BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:
2008-07-25 00:00
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:
A new protein-rich restaurant
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| Owner Jason Hwang is seen with some of Tofu Village's top dishes. (Alex Collins/News-Press) |
Prolific Tofu Village franchise moves in on Brand Blvd., bringing classic Korean dishes.
By Angela Hokanson
Locals looking to get their Korean food fix or just grab a meal downtown have a new restaurant option on Brand Boulevard.
Tofu Village, the first Glendale venue in a Southern California restaurant franchise that serves tofu stew and other East Asian food, opened July 11 in a space most recently occupied by Takeshi Ramen, a Japanese restaurant.
The Glendale restaurant joins the Tofu Village, which opened on Foothill Boulevard in La Crescenta nearly a year ago, as well as versions in Alhambra, Little Tokyo and other Los Angeles-area locations.
Korean-born Jason Hwang, who owns the Tofu Village at 126 N. Brand Blvd., said he is proud to be offering typical Korean food to a diverse group of customers.
“I felt that I’d like to introduce the Korean food to the mainstream of society,” he said.
The restaurant’s specialty is tofu stew that can be served with kimchi, beef, seafood or other additions.
The menu also features barbecue beef entrees, a Korean rice and vegetable dish known as Bi Bim Bap, and Japanese-style lunch combinations with rice, dumplings, salad and tofu.
Tofu is gaining traction in the West as a healthy and protein-rich alternative to meat, Hwang said.
Hwang has worked in import/export and retail businesses before, but this is his first foray into the restaurant industry. He said he was interested in opening a restaurant in Glendale in part because of its sparse supply of Korean restaurants.
He expects to draw in downtown workers for weekday meals and local residents for dinner in the evening.
During its second day of business, the restaurant offered free tofu soup all day as a promotion, and patrons waited for up to an hour for the free food, he said.
Since then, business has been strong.
“We’re very crowded, and I’m very happy for that,” he said.
On a recent weekday afternoon, the restaurant was about half-full with lunch patrons.
Sang and Victor Anastasia were eating at the Glendale Tofu Village for the first time, although they had been regulars at the spot in La Crescenta.
“We live closer to this one, so we’ll be coming to this one now,” Victor Anastasia said.
The variety of the food is part of the appeal, Sang Anastasia said, as is the kimchi, a dish she says she can’t live without.
Each customer is served a variety of side dishes, from broccoli to seaweed to steamed potatoes, as part of their meal, Hwang said.
Jim Miller was at the restaurant for the second time in a week with two of his co-workers.
Miller hopes the new addition stays on Brand.
“There’s a lot of turnaround of the restaurants here,” he said. “I hope it makes it, because I need it.”
Tofu Village, the first Glendale venue in a Southern California restaurant franchise that serves tofu stew and other East Asian food, opened July 11 in a space most recently occupied by Takeshi Ramen, a Japanese restaurant.
The Glendale restaurant joins the Tofu Village, which opened on Foothill Boulevard in La Crescenta nearly a year ago, as well as versions in Alhambra, Little Tokyo and other Los Angeles-area locations.
Korean-born Jason Hwang, who owns the Tofu Village at 126 N. Brand Blvd., said he is proud to be offering typical Korean food to a diverse group of customers.
The restaurant’s specialty is tofu stew that can be served with kimchi, beef, seafood or other additions.
The menu also features barbecue beef entrees, a Korean rice and vegetable dish known as Bi Bim Bap, and Japanese-style lunch combinations with rice, dumplings, salad and tofu.
Tofu is gaining traction in the West as a healthy and protein-rich alternative to meat, Hwang said.
Hwang has worked in import/export and retail businesses before, but this is his first foray into the restaurant industry. He said he was interested in opening a restaurant in Glendale in part because of its sparse supply of Korean restaurants.
He expects to draw in downtown workers for weekday meals and local residents for dinner in the evening.
During its second day of business, the restaurant offered free tofu soup all day as a promotion, and patrons waited for up to an hour for the free food, he said.
Since then, business has been strong.
“We’re very crowded, and I’m very happy for that,” he said.
On a recent weekday afternoon, the restaurant was about half-full with lunch patrons.
Sang and Victor Anastasia were eating at the Glendale Tofu Village for the first time, although they had been regulars at the spot in La Crescenta.
“We live closer to this one, so we’ll be coming to this one now,” Victor Anastasia said.
The variety of the food is part of the appeal, Sang Anastasia said, as is the kimchi, a dish she says she can’t live without.
Each customer is served a variety of side dishes, from broccoli to seaweed to steamed potatoes, as part of their meal, Hwang said.
Jim Miller was at the restaurant for the second time in a week with two of his co-workers.
Miller hopes the new addition stays on Brand.
“There’s a lot of turnaround of the restaurants here,” he said. “I hope it makes it, because I need it.”
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