NamSan Korean Cuisine — Restaurant in Richmond

I went to this restaurant a few times, yesterday 22 March 2025 experience is pretty bad. The male waiter (or the new owner?)is very rude. (I used to get great service from this restaurant). I ordered the soju, took it from the refrigerator, and ask him to add it to our bill. He grabbed the soju away, said I can not have the drink before the food, that’s they are house rule?! Really?! Anyway, I do not like people grab my drink away. Will you like it? His harsh attitude is beyond tolerance. After we are eating for 5 mins, he come again said, he have to take a chair away, because the other table need it. He is too rush, I almost do not have time to put my bag and kids toy on that chair to other places. Anyway the overall experience is so bad. I do not know what’s changed? Maybe the ownership, I guess.

For food wise. The sausage white soup is still good. But the rib soup is not taste totally different. It’s tasteless, hard. So I have to ask for extra sauce for the rib.

Because of the bad customer service, it’s not in my “ go-to” list any more. bye

Response to the owner: this is how you response to your customer?! Jeez, such a bad ownership change!

To clarify, my wife and kid went in and seated for 30mins and already order the food when I try to find the parking space. So when I went in, I was expected the food is ready, so I indeed took the soju from your refrigerator which just at the entrance of the door, and ask you to add that to my bill at the same time. You should put your refrigerator inside your cashier counter or anywhere. Or at least explain politely to your customer if that something you do jot expect from your customers! Rather than stupidity grab drink from your customer’s hand. that the basic to keep your job or your business, agree?! You are in the service industry not law firm or military, Jeez! Do not bluff about the law, I often having the drinking before food comes in any other restaurant, the reason you gave me when you grabbed my drink is that the drink has to be served together with the food which your words are totally unlawful and deceiving! Think twice before your grabs anything from your customers.

I do not mind give the empty chair to next table, I am complaining is your harsh attitude! Super super harsh. (You actually have two empty table with 4 empty chairs when you ask the chair from our table, could’t you arrange that more wisely? Like give the empty chair from those empty table first? I am not sure how long you are in the restaurant business, I doubt you are new and your personality is just not fit, honestly) I wish the previous good owner will see this review and give you a lesson on how to treat customer with respect and keep the original recipe for the food. Such a bad...

Ordered online via the FanTuan platform today. I ordered the Spicy pork stir-fry with hot plate under the spicy hot plate section, which is 鉄板辣炒豬肉 and Google translate is Spicy stir-fried pork on iron plate, which is essentially the same except the word "hot" vs "iron". What we actually got was Stir-fried pork intestine with hot plate/鉄板辣炒大腸 (this item is right below the item we ordered), which is nothing close. We contacted the ordering platform to advise them about the error as we already ordered another intestine dish and wanted a refund or other means to resolve it. Somehow the restaurant called and wanted to have a discussion. After close to 10 minutes of discussion, I was told time and time that I ordered in the wrong section,I was told that I should have ordered in the BBQ section instead and the price will be even lower. I kept reminding the gentleman that the name is correct and the picture clearly shows pork meat instead of pig intestine. To me, the picture and description matches but the item we received was not the correct one. He mentioned their system came through as such and to them, the order was deemed satisfactory and thereby they won't be issuing a refund despite we threw away the dish after having one bite and noticed the error on either FanTuan or the restaurant. His point is that the order came through wrong and is nothing to do with them, and he will bring it up to FanTuan. The way I see it, I don't know if it's FanTuan or the restaurant's error, but definitely not my error. Why does the consumer needs to take a fall on it? Whom provided the pictures and the names? I would imagine the restaurant. He did offer to give us a free plate when we go in store to eat. As a consumer, and this is not the first time we ordered online with this restaurant. We obviously like the food and hence reorder again. But will I ever go there or order again from them? Definitely not as a business puts the blame to the customer when it's clearly not the customer's fault is the last place myself, or anyone else...

Their food is so delicious it literally makes me feel happy eating it. They are really friendly, the place is clean with good atmosphere, and the price is good. They prepare their dishes with so much effort and passion one can tell by tasting them. I tried the assorted pork soup (soondae guk), grilled chicken plate (dak galbi), seafood and pork noodles (jjam bbong), grilled small intestine (gopchang gui), pork back bone spicy soup (gamjatang), stir-fried marinated pork (dwaeji bulgogi), varieties pork soup (dwaeji gukbap),... They all tasted amazing with beautiful aroma, perfect richness and spiciness, meat and noodles of excellent texture, and came in generous portion. They know how to make offal great! They also serve pop, beer, makgeolli, and soju. There is additional parking at the upper level.

More on food: The half-and-half makchang soondae stir-fry on hot-plate is heavenly. This dish has a perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness, herb/spices and original aroma, softness and chewiness with a bit of crunch, and the assortment of meat, al dente rice cake and potato noodles, and aromatic vegetables. I might have gotten too full from finishing every last bit of this scrumptious meal, haha.

Their OX bone soup (seolleongtang) is comforting and tasty. It came with a generous amount of tender, flavorful beef shank and some other cuts, completed with soft yet bouncy potato starch noodles and rice cake slices. The soup is so rich that a "skin" kept forming on top while I was trying to take photos. But it doesn't feel greasy and heavy at all. It's just perfect.

For a comforting soup, the soft tofu stew (sundubu jjigae) with hot pot (seafood) is wonderful. The soup has this cozy bbq aroma with a well-rounded taste. The tofu is silky and well complemented by perilla seeds. This stew went really well with grilled short rib patties (tteokgalbi) - big and plump, perfectly grilled and seasoned, slightly crispy on the outside, juicy, tender and...