Jang Guem Tofu & BBQ House in the giant Asian shopping center at 9896 Bellaire, is one of two Korean "tofu and barbecue" restaurants in town. Tofu Village, located in the shopping center across the street, also specializes in this unlikely-sounding pair-up. But once you try some fiery "soon tofu" and hot bulgogi, you'll stop laughing.
"Soon tofu" (soon tubu jjigae) combines a spicy broth, your choice of meat or seafood, and creamy soft tofu chunks. The soup comes to the table boiling hot and bubbling over in a stone bowl with a bowl of rice and a raw egg on the side. You break the egg into the hot soup and stir it around. Then you spoon rice and soup into an individual serving bowl. The most popular dinner combo at both Jang Guem Tofu & BBQ House and Tofu Village across the street is a bowl of soon tofu with a plate of Korean barbecue. While Tofu and BBQ is fairly new in Houston, these restaurants have been popular for a while in Los Angeles.
-Robb Walsh
