Edible Gifts Abound at Allston’s New Korean Restaurant

Welcome back to Week in Reviews, an occasional round-up of the restaurant reviews recently written by Boston’s food critics at publications such as The Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, and Boston.com.

“Little Presents Throughout Your Meal”

Adding to Boston.com’s new restaurant review lineup, Erin Kuschner eats at Kim’s Tofu in Allston. The restaurant is still young but already building a fanbase for making its own tofu in-house each day. Kuschner’s meal at Kim’s begins with the tofu, served with a saucer of soy sauce, sesame seeds, and scallions.

Kuschner continues with soondubu jjigae — a soup made red from gochujang (or chili paste) with “custard-soft tofu” on top — and opts for a medium level of spice, which she writes has “a solid kick.” The dish “is the definition of comfort food: rich, soothing, a warm hug to quell your hunger,” Kuschner writes. Though a seafood pancake is “disappointing,” galbi beef ribs are “perfectly marinated” and “outrageously tender.” The meal ends with a gift of cold sujeonggwa, or cinnamon punch, which “is the spice-filled refresher needed to bring us back” from a hearty meal, Kuschner writes.

Kim’s Tofu opened mid-July in Allston, taking over the space where Loui Loui once operated. This is an early look at the restaurant and the first assessment from local critics.

“Culinary Elegance and Neighborly Comfort”

For the Boston Globe’s “Quick Bite” column — not formal reviews, but rather brief looks at new restaurants that the Globe’s food writers have visited — Devra First visits Black Lamb in the South End, a new addition from the same team behind the neighborhood’s Bar Mezzana and Shore Leave/No Relation. The group is “colonizing the South End,” First writes, and one of the commonalities across its restaurants is a deft handling of raw seafood.

“Don’t miss the list of oysters and other raw-bar offerings: Scallops on a half-shell with truffle vinaigrette are transcendent, bright, and earthy,” she writes. “Then move on to heirloom tomato salads, lobster rolls, duck frites, and more. There’s pie on the dessert menu. Why don’t more places have pie on the dessert menu?”

For beverages, Black Lamb has an “elegant” wine list, craft beer, and “cocktail standards that are just different enough to be interesting,” plus some non-alcoholic cocktails.

Black Lamb already had an early look from Boston.com, and it is sure to garner full-scale reviews down the line.

• Kim’s Tofu Supplies Allston With Even More Korean Food. That’s a Good Thing. [Boston.com]
• Kim’s Tofu Coverage on Eater [EBOS]
• Black Lamb Is a Rare Beast: Equal Parts Elegance and Comfort [BG]
• Black Lamb Coverage on Eater [EBOS]