MinGa

Reviews 6

PA

Patrick D

Summary: Its impossible to reconcile the multiple excellent reviews of this place with what we experienced last night, which was three different dishes and banchan (the small sides served at the beginning) that all tasted like the chef flavored them with a bottle of what Id imagine would be labeled "nasty sauce." Details: A friend, my girlfriend, and I showed up around 9PM on Saturday, 5/2 and were promptly seated. The server didnt seem like he could care any less, but I know thats more a cultural difference, and so I wasnt phased. The restaurant looked nice on the inside, and the menus were colorful, with plenty of good looking pictures of the menu items, which were fairly extensive. The first thing youll notice is that the prices are quite high (e.g. 15$ for a, albeit reportedly large, seafood pancake), but, not yet having tasted the food, I wasnt alarmed. I was excited to hear they had soju (like a Korean vodka), but I wasnt willing to pay 15$ per bottle. Anyway, if anything, the higher food prices biased me into thinking the food would be very good. Silly, silly me... Now, for the ordering... I got the spicy beef cold noodles, a dish Ive eaten and enjoyed many times. Unobservant as usual, I failed to notice what the other two ordered, but they were also both noodle dishes. Unlike other Korean restaurants Ive been to, this one doesnt bring out the banchan until right before the entrees, so if youre expecting to snack before your meal, forget about that. Also unlike other Korean restaurants Ive been to, this one serves you banchan thats barely edible, so if youre expecting to enjoy your snack, forget about that as well. The standout star of this parade of unpalatable little disasters was the kimchi. Kimchi is normally sour from the fermentation process (though not all kimchi is fermented), and spicy from red pepper powder. At any rate, kimchi is flavorful. The cabbage "kimchi" here was sorta dried out and almost completely flavorless, with just a hint of the "nasty sauce" I mentioned in the summary. None of the various sides tasted quite right, from the cucumber to the radish. Im not sure how its possible to screw up such simple things, but they managed. OK, here come the entrees. Everything looks fine, but a couple bites into my cold noodles, I come to a terrible realization. Everything tastes the same, and that taste is nothingness with a hint of nasty. From the kimchi to the beef in my noodle dish, theres that same pervasive, almost unsettling, lack of flavor. How is it possible? I try the other two entrees, and theyre the same. They look so different. I honestly dont understand it. Korean food is amazingly flavorful... contrasting yet balanced flavors are a motif in Korean cooking... I love Korean food. This place is a travesty! Aftermath: Though I felt ashamed, I sent my entree back. Ive never done that before. The charge was removed from our bill without incident immediately after I told our waiter that, yes, I have had this dish before. Not sure what would have happened if I would have said no to that question. In solidarity with the worlds hungry, my two companions finished their meals, though they clearly did not enjoy them. Retrospective: As I asked above, how is this possible? How could a highly reviewed restaurant send such terrible food out from the kitchen? All I can figure is that at some point, the restaurant employed a talented chef, and maybe he left and was replaced with a person categorically inept in the art of cooking. I suppose Ill never know what really happened last night, but at least I can make sure it never happens again, at least not to me.

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MI

mimicat333

The food was the average Korean food. What really "IMPRESSED" me was the horrible service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ive never experienced anything like it in my life so far. First, the waiter didnt greet us or anything like that. My kids said hi to him and he didnt even bother to open his mouth and make a sound to them. Second, no smile at all, actually no any facial expression, like a complete robot! And when he finally had a facial expression was when my kids want more ice cream after he gave us our check without asking if we need more things or what. He acted totally like as if we were doing something wrong by ordering more from them! Jesus!! He didnt ask us if we were doing OK or need anything the whole time when we were dining there. Anyway, that guy didnt do any basic thing a waiter should do for a customer. I always tip big when dining out but its the first time I thought about not leaving the tip at all. But still, I left 15% for them and normally I go behind 20%....Conclusion: NEVER GO THERE AGAIN!

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ER

Erin Wiltscheck

I have been to Korea twice, and Im used to good Korean food from San Diego. This place is phenomenal. Its a bit pricey, but worth every penny. Main entrees come 7 basic Korean sides (kim chi, fermented cucumber, sesame leaves, and various fermented, marinated, or pickled veggies), and a small side of rice. We went here 2 days in a row during our stay here because it was so good. The meats (bulgogi, short ribs) and soup (beef w/ veggies) were amazing. The primary customers are Japanese and Korean, which I believe is a testimony to the legitimacy of the cooking methods and flavors. If youre expecting Americanized noodle dishes and portions you may be disappointed. This is a Korean/Japanese establishment, and if that is what youre looking for, you will NOT be disappointed.

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MI

Minh Chau

Before Min Ga, I was not really a fan of Korean food. Im probably still not a fan of Korean food, maybe just Min Ga food. The portion sizes here are generous, and I recommend the seafood pancake - its delicious, and its huge! Plus, every time weve been here, theres never a wait. Therere actually only a small number of people ever sitting in here, it looks like most people do take out or delivery (although the restaurant itself looks pretty new). Taking away one star because during one of our visits the waitress came by and asked us something along the lines of "what are you guys doing?" - i.e., youve been sitting here for a while, when are you leaving so I can have my lunch break?

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CA

Carlyle Simmons

The couple things I like there are great, but definitely a bit pricy. I got a combo box and it usually comes with soup, so seeing that the waiters werent that busy, I asked for the soup. The lady replied to me in a condescending manner, "oh she didnt get you the soup? Well, you see, when it is really busy here, we dont bring out the soup for you". It was clearly not that busy, and I didnt understand why she had to get snappy with me. A young waitress brought me the soup very kindly. I felt so disrespected when the other older lady turned and scowled while muttering some bad things out loud. Other than the price and feeling rushed by some of the waiters, the combo box was good.

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PO

pords docs

Good: I am not Korean so i would not know if its authentic but i have to say, i really like the food. The restaurant is cozy inside. Bad: Dumpster outside next to the parking lot is smelly. The service is slow even when there were only few tables occupied on our second visit. Its a little pricey for what youre getting. Tip was added automatically - 20% for a 4 person group :( we would not have minded it if it was close to worth it. Suggestions: Move the dumpster somewhere where it will not be the first thing customers will see. Improve your service so its worth paying the built-in tip of 20%

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