DINING OUT:
TOKYO SEOUL (6/05)

by Sue Brode

Tokyo Seoul (View Map)
3180 Erie Blvd.
Syracuse, New York
(315) 449-2688

by Eric Kainass

Tokyo and Seoul are nearly a thousand miles apart. But at the CNY restaurant Tokyo-Seoul, the atmosphere, food, and friendly, generous wait-staff couldn't be closer. The owners, Eui Ho Kim and his wife, Jung Ae Kim, met in Seoul and made their way to America some years ago. They started with a market in 1975, then made the move to being restaurateurs. In this day and age it may sound trite, but the Kims still believe very much in honesty, hard work, and the notion that all of their employees are like family. "I have daughters from all over the world," Mrs. Kim declares proudly. They also require their business be run with cooperation between employees, and that customers leave with a full stomach and a pleasant and unique experience.

The interior of the restaurant is relaxed and clean. There are three different dining areas: one containing the sushi bar, one for Korean Barbecue, and the third for hibachi. As the name implies, Tokyo-Seoul offers a mixture of Japanese (the Japanese dishes are what Mr. Kim refers to as "Tokyo- style") and Korean cuisine. Their specialties include Korean Barbecue, in which diners cook their own food at the table (or for those who wish, it can be prepared in the kitchen), sushi, and Japanese hibachi dishes, as well as Shabu-Shabu, which is thinly sliced beef, vegetables, that you prepare yourself at your table, much as the Korean Barbecue. Their sushi chef, Ikehara, has thirty years experience in his culinary art, and the hibachi chef, Nori, has twenty years experience in his.

The evening my companion and I dined there we sat in the hibachi room, filled with plants cared for by Mrs. Kim, and a "sun-room" atmosphere. After glancing at the sushi bar and observing the wonderful quality of the seafood, we decided to start our meal with Nigiri Sushi — the type most people are familiar with — thinly sliced raw fish seasoned with wasabi (usually referred to as Japanese horseradish: it can pack a kick) and placed on top of Sushi Meshi (boiled or steamed rice flavored with sweetened rice vinegar). We chose the Maguro (tuna), Tobiko (flying fish roe), Saba (mackerel) and Ama Ebi (sweet shrimp).

The sushi was fresh and delicious, with the prices ranging from $3.95 to $6.95 per order (two pieces come per order). For our entrees, we ordered a bento box apiece. A bento box, sometimes merely called a bento, is a metal or lacquered wooden box divided into compartments. These store separate small dishes that comprise an individual meal. In Japan, a bento box is generally a lunch and most often found at train stations. Each station sells a bento box that reflects the cooking of that region. It may sound like "fast food," but the cuisine the boxes contain is food elevated to high culinary art, and the many different styles of the boxes are usually quite beautiful.
I chose the Hot Ojinguh Bokum, which is spicy stir-fried squid, while my companion opted for the Hot And Spicy Chicken. In addition to those main items, each box contained shrimp and vegetable tempura, California rolls, Shrimp Shumai (steamed dumplings), Mandoo (pan-fried beef dumplings), rice, and was accompanied by a bowl of miso soup (miso is a fermented soybean paste). The bento boxes were each $17.95.

My squid was just spicy enough for my taste and the vegetables were a perfect accompaniment. Both of the types of dumplings were good; I could have made a meal of those alone. The miso soup is a simple broth and had a nice flavor. My companion and I each tried the other’s dish and judged them excellent. The tempura was battered lightly and fried correctly -- neither over- nor under-cooked. The rice was a nice consistency, and could be eaten with chopsticks. The California rolls offered another enjoyable contrast in texture.
Ella, our waitress, was very attentive to all of our needs, serving and removing everything with a smile. Mr. and Mrs. Kim were most gracious hosts, and the pride they feel for their restaurant was evident. There are so many different items on the menu from Korean dishes, Japanese dishes, and sushi that it would be impossible to even begin listing them all. The Korean Chef's Specials range in price from $7.95 to $17.95; on the Japanese menu, Teriyaki dishes start at $11.95 and top out at $15.95. The Korean Barbecue menu runs from $15.95 to $19.95.

Then there are the noodle dishes, appetizers, rice dishes, soups and casseroles -- just too many to list. In all honesty, one must dine at Tokyo-Seoul at least four times to receive an inkling of all they have to offer. Tokyo-Seoul also features a full bar, plum wine, hot sake, a range of cold sakes, Korean Soju as well as a short list of red and white wines.

Their hours are: Monday-Thursday: 11:30a.m-10:00p.m., Friday & Saturday: 11:30a.m.-11:00p.m. and Sunday: 2:00p.m.-10:00p.m. Tokyo-Seoul's phone number is 449-2688 and they are located at 3180 Erie Boulevard East, DeWitt.