringiness.  The only negative was the miso which was served in a wooden bowl that smelled of dish soap, I’m just saying that kind of ruined the soup for me…

P enjoyed the bento box filled with Steak and Eggs, slices of kobe style skirt steak, sunny up egg, rice, kimchee, grilled shiitake mushrooms and bacon (16).

bacon and kimchee…. need I say more?

Daisy was hard pressed to decide, but ended up with the sizzling Stonebowl (dolsot bibimbap) filled with rice, tender slices of beef, cubes of custardy soft tofu, enoki mushroom, a free range egg, and vegetables (15).  It arrived sizzling and popping, which held the promise of choice crispy rice bits.

She poured the entire cup of chili sauce in, which resulted in a spicy flavorful crunchy delicious dish.

JT was overwhelmed (in a good way) by the beauty of her grass fed beef patty loco moco, two eggs over easy, rice, gravy (12).  What made this dish is the savory gravy… there’s nothing like it, runny eggs served on a succulent burger over a bed of rice doused with lip smackingly good gravy, dusted with chili powder and green onion.

Mr. K had the Beef Burger, which was served with kaiware (daikon sprouts), slices of pickled daikon, soy glazed onions, dijon mustard, aioli, on a pain de mie bun, with salad (14).  The pickled daikon slices were a nice touch and the patty was tender and juicy.

I’m a fan of their inspired and exciting brunch menu, if it were closer, I’d sign up for the CSA…  Over the past few years I have made the rounds to visit their booth at the Ferry Plaza and enjoyed a fine dinner back in 2008.  We were way too full for dessert, so I enjoyed a bite from the treat that Daisy and P brought me back from their recent trip to Maui.  A chocolate bar filled with bits of potato chip crisps!

brunch:   saturday & sunday 10a – 3p
dinner:  sunday-tuesday 6p – 1030p & wednesday-saturday 6p – 12a
ferry plaza location: thursday 10a – 2p & saturday 8a – 2p

 

Tagged as: chef dennis lee, locomoco, namu, natto