I don't know when Soon's opened but I've been living in the Peninsula for 6 years and cannot believe I just discovered this restaurant. For authentic Korean food, you typically have to head down to Sunnyvale or Santa Clara. But obviously for those who live...
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I don't know when Soon's opened but I've been living in the Peninsula for 6 years and cannot believe I just discovered this restaurant. For authentic Korean food, you typically have to head down to Sunnyvale or Santa Clara. But obviously for those who live in the Peninsula or above, it is a journey. Soon's finally starts to establish options alongside Daeho in San Mateo.
From the outside, Soon's looks confusing. It is supposedly a Korean restaurant in a western plaza selling a whole variety of things. Is it fusion? Is it "Korean" cuisine by inspiration? And there's even some hints of Chinese, Hawaiian and Mexican in the menu. Again, not a good sign. Also, you need to stare at the ceiling when you're inside... it could've been a 3-story building.
But let the food speak for itself. The banchan already is diverse and authentic, as well as every single dish that came out. The food is cooked by your "aunt" with decent sprinkling of love and nostalgia. It is Korean comfort food done well across the board. We had a tofu soup, galbi, kimchi fried rice and jjajangmyun... (?) - yes, the things from Chinese restaurants.
And yes, all of them turned out great. It definitely is created with your aunt's interpretation but proper. The food tends to be on the sweeter side (so a bit additional sugar) but still within normal ranges.
Ah, and the staff is super friendly.
I am so glad we discovered Soon's. We'll absolutely be back. And one less reason to go down to Lawrence and El Camino.