
(photo courtesy Food Hoe)
Typical of many new-ish eateries around town, Namu has a cool sign, cool oil paintings of natural-meets-industrial themes and cool waitresses – but it isn’t all about appearances at this Balboa Street favorite. When you think Namu don’t bring up memories of the mid-60’s B movie Namu the Killer Whale, or of the tiny atoll where endangered monk seals breed, rather, conjure up images of a healthy nightlife, comfort food in a sophisticated atmosphere, and neighborhood charm with big-city vibes. And don’t roll your eyes when you discover the menu is fusion, this is fusion at its best; Namu serves everything from burgers that nod to Asia with pickled diakon, to cold soba noodle salad, complete with both kimchee and pine nuts.

I ordered ocean salad of bright red and deep green sea fronds, the likes of which you’d find at any Japanese table, and was impressed with the complexity of textures and sweetness of flavor – both well beyond what you’d expect from your local sushi joint.

(photo courtesy Namu website)
The banchan, a complementary trio at Namu, are the traditional dishes of kimchee and other marinated vegetables served at Korean tables. Together with kimchee the ume dressing-coated wakame tendrils in my salad were even more exciting – that bite of sour and spicy made each mouthful pop. From the raw menu, and there are six-such sections of the tapas-centric list, my honey chose the hamachi, an almost exclusively farm-raised member of the Amberjack family. Yellowtail Amberjack has much healthier representation in the wild than tuna, mostly too small to make worthwhile for fishers, so I agreed and put my politics to the side and enjoy some of the best sashimi I’ve had in a long time. Slivered, but not too sparce, each slice of the buttery fish was crested with little twirls of sake-soaked konbu, dripped with house-infused chili oil and escorted over a fine half-moon of lemon, the flavor of which tingled the bottom of each piece of fish. I savored each bite, wishing for more.
One of the biggest surprises was the aptness with which the fried calamari was prepared. Here its called ika fry, to overcome the connection most dinners have with classic fritti di mare (actually made of thirteen individual fish types, not just calamari, but anyway…) One of the indicators of handy Japanese cooking is tempora, or some other fried item, and if the batter or oil temperature aren’t planned just right I’ll know before even taking a bite. The ika at Namu was a clear favorite, overshadowing the grilled and dashi items, with its near perfect tenderness – I barely had to chew it – and its light, non-oily coating must have been fried at the perfect temperature. Together with the thick kimchee tartar sauce, this was the dish that made Namu stand out for me as a competent kitchen and place to come for well-thought-out meals. Special Jongul Korean hot pot and standard yakitori were underwhelming.

The freedom of the menu is fun – bring a group and order several plates (they’ll do double orders of the ika fry) and chat until 1a if you so desire Thursday through Saturday nights. It is a great menu for talkers like me; you can pick at your food, enjoy each bite, and continue on in conversation over a pot of puer tea or a flight of specialty sakes. Stay for dessert and you’ll be smitten with the fusion cupcake – a chocolate and azuke bean creation covered with chocolate drizzle and surprisingly bright yuzu crème anglais.
Info: 439 Balboa Street, 386.8332, www.namubar.com