Kyle W.
Yelp
Out of convenience and cravings, I checked this place out for a somewhat substantial meal. This place opens at 4:30 for dinner which is pretty convenient when I am on a tight schedule later. However, food quality wasn't good unfortunately.
I got the combo with short ribs and mixed (beef + seafood) tofu soup. Short ribs are a bit on the sweeter side which is up to preference. However, I felt like I was eating cardboard - it was not tender or juicy at all. I'm not sure if they missed adding baking soda to tenderize the meat, as I wasn't able to chew off some of the meat. Also, if you see the picture, they included a burnt piece of short rib as one piece, and there weren't even that many pieces to begin with (4-5 pieces - more like 1.5 regular short rib pieces but cut into smaller chunks with not that much meat in). I'm used to short ribs where you can easily eat everything including tendon, leaving the bone behind, and it was nowhere near that. I tried and wanted to, but I was eating broken bone pieces suddenly...
The tofu soup was not too spicy (though I wasn't even asked the spiciness level). It had a little tangy aftertaste, perhaps what they used to prepare the soup base, but I wasn't a fan.
It's great they included purple rice which I like when I eat Korean food, but it was a bit too mushy, not the texture I like compared to other places.
Portions ended up being pretty small for how high the price was ($23.99 before tax and tip). I understand the rising costs and stuff but quality just isn't there to justify (see above). I wasn't even full. The saving grace were the side dishes - namely bean sprouts, potatoes, vegetable pancake, fish cake, and kimchi. I had to ask for seconds (because they're free) in order to get a remotely substantial meal.
Things of note that were pretty minor but worth calling out: the ambience is pretty bad - badly lit (not dimly lit like romantic restaurants) and the table was very sticky. I wanted to move my napkins a bit further and they just stuck onto the table.
It's so close to where I live and I like Korean tofu soup, but I'm disappointed by the experience here. I'd probably have to venture farther to satisfy my cravings adequately.