EMC Seafood & Raw Bar

Reviews 3

TI

Tim C

The first time I was here, I had no idea what to expect. Ok, well, yes I do. Horrible parking and oysters, thats something to look forward to. You can guess which I would prefer choosing over the other. At least theres a parking structure or parking lot that you can drive around competing with the Korean supermarket shoppers for a space. Probably worse than driving in Chinatown. Why would I say that? In Chinatown, its mostly tourists. Once I have navigated my way through the supermarket and found my way to the back entrance only to find out I need to see the hostess at the front entrance. Instead of asking how many, she asks, how may I help you? I indicated and verbally said 1 please. Its going to be a 20 minute wait for a table but the seats at the bar are first come first serve. Awesome!! I just made it to the place before happy hour ends and someone is gearing up to vacate a bar stool. He gets up, leaves his bag there, walks around me and heads straight to the restroom. Tic-toc-tic-toc buddy! When he finally makes it back to his seat, settles his bill, re-adjust and slings on his messenger style backpack, he finally actually walks away. I can now be seated. Bartender says, how may I help you? I inquired about happy hour and they said I just missed it. I tried to point out the fact that the guy that was sitting here took forever and I was waiting at least 10 minutes for him to get his but off this bar stool and on his way. The bartender was nice enough to say, I can order off of the happy hour menu. What would you like to order? A dozen oysters, a shrimp poboy sandwich and a beer. I was actually disappointed because the oysters actually dont smell fresh so more than a squeeze of lemon is required. Once I woof everything down and was tipping a little more for the bartender being so kind, I would have to decide to come back just to try it again. Three months later and then some, I did come back. Yes, this review is two parts but I hate writing an update. This time I made it for the later happy hour. From 10pm until close. I got lucky and found parking right away. I walk towards the front entrance and enter from the street. Theres already a busboy with a bucket of water trying to wash down vomit as though someone got sick and opened the door and BLAH!! all over the front steps. Just great, are you still hungry? Same deal, hostess tells me first come first serve and theres 4 parties ahead of me for a table. I find a bar stool at the far end of the bar. Two guys chatting it up while Im being noticed by the bartender. She asked if I needed a menu as I asked if its still happy hour. I ordered a dozen oysters and fish tacos with a coke. This time the oysters were impressively fresh and they look like the kumamoto oysters. I usually like the huge oysters for the value and love these little oysters for the awesome briny taste. The fish in the tacos were fresh too. It was almost like they read my mind from my first experience here and I almost didnt want to come back. Luckily I was in Koreatown and looking for something to eat before heading home. Usually its late night tacos but Im glad I stopped in here.

MA

Mandi Tom

OH man! Ive been looking forward to try the EMC Seafood and Raw Bar. Ive been hearing such great things about this spot. OH boy, it didnt disappoint. The $5 HH prices for drinks are BOTTLED sapporo or blue moon (skip) theres plenty of other beers on tap and a full bar. The HH drinks werent worth it for me. I tasted my friends Hello Kitty sangria - its WAY too sweet, but if thats what you like.... then its your drink. Also, some house wines were HH prices. Overall their cocktail prices are a bit pricey, if you choose to imbibe Please do yourself a favor and order (and in no particular order) - Oysters. They have about 10 different types of oysters that you can choose from. If you make it between 4 pm to 7 pm, they have happy hour (HH) prices for Oysters at $1 each, 7 days a week,. You just dont know which oysters youre going to get until you get there. It was Eastern Oysters that were the special of the day when we went. Deliciouso! Between 4 of us, we had 42 (3.5 dozen)... we should have ordered more. They were plump, juicy, and all over yummy. They provide you with Tabasco, Cocktail Sauce, and a mignonette sauce (vinegar with shallots), plenty of lemons if you ask. Garlic Crispy Brussels Sprouts. Oh my ... I dont really like Brussel Sprouts to start, especially if its just steamed. However, when seasoned correctly and flash fried, then you have a perfect veggie side. Oh my. I have to say that again. They were so tasty and garlicky, that we ordered another order. $6/order. Decent size for a side dish. Uni Pasta. (Cream, Fish Roe, Chives, Dried Seaweed) Buttery goodness with pasta and even though you cant see the uni in the cream sauce - oh you can taste it. We couldnt get enough of it. Only complaint is that there isnt enough uni. Then again, when is there enough uni? Order if it catches your fancy: Lobster roll. Over priced. Delicious, but overpriced at $16 for a somewhat small dish. We split one order between two people. Salmon Carpaccio - mmm nom nom nom. Honestly, the truffle oil is what called my name to this dish. What is it? Seared Salmon, Ponzu Sauce, Truffle Oil, Micro Greens, Black Tobikko. So delicate and flavorful. If you like tuna carpaccio, this is a decent dish for you. Garlic Noodles. Garlicky, buttery goodness. But if youre already ordering the uni pasta, i think you can skip it. What not to order: Rib eye - medium rare. 1st order, you can see it was overly cooked at a medium- medium-well state. Sent back. 2nd order, mush, fatty, chewy, bland. Finally they got the dish correct... but overall, the rib eye was ok. Its very low on my priority list to order from here, even with the rib eye mishap(s) - we sent the item back twice, and I guess the third times charm. It came out tender and flavorful. Its just too bad by that time we were uber full. But then again, why would you come to a "Seafood and Raw Bar" to order meat. LOL. We just wanted a sample of everything. Thanks Jonathan!!! We really appreciated all your service and attention. I cant wait to come back. There are a few things I really want to try. :D

SH

Shanon Yu

Delicious seafood restaurant in the heart of Ktown! Ive bookmarked EMC Seafood for several months now and I have been dying to try it! I finally had the opportunity to visit last week for a dinner date with a girl friend, and I was completely blown away by the food. Everything was fresh and so flavorful! It definitely lived up to the all the hype! Since my friend has been to EMC many times, I allowed her to make some suggestions and she recommended the uni pasta, clam chowder, and lobster roll. We also added an order of half a dozen oysters to complete our meal. This was more than enough for the two of us to share. Uni pasta ($18) - Creamy and flavorful! This is my first time trying uni pasta and I was blown away by how good this dish tasted! The fish roe, chives, and seaweed definitely gave the pasta a special kick and masked the fishy aftertaste that I usually get from uni. Clam chowder ($8) - A huge bowl of chowder that isnt too thick, but just the right consistency. They give you plenty of clams and huge chunks of potatoes. Lobster Roll ($16) - Huge chunks of lobster in a brioche bun soaked in butter. Oysters ($15/half dozen) - We had the Malpeque, Kumamoto, and Kusshi and they were all fresh and delicious. The Malpeque was a bigger and fleshier oyster while the Kumamoto and Kusshi were sweeter in taste but smaller. They have $1 oysters during happy hour (4-7pm) and the oysters change daily. Overall if you love seafood, you must give EMC a try! The food is a tad bit on the pricier side so come during happy hour to take advantage of some of the great specials. They also have a late night happy hour now from 10pm-close with half off beer specials.