Myung Dong Tofu Cabin — Restaurant in San Mateo

Good place to grab lunch or dinner. I like coming here for work lunches so I don't have to pay or fight for parking in downtown San Mateo. This plaza has a big parking lot with pretty easy parking. If you're coming for lunch, try to get here close to opening time, otherwise you'll find yourself waiting for a table. Service is pretty quick and attentive.

Goon Man Doo (6pcs) - Pan fried dumplings Shared these with a friend as an appetizer. yum!

Ojing Uh Dduk Bok Um- Sauteed spicy squid with rice cake. (spicy) ($15.99) This is one of my favorite Korean dish but it was definitely a miss here, especially with that $16 price tag. Some of the rice cakes were not cooked all the way through and still a little tough.

Hae Mool Dol Sot Bi Bimbop Seafood, vegetables, fried egg over rice served in hot stone pot (spicy) $15.99. They are very generous with the seafood and give you a huge portion. I love bibimbop so I'll order the seafood one or the beef.

I haven't ordered the tofu soup for myself but stole some of the pork dumpling soon doo boo...

I really wanted to like MDTC (Myung Dong Tofu Cabin). But as a Korean, I would have to say that the food just fails to impress in many fronts. The Kimchi Pancake was falling apart with inconsistent texture. The Galbi, which is the easiest to get right just with good ingredients, was tough like cardboard - mostly because they would've used the cheapest meat possible. The banchan (side dishes) were decent though but that can't be the highlight. Surprisingly, the Korean Fried Chicken came out pretty good but again, the food quality was all over the place.

MDTC is your typical Korean collage comfort food joint and it needs to do a few things right. The grilled meat selection, the tofu soups, the appetizers, all failed to impress. Yet, the bonus - like the fried chicken and banchan - were decent. This was the confusion we all left with.

Go here if you're desperate for Korean food. But we won't be returning at least for...

It's hard to find a good Korean restaurant in North Bay (above Santa Clara).

This restaurant has really good flavors comparable to good restaurants found in South Bay. The tofu soup is good and I find the seafood tofu soup fairly well balanced in flavor.

There are a couple of negative reviews about side dishes costing extra. This personally did not affect my review because the owner of the shop explains that they charge for side dishes and lower the entree price to reduce good waste. I actually like this despite it being unconventional for the Korean dining experience. That being said, the side dish flavors are good too.

My only star taken off is that the taste for the dishes isn't consistent. I have tried the seafood tofu soup a few times and the flavors change each time. Overall it still tastes great but this could be an issue for people looking for a consistent taste...