Rate-A-Restaurant, #115 in a series

Restaurant: Sohoju

Location: 104-106 Japanese Village Plaza Mall (1st and Central, Little Tokyo)

Type of restaurant: Korean fusion

We stipulated: Heading to the Japanese American National Museum for the "Hapa" exhibit, we first wanted to grab lunch in Little Tokyo. We walked around for a bit, then strolled around the Japanese Village Plaza Mall. Going purely on hunch that we'd like the place -- the decor was cool and the prices looked decent -- we headed inside.

They stipulated: The restaurant's tagline is "Healthy Nousian Style Lunch." We had no idea what they meant by "Nousian." A quick Google search turned up a 1999 Time magazine article that used the term "Nousian" as shorthand for "Nouveau Asian cooking." OK.



What we ordered: Lunch special ($8.50 each). Mike: SHJ salmon, bibimbap, shrimp tempura, soup, salad (above); Maria: bulgogi, mushroom bap, shrimp tempura, soup, salad (below).



High point: Well, besides the fact that Evan was so well behaved (which automatically means Sohoju earns a special place in our heart), we were impressed with the freshness of the food, the good prices and the amount of food you got for the price.

Low point: Not much to report -- the piece of salmon was on the small side, which made me jealous for Maria's bulgogi (which I'll get next time).

Overall impression: Quite a pleasant surprise. We had no idea Sohoju even existed; but it quickly won us over. Food and service were strong.

Chance we will go back: Absolutely, especially if Evan agrees to once again be on his best behavior.

(For a full roster of Franklin Avenue's restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.)