Dadami

An old Houston Press review brought me here. As others have noted, Dadami is a divey restaurant located in a strip mall north of Longpoint. Some of the best restaurants in K-​town have similarly unassuming exteriors, so this is nothing to worry about. Service was friendly and, in our experience, English-​speaking.
The sashimi set meal is a fun experience for adventurous eaters who don’t want to bother with a menu. We ordered the flounder sashimi for 2ppl, and within 2 minutes the food started arriving. Here’s what we got (all included in the $ 89 price):
Served immediately:
* individual servings of plain lettuce salad w/​tomato: basically a throwaway dish
* individual servings of juk (congee): 2oz portions of savory rice porridge cooked with veggies
Served next (all family style):
* Gae Jang (seasoned raw crab): Large portion of blue crab is served cut up and marinated in a spicy, garlicky gochujang sauce. Hands are the appropriate utensil as you suck the translucent, sweet crabmeat out of the shells. Nice addition to the meal.
* Tang Su Yuk (sweet & sour pork): Small portion of crispy deep fried pork in a Korean-​style sweet & sour sauce with a few pieces of onion, cucumber, and woodear mushroom. Prepared hot and fresh, this was one of the highlights of the meal (coincidentally the only dish prepared with meat).
* Ojinguh Bokkeum (stir-​fried squid): Overcooked, rubbery squid pieces in a pool of sweet and spicy sauce with glass noodles.
* Japanese-​style Hiyayakko: Basic dish of silken tofu served chilled in a dashi-​soy sauce and topped with bonito flakes. In the words of Pumba: Slimy yet Satisfying.
* Cheese corn: Bizarre plate of unseasoned hot corn mixed with white cheese/​mayo. Corn was chewy and flavorless. General waste of calories.
* Potato salad: A big scoop of potato salad in mashed form. It was seasoned well — not overboard with the mayo either — but really just another strange and unnecessary accompaniment.
* Mushrooms: Small portion of Cremini, enoki, and sliced king mushrooms coated in oil and cooked on a hot plate
Served next:
* The main event: A bountiful presentation of fresh flounder sashimi, sliced super thin and served with tangy gochujang dipping sauce. This fish is incredibly chewy and mostly flavorless, so it is basically a vehicle for whatever you dip it in. Also served with lettuce, raw garlic/​jalapeño, and ssamjang for lettuce wraps.
Served next:
* Tempura goguma (sweet potato) and squid: Enjoyed a few pieces of light and crispy tempura-​battered sweet potato served with dipping sauce. The squid was way too rubbery to work in this preparation.
Served last:
* Rice
* Classic kimchi and gakdugi (radish kimchi): Theirs is quite good
* Maeuntang (Spicy fish soup): Using the bones from your flounder, a barebones version of this classic Korean soup is simmered up with a few pieces of tofu and zucchini. It’s not great but will satisfy a craving.
Final impression: What Dadami offers in quantity and variety, it unfortunately doesn’t live up to in quality. Check it out for the novelty, but temper your expectations.

Love, love, love! To die for. Was craving it for days… The food is GREAT; the environment not so much. Our waiter was so fun, but the owner has a strict noise level policy which I don’t blame her because of the tight seating. It kinda feels like you’re sitting in a cubicle. I will return a million times though and will try my best to be on my best behavior!

I really wanted to love this place, especially after reading all the rave reviews on Unilocal.We came anticipating the fresh flounder, uni (sea urchin), and mixed egg fried rice.
The sashimi was fresh and came out in a beautifully garnished platter. They get two thumbs for that!
Now, on to the two biggest disappointments of the night. The sea urchin tray looked oddly familiar to the ones that are sold at the Korean grocery store for less than ten dollars. Uni pieces were small and did not appear fresh. This was upsetting because I was hoping for so much more. The mixed egg fried rice looked appetizing upon arriving to the table, but it was painfully bland. We had to add soy sauce to make it more flavorful.
The service was friendly and attentive, so they do get credit for that. Will I be returning? Probably not.

A great place for a late lunch! The (seafood noodle stew) and the (marinated raw crab) and (soybean paste stew) was what we had. The portion size was way too much (and I’m not complaining), especially the seafood stew!! And it was so so spicy. The marinated crab was absolutely superb, marinated to perfection. The price of the two entrees = $ 27 so. $ 12-​$ 14 each)
I went in a second time and ordered the same thing. the crab wasn’t as fresh. also order don kka sse, which is flattened fried pork. it was okay

Came here to try the flounder sashimi and was not disappointed. The flounder was very fresh and extremely tasty– eat it with the sauce provided and wrap it in the lettuce. Delicious! Shared the medium meal ($ 125) with 2 others and there was plenty of food. Could definitely split this between 4 – 5 people. The side dishes were extremely authentic and tasty; there were a few that I had never even seen before. The raw crab was definitely unusual. The kimchi fried rice was my favorite. Lots of dishes are spicy– keep this in mind if you can’t handle heat! Would return for the flounder sashimi.

I love the flounder! I ate here twice already and both time I love it! I have gotten both the medium and small mixed sashimi portion. Medium is definitely cut for more 3 – 4 people serving. I was rather disappointed that they don’t serve love octopus anymore. I was looking forward to that. Also the service is a hit or miss. I had to remind the server to bring our the rice soup that is included (he didn’t even know I was suppose to get it). Then he wouldn’t refill our water cups. I mean if I’m spending at least $ 100 tab you would think refilling water shouldn’t be an issue.

The jajin temperature was just luke warm. My wife ordered jambong. That meal was very good. I wanted ice tea but they don’t offer ice tea.

Great food and great experience. I believe it was like a 7-​course meal that the 7 of us shared consisting of Korean food and sushi. Service was good, just have to ask for stuff. Too bad uni was not fresh, the color was way off. Outside lot and building exterior looked shady, and inside the tables are set up like private rooms.

Where do I start with this place? This place is really good for sashimi lovers. A lot of people come here for fresh sashimi.
Sashimi platter (⁵⁄₅): I did not try the sashimi but I love the side dishes that come with the platter. When I say side dishes these sides are really good for the amount you are paying. You get a whole platter of sashimi thinly sliced and placed on a mountain of white radish. The side dishes: Salad, Porridge, Fried pork in sweet sour sauce (tang-​soo-​yook), Potato salad, Fish, Cheese corn, Kimchi, Battered and fried potato and squid, Mushrooms on a skillet, Marinated spicy raw crab, Tofu in soy topped with green onions, and spicy fish soup (meh-​woon-​tang).
Spicy squid stir fry with clear noodles (⁵⁄₅): Nicely cooked and grilled on the skillet. The spicy squid would be enjoyable to those who likes squid. I really like the spicy clear noodles.
Bibim naengmyun (⁴⁄₅): I say this place gives you a lot of noodles for the price. Most Korean noodle houses don’t give you this much so I was surprised. I was a little bummed that they didn’t give me a small cup of soup base (yook-​soo) for my noodles. They gave me a small cup of hot soup but it was good so no complaint there.
New menu Fire spicy jjambong & Fire spicy jjajang myun (⁴⁄₅)
Fire jambong & Fire jjajangmyun are both good but REALLY spicy. It was so spicy that my stomach was upset all day. They warn you that it’s really spicy! So try these dishes at your own risk.
Overall, I would definitely come again and enjoy dinner with a group of friends!

Sashimi was money, especially the fresh olive flounder flown in from treasure island in South Korea. You can see them live in the tanks and one flounder stared at me like
Whoahhhh.

First time here. Food was great. My boyfriend and I got the two people mix platter. There was so much food but we managed to finish about ¾ of it. The sashimi was okay, nothing to get excited about. Their side dishes were pretty good, especially the grilled corn (?). We also ordered the spicy rice cake which was amazing! The ambiance is nice, very quiet and private. At the time we are the only guest here so I can’t judge the service. One of my favorite authentic Korean restaurants.

Flounder Sashimi /​= Excellent
Live Octopus = Excellent
Vegetable Pancake = Average
Sushi Roll = Average

You must speak Korean to read the menu. The waiter was not helpful at all in advising us. The lunch «special» for 2 was $ 99.
Three strikes and you’re out, Dadami. Will not return.

There is something too good to be true with this place!!!
Since most of the reviews complained bout the frozen salmon or tuna, We decided to go with the fresh flounder sashimi for 2 people and were extremely satisfied with either the fish or the side dishes, especially the marinated crab!!!

Came here with friends for the $$$ platter. The fish was fresh & the service was great. I wasn’t worried about parking my car either. This place draws people from all over. I highly recommend it.
Yum!!! 8)

Note to self: Coming here on a diet was a bad idea! Visited this place and got the small sashimi platter and an order of live octopus! The octopus was… well…more on that later.
The little dishes that came out was like a gift that kept on giving. First there was salad, then fried pork in sweet and spicy sauce, seafood pancake, tofu, corn, squid, tempura… the rest was a blur. There was soup and rice in there somewhere, too. Wow, one could get full here from just the sides!
We had gotten a tip from the waiter that fresh fish comes in on Fridays so we got the best of whatever had come in since we came in on a Friday night. Or at least that’s what we were told. ;)
The sashimi platter was huge and beautifully plated. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any uni in the platter, but there was the standard tuna and salmon with some weird things thrown in the mix like sea cucumber and sea squirt… yuck! Wasn’t a fan of the more adventurous items. There was also plenty of flounder which I had read great things about. However, I don’t get what all the fuss was about! The flounder had a texture that I didn’t care for. I’m not sure why it is so popular, but maybe we caught it on a bad night? Who knows!
Amongst the never ending side dishes, we received (drumroll, please) the live octopus! We thought we’d be receiving a whole octopus, but in reality, the dish was a bunch of tentacles swimming in sesame oil. After watching bf voraciously chewing on these small tentacles, I suddenly lost my courage and it took some convincing to get me to try some of these tiny delicacies. When I finally had some, it was an interesting experience to say the least. My only advice to you is to chew, chew, chew! The octopus tentacles will suck your mouth insides while you’re trying to get these things down and it’s pretty scary! I wish there was a classier way to word this experience, but «suck» and «chew» are the only words that come to mind.
Even though I don’t know if I’d order the octopus again, I’m glad I tried it! All in all, I’d probably visit this place again because the sashimi was really fresh and it’s a pretty good deal given the numerous sides you receive!

A few things to know before you go.
1. Like any authentic, ethnic restaurant, it always helps to have a friend in the group that speaks the language. In this case, grab your favorite Korean-​speaking buddy to help guide you through the menu. Thanks, Dave L!
2. Arrive hungry.
3. Order small! Our party of four ordered the Medium sashimi platter which also comes with a FEAST of appetizers, sides, soup, salad, rice. We still had half of the sashimi platter left over along with many sides.
4. It really isn’t *that* expensive to have the $$$$ Unilocal dollar signs. It was $ 45 a person (with tip) for aaaaallll that food, plus we ordered two bottles of soju and about six beers.
I’ve had Dadami bookmarked on Unilocal for years, ever since I read the phrase «Korean sushi,» which is all sashimi. I’m all about that, so this was perfect. Course after course, the food was coming out fast, and each dish better than the next. It was an amazing culinary experience, especially to share with my friend Dave L who was so impressed by the authenticity of the food — some dishes he hadn’t had in years and was even sending pics to his sister who’s stuck living in Ohio.
And the music was even top notch. Apparently, Korean pop music is the in-​thing, and I was able to Shazam some good tunes.
The only few downsides to my experience was the frozen tuna on the salad appetizer and on the sashimi platter. It was the only fish that undoubtedly was frozen. Also, even though the server was friendly and super efficient, I didn’t care for her effort to seriously up-​sell our Medium order to a Deluxe. There were four famished peeps in our group, and we didn’t even put a dent in that sashimi platter. We probably would have managed fine with the Small — but the Deluxe? Out of the question.

Come with more than 2 people. we got the «small» sashimi platter and were defeated. so full. Diane Y. was right on saying that the small platter is more suitable for 3 people.
And a korean person. the waitress tried to explain things to us. we kind of pretended like we understood what she was saying, but honestly didn’t know what we ordered until everything came out. it wasn’t until i went back to read some reviews and saw that you can choose which entrees come out with the sashimi. i think she just chose for us.
Also, I love white fish sashimi (it’s way more popular in asia (and worth more) than your typical salmon/​tuna here in the states). However, the more adventurous stuff like sea squirt and sea cucumber were a little over-​whelming and… fishy haha. It’s kind of creepy when you’re eating something and have no idea what it is… but have to keep on chewing because it’s so freaking chewy! If you like to play it safe — stick with just the flounder and salmon.
Resist! don’t fill up on the banchan (³⁄₅) that comes out first.

One of the best meals I’ve had in Houston and that’s saying a lot for a girl who frequents china town weekly. The sashimi is fresh and the small dishes are all good. If you get the live flounder a soup comes out after you have devoured your sashimi. A small platter which is $ 80 can easily feed 2 couples. Totally worth the money. Btw the soju (alcohol) is very strong like shots and expensive at 12.99 a bottle.

5 stars for the amount of foods we were provided, for just $ 65 that we paid for a 2-​ppl platter! (Please see pictures) Listed as follows are the food items included in our meal (more than enough for 3 ppl)…
Congee (porridge)
Sashimi salad
Tofu
Seafood Pancakes
Edamame
Sweet & Sour Chicken/​Pork
Spicy crab (raw & cold)
Potato salad
Fried fish
Grilled squid
Creamed corn
Grilled mushrooms (multiple kinds)
Shrimp & Veggie Tempura
Sashimi platter
Kimchi fried rice
Spicy fish & dumpling soup
Corn tea
Everything was yummy, and the spicy crab was pretty interesting to me as i had never had raw crab! What i liked BEST were the congee (porridge, or whatsoever you would call it), seafood pancakes, sweet & sour chicken/​pork (there were too much foods that i was not even sure exactly what i was eating!), grilled squid, the Tempura, and the potato salad as well! The sashimi platter was huge and came with various kinds of fresh fish and abalone! The only not-​too-​good thing about this Korean/​Japanese feast, only if I had to be so picky, was that the salmon on the sashimi platter was still a tad frozen when served (oh well, i didnt care much ’bout that actually). Service was great even though the servers did not speak English fluently; they were friendly and attentive enough that I had nothing to complain about!
My boyfriend and I could not finish everything so we took home some leftovers, and i tell you what, there’s no way in the world two people with regular-​sized stomachs can finish it! This place makes your money worth! I would recommend all fans of Korean cuisine to go try it!