Nicole B.
Yelp
I really want to give 3.5 stars. But that's not an option. So I'm going 4 because I'd rather "round up" and! I did not eat BBQ or Hot Pot, which is clearly the key reason to come to Mosu.
WHAT A NICE SPOT! Super high ceilings with all sorts of creative design elements. Lots of windows and natural light. Airy, roomy space that still feels comfortable. The bar is at the center of the restaurant, flanked by two sections of Korean BBQ and Hot Pot tables.
For those who don't know, Korean BBQ and Hot Pot are meals you cook yourself at your custom built table. It is a very social, communal, fun dining experience. I imagine it would be a great idea for a first date! Or really any date...
I sat at the bar. The menu at the bar is designed around Asian street foods. I don't eat beef, pork or poultry, but there were still things for me to order. The only "challenge" was that portions were so large I couldn't try as many things as I wanted. Which, honestly, is not a "problem" if you're dining out like a regular person. Suffice it to say you can sit at the bar have a drink or two (they have a WIDE selection of beer, wine, craft cocktails, even an entire Sake Bomb section...!) and order one or two things and be full.
I was interested in drinking sake and they have an entire sake menu. Like 5 or 6 choices, but that works for me! I was able to order a sake I liked and then I ordered hot tea and they had barley tea, which is really mainly the only tea I ever want. When I'm eating Korean or Japanese I always want my three beverages: sake, hot tea and water. And I drink all of them.
I started out with Edamame. You can get regular or spicy. So, of course, I got spicy. Weirdly, this was the most disappointing Edamame I've ever had. It wasn't actually spicy, despite the large, dried peppers. But that wasn't the actual problem. The problem was the Edamame was undercooked. Someone didn't steam them long enough. They were borderline hard...!!?? I'm assuming it's not always this way. Someone made an error in that kitchen.
Then I ordered Kimchi Tater Tots. PURE GENIUS! I am HERE for every "update" to Tater Tots. You want to do creative things with Tater Tots? I will try them! These are CRAZY DELICIOUS: Cheddar Cheese, Kewpie Mayo, Sriracha, Scallions, Teriyaki sauce. They hit ALL the notes you're looking for in a snack/bar food situation: hot, crispy, cheesy, a little spicy, flavorful. I'm not sure it would be a "good choice" to eat two orders of these. But I also can't say it would be the wrong choice...
Scallion Pancake. There was SO MUCH Scallion Pancake (which was perfectly fried and thin and flaky) that I asked the bartender HOW MANY PANCAKES had been cut up to make this order?? Apparently you get at least TWO pancakes when you order this. Again, portion sizes are not small here. These were totally delicious. But I was starting to be scared about how much fried food I was eating.
So I ordered fried tofu skewers.
Look, all I can say is that the whole mountain of Kimchi Tater Tots had me not thinking straight. I probably should have chosen something "less" fried for the final thing.
Positive: these were served so hot I almost hurt myself trying to eat them.
Negative: the tofu itself was not tasty and the sauce was very sweet and syrupy. Just didn't work for me. I am most definitely a "savory" person.
There are other things I would have tried if I hadn't stuffed myself with all the delicious tater tots and scallion pancakes!
The thing about Mosu is that they are telling you PRECISELY who and what they are: Korean BBQ, Hot Pot, Bar Snacks.
It is hard for me to resist anything involving snacks. I also like to eat some vegetables to balance out my fried. Problem was I would have had to order an entire "bowl" dish to get those veggies and I didn't want to commit! I wanted to attempt to eat a bunch of things. But that is not Mosu's fault.
Next time! LOL
Come here for a date, for a fun dinner with friends and family cooking your food at your table. Or sit at the bar to have a drink or two or three and eat ALL THE KIMCHI TATER TOTS!