Doobu (San Francisco)
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1723 Buchanan Street |
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Doobu is a friendly Korean restaurant in the heart of Japan Town, not far from the Kabuki Theater. Signs near the door advocate tofu for good health, and tofu seems to be their specialty. The restaurant is long and narrow with geometric modern art on the walls, and a long row of roomy booths, like a cool Asian diner.
Kathryn and I found Doobu by accident, wandering around Japan Town, and I’ve been there twice. Both times there were other people in the restaurant, but it wasn’t crowded at all.
My eyes zeroed-in on the mixed vegetable Dolsot Bibimbap, which is my favorite Korean entree. Vegetables, mushroom, soy bean sprouts, and tofu, sizzling in a hot (!) stone pot. Stir in the (not very) hot sauce quickly, before the rice burns to the bowl. The rice they use at Doobu is a little different: tasty with a brownish hue. I loved it, but Kathryn preferred the white rice they use at other Korean restaurants.
On our last visit, we arrived a little bit before our friends, and ordered the Fried Tofu Salad as an appetizer to share with them. Somehow, the half of the salad we intended to save for them didn’t make it. It was too delicious. The tofu seemed somehow battered and fried, but wasn’t heavy or oily. It was more like the skin of the tofu slabs was cooked or boiled, leaving a chewy white tofu center inside the golden shell.
Doobu serves the kind of Korean barley tea that I really love. While they don’t serve as many vegetarian, side-dish appetizers as Shik Do Rock in Albany, there is something you have to watch out for. Unless you specifically tell them otherwise, they bring everyone at the table a whole fried fish. There are many reasons I’m a vegetarian, and that’s one of them. (No thanks!)
I’m looking forward to my next visit to Doobu!
