Review: Natto and Tuna Odonburi


Review 2-Stars (Recommended: Good Price point, fresh ingredients, well prepared)

Now, I have a prejudice against restaurants south of the river. Mainly because they tend to be high margin restaurants that overcharge for low quality food.

Now, I was very surprised that when I went into the COEX, the COEX- the place I despise the most for food had a good, low-cost restaurant that had food that I would actually recommend.

Now, I love natto, the sticky pungent bean paste that many find a tad repulsive. I also love tuna sashimi, but then again, who doesn't. So, I was very happy to find both of these ingredients together in a Odonburi- a rice bowl. I have had this dish before in Japan, but I haven't seen this combination here in Korea.

The tuna is thawed (in Korea, that's often a rarity) and perfectly cubed. The natto is sticky and the veggies are fresh with thin slivers of dried laver. There was also a cooked egg yok in the center of the rice, so the creamy, cheesy flavor of the yolk complemented the flavor of the natto and lean protein of the tuna.

Delicious.

You can find Odonburi in the COEX Mall near the Intercontinental Hotel side.

Odonburi
02-551-3351
Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Samseong-dong 159-6
www.odunburi.com

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