TUKWILA, Wash. — In a single stop at Westfield Southcenter Mall in South Seattle you can have a Japanese, Chinese or Korean culinary adventure.
"We opened up our new restaurant row,” said Navdeep Singh, general manager of Westfield Southcenter. “We have these three incredible restaurants, Marugame Udon, Gen Korean BBQ and Mr. Dimsum."
At Marugame Udon, the first thing you see when you walk in is noodles being hand-made.
And the first thing you hear is the crew shouting a hearty greeting – it’s is a tradition at this wildly popular udon and tempura chain from Japan that features a theater-style kitchen.
This is Washington's first location, and it's a colorful place to enjoy a steaming bowl of Japanese comfort food.
Just steps away is a bustling restaurant with pumping music and colorful accent lights between the booths. It might feel like a nightclub - but you're the DJ at Seattle's first Gen Korean BBQ house.
At every booth, a grill where you cook your own premium meat — like wagyu beef or long-bone short rib.
Korean side dishes, banchan, come with every cook at your table adventure. Colorful cocktails keep the nightclub vibe strong. The sound of sizzling meat is the most popular tune here.
Locally owned Mr. Dim Sum serves their Guangdong style dumplings and small plates into the evening – unusual for a dim sum place, but perfect for what this fare is meant to do.
Dim sum is a place you [can] chill with your friends and family. So, you're going to relax here, enjoy your tea and chit chat with your friends,” said Sarah Wang, COO of the restaurant.
The dumplings and shumai here are handmade every morning and bigger than you'll find at other places. Don't sleep on the purple potato balls with golden custard – they'll add drama to your dim sum when you tear the crispy lavender orbs apart to reveal the yellow custard inside.
They’re just one of the many new tastes here, proving mall food isn't what it used to be.
"The Seattle Southside area and especially Tukwila is a very diverse and vibrant population. And you can see in our customer base that diversity is reflected, and it’s reflected in our food offerings as well,” Singh said.
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