Dong-Hae Ba Da, Korean-Japanese in Annandale in the Former Sam-Bo Space - Closed

[ema]

Yep, there's a new sush/sashmi place by Bon Chon chicken on little river turnpike. The reason I don't have a name for you is because I don't read Korean and the place is so authentic that they don't even have an English sign We ordered three rolls and a galbi dotsot bibimbap. The rolls were really good value with nice quantity of fillings. I hate those places that skimp on the filling and put mounds of rice on everything.

I regret not trying any sashimi, as it seemed to be their speciality. There were two tanks in the front, with the top tank filled with live lobsters (for lobster sashimi) and the bottom tank filled with some really weird looking fish. Their sashimi ranged anywhere from $50 to $200. There were no further description on the menu, but judging by the food on other tables, it appears to come with more than 10 sidedishes and soup. Like most Korean restaurants, everything is meant to be shared. A table of five sat close to us probably ordered one of those giant sashimi dish and the thing came out on a 1X3 feet board. The amount of plates on their table was mind boggling. I felt like a noob as there were pieces of paper with Korean writings on the wall advertising specials not on the menu. This place definitely worth further investigation on my part.

[DonRocks]

Yep, there's a new sush/sashmi place by Bon Chon chicken on little river turnpike.

This used to be Sambo, right? The isolated square building with the orange sign in front?

[ema]

Yes, it used to be Sambo.

[Escoffier]

Yes, it used to be Sambo.

Sam-Bo...this is the third time it's become a sushi/sashimi restauraunt. Grover and I'll have to give it a try. I first went there when that restaurant had pretensions of being Japanese, it should be interesting to see what they're doing now. That location is like the 100 King St location...seems to be a dead zone. People move in and in 6 months, they move out.

[DonRocks]

Dong-Hae Ba Da is open until 1 AM seven nights a week.

From what I can remember , the Una Dong ($9.95) is a large matrix of about sixteen so-so, marinated eel slices served on rice, and the Galbi Gui ($15.95) were run-of-the-mill, marinated, grilled short ribs, also served with rice.

As late-night carryout, these dishes were enjoyable and adequate, but it's going to be really hard to return here with Gooldaegee lurking down the street. However, one of the dishes is called "Sea Squirt," and I might need to order that one just for the name.

Dong-Hae Ba Da features a type of fish I'm not familiar with (loach) in several preparations - simmered, casserole, tempura, and cutlet.

And why is sushi and sashimi so expensive at Korean restaurants? The sashimi here costs $49.95 for a small, $69.95 for a medium, $89.95 for a large, and $129.95 for an extra large. I kid you not.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[alan7147]

Dong-Hae Ba Da features a type of fish I'm not familiar with (loach) in several preparations - simmered, casserole, tempura, and cutlet.

I used to have clown loaches in my fish tank. I hope that these were not what Dong-Hae was serving

[ema]

And why is sushi and sashimi so expensive at Korean restaurants? The sashimi here costs $49.95 for a small, $69.95 for a medium, $89.95 for a large, and $129.95 for an extra large. I kid you not.

We went there last night and ordered the small sashimi ($49.95). You get a big plate of sashimi along with various side dishes. There were soy beans, pancake, fried squid, raw spicy squid, seaweed salad, steamed egg, baked mussels, fried fish, fried rice, and some other stuff. Can't say anything really stand out for me, but it was more food than 2 people can manage.

Dong-Hae Ba Da features a type of fish I'm not familiar with (loach) in several preparations - simmered, casserole, tempura, and cutlet.

There are some really strange looking flat fish in the tank, but I don't think they are loach. The menu described them as strong flavored. To me this translates into "this is an acquired taste".

[DonRocks]

I tried to piece together the chronology of 6669 Little River Turnpike - there's surprisingly little information on the internet, and what's there is very inconsistent. There is also a tiny amount of information about a "Camino Boutique Lounge" that had a New Year's Party in 12/10 (which makes no sense to me, but here it is). Dates are approximate, and in some cases, educated guesses.

It would probably help to get real-estate records, as this property might be sold each time a new restaurant opens (that said, it's worth over $1 million, so perhaps not).

??/06 - 06/07 Sam-Bo (old management - thanks, Tyler Cowen)

06/07 - 07/08 Sam-Bo (new management)

08/08 - ??/09 Dong-Hae Ba Da

10/09 - 02/13 Osaka (opened by the former owner of the Springfield Osaka)

03/13 - 07/14 Gangnam Sushi House

cheezepowder, where are you when I need you?

[weezy]

Looking at the tax records, it changed hands in 1996 but no listing on the seller at that time, sold to Ho Y Um for $800K, where it went back & forth a few times in related transactions for no consideration, and then sold to Sung H Cho in 2013 for $1.1M.  For that period of time, even considering the recession, that isn't much appreciation as compared to the rest of the area.  I guess the value reflects the location-of-doom effect for restaurants.

Also in some Googling, it may have been called Sambo's back in the 2004 time frame.  I'm trying to remember what else has been in that location and I'm coming up blank.  It's never been anything that has caught my eye enough to stop in for a meal, but I always thought it would be a good location for higher end American/European cuisine, as there's little competition for that market within a 10-mile radius.

[Escoffier]

When it originally opened, it was called Kyoto and was a "Japanese" sushi restaurant.  We ate there right after it opened (more than 15 years ago so that would fit with the tax records), and it was okay but not memorable.  Since then, it's changed hands so many times that it has more fingerprints on it than the FBI has on file.

[DonRocks]

sold to Ho Y Um for $800K

Hmm, I smell the blood of an Englishman.

When it originally opened, it was called Kyoto and was a "Japanese" sushi restaurant.  We ate there right after it opened (more than 15 years ago so that would fit with the tax records), and it was okay but not memorable.  Since then, it's changed hands so many times that it has more fingerprints on it than the FBI has on file.

 

Somewhere on Tyler Cowen's blog, he mentions that this "Korean-Japanese-sushi format" is unsustainable in this location, and wonders why they keep trying it - he's right: It's not the location that's killing this place; it's the restaurants themselves.

Everyone says 5731 Lee Highway is a "location of doom," but then Asian Kitchen opened in July, 2010, and has somehow stayed the course for four full years (I would not have bet on this). Before that, it was:

07/10 - 07/14 Asian Kitchen (Still Open, Owned by Ichiban in Alexandria (I think))

10/08 - 02/10 Tap & Vine

11/07 - 08/08 Milan

??/?? - 10/07 Charley Horse Grill (Owned by the original Cowboy Cafe management)

??/?? - ??/?? Pho Vietnam 75 (I *think*)

??/?? - ??/?? Pizza Hut (It was obviously built to be a Pizza Hut, and therein lies a major problem)

The internet is a fine resource, but for researching old restaurants, things get tough before about 2007-2008.