Sui Tofu--Santa Clara, CA

On a whim, the four of us drove down to Santa Clara for dinner Saturday after playing tennis. Things got off to a slow start. It took nearly 15 minutes for someone to take order plus more than 15 minutes for dinner to come. It was worth the wait. Our dinner at Sui Tofu was the best at a Korean restaurant in recent memory. I knew things were headed in the right direction when I saw that the enticing banchan kept coming and coming.

Jenny’s sindibu was delicious. The broth was rich with flavor and hence provided what was missing at Tofu house. The tofu, which was homemade, was firm, easily more so than that found at Totoro or Tofu House. Jenny ordered mild and she got it--the soup wasn’t noticeably spicy at all.

I got the dol sot bi bim bop featuring a stoneware bowl, which I highly recommend because of the bowl's thermal capacity. (For a buck less, one can order the bi bim bopo in a metal bowl.) As such, my dinner remained hot to the end, when I scraped away the burnt rice. I doused my meal with the red sauce that came along with the bi bim bop, but it was still a medium level of spiciness at best. Otherwise, the bowl exceeded my expectations. It was a great mix of crunchy and soft and the quantity filled me up.

For the kids we got BBQ chicken, which they loved. The only complaint was there was a significantly greater quantity of vegetables than chicken, which ran out quickly.

Unfortunately, we didn't get any melon gum when we paid our bill (whereas other tables did), which, after tax, came out to $30 and some loose change. However, having had such a great dinner, Sui Tofu was more than forgiven.

2777 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95051
(408) 261-2777
www.suitofu.com