Nami: Korean-style fare with a side of Ed Lee

[Robin Garr]

Nami: Korean-style fare with a side of Ed Lee

Looks like beef. Tastes like vegetables. Nami's eggplant and king oyster mushroom dish treats these healthy veggies as if they were meat in a piquant Korean barbecue.


If you haven’t heard about Chef Edward Lee’s new Korean restaurant Nami by now, it’s probably only because you haven’t been paying attention. The news about this Korean-American top chef opening his first Korean restaurant since his 20-something youth in New York City has been all over the place.

Nami, which opened on May 2, has been jammed since the start. If you want a seat, especially on weekends, you should get a reservation will in advance or plan to arrive before 6 p.m.

Regardless, you should definitely go. Nami is sleek and stylish, with a floor-to-ceiling wall of windows framing the streetscape, a long bar, and spare decor that emits an soft Asian vibe.

Nami (나미) means “I am beautiful” in Korean, according to the restaurant’s social media, which calls the restaurant “a modern approach to Korean cuisine” that seeks “to share with you the beauty of our cuisine, our design and our hospitality.”

Much of the heavy lifting is done by Chef Breanna Baker, who quickly rose through the ranks from intern to chef de cuisine at 610 Magnolia, and Chef Yeon-Hee Chung, who achieved acclaim at the Korean restaurant Charim in St. Matthews. This deep bench allows Lee the latitude to step out into the dining room, where he makes it a point to stop briefly and welcome diners at each table.

You could call the menu “upscale Korean.” It isn’t pricey by 610 standards, but it might impart sticker shock if you’re expecting pricing akin to the city’s more traditional Asian eateries. That goes double if you decide to spring for Nami’s thick-sliced wagyu rib eye, $125 for a 9-ounce cut.

Otherwise, though, entree pricing isn’t scary ...

Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
https://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/nami-korean

You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section today:
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/

Nami Korean Steakhouse
835 E. Main St.
690-2067
https://nami-restaurant.com
https://facebook.com/namisteakhouse
https://instagram.com/namisteakhouse

Noise Level: The restaurant is invariably crowded and noisy, with a few fabric features to soften mostly hard surfaces. An average 79dB sound level approaches the limit of easy conversation.

Accessibility: The main floor is at ground level in a new building and appears fully accessible to wheelchair users with the exception of a few booths equipped with gas-fired barbecue grills.

While four of us enjoyed our meal, we determined we would not return until (and unless) they changed the way they served the three sauces~

We thought them wonderful with the mains, but were given ONE three-part dish/bowls for the four of us (each of us ordered a different bbq dish). As they are attached, they cannot be poured out without dumping all the contents. Dipping is optimal, but with the beef (especially) in greater-than-bitesize pieces, double dipping is required. Trying to portion out equal dabs of varying viscosities is awkward at best.

We called the waitress, and I asked about the sauces. She told us in no uncertain tones that only one triple-bowl comes per table, which is replaced when (or if) the first one is finished!

This is totally unsanitary service, likely against health codes, and in today's climate of long-term Covid et al actually dangerous.

Do they still give only one per table??? If it's now one per each order, we'll likely be back, but otherwise will not take the risk, especially as most of the ma & pa Korean bbq's around give individual dipping sauces (or otherwise make them sharable without cross-contamination)!

While four of us enjoyed our meal, we determined we would not return until (and unless) they changed the way they served the three sauces~

We thought them wonderful with the mains, but were given ONE three-part dish/bowls for the four of us (each of us ordered a different bbq dish). As they are attached, they cannot be poured out without dumping all the contents. Dipping is optimal, but with the beef (especially) in greater-than-bitesize pieces, double dipping is required. Trying to portion out equal dabs of varying viscosities is awkward at best.

We called the waitress, and I asked about the sauces. She told us in no uncertain tones that only one triple-bowl comes per table, which is replaced when (or if) the first one is finished!

This is totally unsanitary service, likely against health codes, and in today's climate of long-term Covid et al actually dangerous.

Do they still give only one per table??? If it's now one per each order, we'll likely be back, but otherwise will not take the risk, especially as most of the ma & pa Korean bbq's around give individual dipping sauces (or otherwise make them sharable without cross-contamination)!

I know it's not the main point of your post and there are certainly valid health concerns, but FWIW COVID is not spread by sharing food. It's spread by respiratory means and there's no evidence to support transmission via food or surfaces.

I know it's not the main point of your post and there are certainly valid health concerns, but FWIW COVID is not spread by sharing food. It's spread by respiratory means and there's no evidence to support transmission via food or surfaces.

Normally I agree with you 100%, but in this case sharing the sauces can be dangerous!

I am aware that Covid itself is not known to spread that way, but also have relatives and friends who have suffered from other respiratory diseases which may be spread (the common cold?), plus "sharing food" is not the same sharing saliva! (what happens when I double dip, after which you double dip, after which a third person does the same). I was laid up for over a month earlier this year with double pneumonia (and had both series of shots/vaccines!):

"Most cases of pneumonia are caused by either bacterial or viral organisms. These can spread in a number of ways, including: coughs or sneezes that aren't covered. sharing cups or eating utensils."

It's also why I said "in today's climate of . . . " rather than mentioning actually catching that particular version of Covid!