SGD Tofu & BBQ is one of several Korean restaurants in Madison that opened around the same time, but unlike the others, it does not have all-you-can-eat/grill-your-own Korean BBQ.
Rather, it focuses on a cross-section of Korean favorites, starting with soondubu jigae, which is tofu in a savory stew. For being in the name of the restaurant, the tofu, fortunately, was outstanding, super soft but just firm enough not to fall apart in the soup.
You can get it with rice ($16.99), udon noodles ($17.99) or ramen noodles ($17.99), but I chose kalguksu noodles ($17.99), which were perfectly al dente. For my one ingredient, I picked kimchi (which tasted like plain cabbage when sitting in broth) and beef; other choices included clam, seafood, dumpling and sausage stew. The spice level ranged from plain to very spicy.
While there is no grill-your-own option, as mentioned, you can get all of the Korean BBQ items as standalone plates. These include pork belly kimchi ($25.99) and beef short ribs ($29.99). I found the chicken bulgogi ($23.99) to be tender (all thigh meat), and it absorbed the flavor of the bulgogi well. You get a major helping of this dish, and it’s one worth sharing.
If you’re hungry, then make sure to order the bento box ($19.99), which comes with SO MUCH FOOD. First, hats off to the pork bulgolgi, which you don’t often see on menus. It was tender, flavorful and a bit spicy, and you get plenty of it. Meanwhile, the accompanying japchae (glass noodles) was tasty, as were the salad, kimchi, pickled daikon, cucumbers and fish cake.
Wait, there’s more. While they weren’t listed on the menu, tempura shrimp, fried potsticker and egg roll also came with the bento box. I especially enjoyed the shrimp and could have eaten a dozen of them. The potsticker was unique in that it included glass noodles inside.
Other options for the bento box include pork cutlets ($23.95) and soybean stew ($18.95).
Those fried items also are available as appetizers. From that section, I chose (and loved) the seafood pancake ($17.95), which was loaded with baby shrimp, squid and scallions. It would have been even better with some Sriracha, but I still devoured it.
SGD Tofu & BBQ serves lunch and dinner every day except Tuesday.
