Thanks to two longtime friends, the joys of Korean food are finally available in the far West Valley. Danbi Korean BBQ, with two sister restaurants in San Jose—one on North First Street and the other on Snell Avenue—is now serving up spicy seared meat, kimchi and banchan on Montebello Way in Los Gatos.
The two friends—Janet Soh and Sunny Choi—met at De Anza College before they diverged to different schools. Soh went on to San Jose State University and immediately dove into the world of food after graduation. Her first franchise was a Baskin Robbins. She then purchased the first of her Togo franchises, which she says have been amazingly consistent performers, due to the quality of the food and strength of top management. “That fresh-baked bread comes in every morning. It’s what keeps people coming back.” And yes, pastrami is the number one seller.
Choi headed to UC Irvine and then lived in southern California for 21 years. When Soh contacted her and said it was time to get into business together, they talked about it for a long time. So now, in addition to the Korean fried chicken restaurant she owns near Pioneer High School, Choi is proudly serving up her Korean heritage at Danbi.
Choi says Soh had long been scouting for a Los Gatos location but all the vacant spaces required the installation of a kitchen. Then, one night, Soh was scrolling through business listings and discovered the space that once housed Grocer+Goddess. She excitedly called Choi. The next day, Soh met with former lessee, Yvonne Khananis, saw the place and fell in love. The deal was done quickly, but the ABC license will take a little longer. They hope to be able to offer beer and wine soon.
First of all, yes, Danbi serves fried chicken (savory, spicy and soy glazed), and kalbi (grilled beef short ribs), grilled pork, mackerel and bulgogi (sliced soy marinated beef), accompanied by kimchi and vegetable or seafood pancakes. The menu also features ramen and soft tofu soups and several spins on fried rice.
We asked Soh what we should not miss. “The Japchae,” she said. This is a stir-fried dish of shiny glass noodles with spinach, fragrant bulgogi beef, sweet onion and crunchy cabbages. She also recommended the hot clay pot sizzling rice, a version of bi bim bap. “This is one of my favorite dishes,” she said. “The rice cooks on the bottom and gets really crispy.”
Bi bim bap comes in several permutations, but we chose the chicken. It came out, sizzling away in dramatic style, the rice covered by a pile of shredded carrots, bean sprouts, radish, spinach, diced chicken and a fried egg. Add a little gochujang to spice it up.
Accompanying any entrée dish is a set of little sides, called banchan, including spicy fish cake, pickled daikon radish, kimchee Napa cabbage, marinated bean sprouts and pickled jalapeños and carrots.
The Koreans are big on cabbage. They’re also very big on vegetables. Choi explains, “Korea has always been a poor country, and especially after the war. There was very little refrigeration. We had to survive through harsh winters by preserving food.”
She says her grandmother, like most homemakers, would bury a big ceramic pot in the ground into which she had submerged cabbage and other vegetables in a spicy brine. “I remember she would bring in icy, almost frozen, bowls of kimchi to have with our traditional meals.”
I asked Choi about the colorful woven and embroidered mats that are set atop each table at the restaurant. “These are from Korea,” Choi explained. “They were used to cover all the condiments to keep flies and dust out. They would be left on the kitchen table, ready to accompany the meal, so you would just have to cook rice, and dinner is ready.”
As for other items on the menu, there are many signature Korean soups and stews, and spicy stir fries, to which you can add rice cake or udon noodles.
I asked Choi the meaning of Danbi. “It’s a Korean word for sweet rain,” she said. “More like that wonderful first rain after a long drought.”
Danbi Korean BBQ is open daily 11:30am–2:30pm and 4:30–9pm. Located at 9 Montebello Way, Los Gatos, 669.240.4135. danbikoreansj.com
