Blue Ginger
14045 NE 20th Street
Bellevue, WA
425-746-1222

Ancient History: I used to go to South Gate Garden, a korean restaurant located in Factoria. It was my first introduction to korean food, but I went there only a few times, until I realized that the waitresses all hated me.

After that, I went to Seoul Olympic, which is just around the corner from where I live. All was right with my world until one night when I was doing the all-you-can-eat grill buffet. They bring out this giant platter of meat, and you grill it yourself. They’ll bring out more if you ask. I was on my FIRST PLATTER. I cooked up all the meat, and asked for a doggy bag, and the waitress told me never to do that again, or they would charge me an extra $10. I’m sorry? Sounds like a sour-grapes, dog-in-the-manger attitude to me. You’re not going to re-use the rest of my platter. Why wouldn’t you just give it to me?

So you can imagine my interest to find another korean restaurant nearby.

Blue Ginger has been open for the past 6 weeks, and apparently still working out the kinks. As the hostess confided in me, clientele ebbs and flows: sometimes they are hugely busy, and sometimes they’re completely empty.

Service: Tonight I met a couple of gal-pals there, and Blue Ginger was intensely busy. The section we were wedged into was completely full, and our poor waitress was run ragged. This perhaps led to a half-hour wait for our credit cards to come back — only to find that we had been charged the wrong amounts and it all had to go back. We were all disappointed, but we’ll blame it on working out the kinks (for now). Drinks refill was so-so. I was eventually able to get two (free) re-fills on my diet coke and waddled out, sloshing.

Prices: Well, the restaurant is located in Bellevue, so prices are medium-expensive. You’re really not getting any sort of bargain, although they have “lunch prices” and “dinner prices” so maybe you’ll get a better deal if you go during lunch. Appetizers seem a little expensive to me, ranging in price from $7 to $9 for the most part.

Food: Blue Ginger serves up what I’ve come to think of as the “usual” korean food — bulgogi, bibimbap, etc. They also do that thing where you can cook your own meat at your tableside grill. AND: they do sushi and tempura. I’m not well-versed in korean OR japanese food, so I don’t see the connection. We ordered a california roll. It tasted good. We ordered some korean food. It came out with cute little banchan, although my favorite little banchan (the mashed potato salad) was missing. I took it like a trooper, and didn’t throw a tantrum.

The upshot? Everyone who worked there was pleasant, smiley, and eager to please (which, believe me, is a huge change from the other two restaurants). The food is yummy, although there are a couple of missing menu items that I’m used to seeing elsewhere. If it’s any indication, the clientele tonight seemed primarily korean. Once they get their workflow straightened out, it’ll be a pleasant little addition to our town. Hey, it’s only been six weeks. I’ll give them at least another chance.

But maybe next time, I’m going to ask for the potato salad.