a feast fit for a lioness at soowon galbi korean bbq

once in a while, my inner lioness bares its teeth and i find myself craving red meat...and lots of it. this usually happens when i watch too much national geographic. when i find myself in this carnivorous situation, korean bbq is probably my most favorite way of satiating this hungry lioness. where else can you find piles and piles of savory meat grilling in front of you? and the smell...good god *wimper* it only makes my belly churn in hungry anticipation at the mere thought of it. lucky for me, soowon galbi in koreatown fitted the bill and delivered a most delicious meaty meal to my inner lioness...grrrrroowl......

i went there with another meatatarian for dinner and felt relieved that we were quickly seated with a beautiful banchan laid out for our dining pleasure. i enjoyed the variety of sides they offered, ranging from their hometown buffet-esque pasta salad to cubes of sweet korean tubers. each dish tickled a different tastebud on my tongue and left me wanting more.

we quickly ordered their soowon specialty galbi and bulgolgi to commence the carnage. their short rib was pretty unique because it's one big bone with a long strip of meat attached to it. it's presented to you in a rolled up state, but once unfurled, you will see that its length rivals gene simmon's notorious tongue. but UNLIKE gene simmon's tongue, i felt this strong, uncontrollable urge to stuff it in my mouth.

(the tender galbi was marinated to a fetching sweetness and the charcoal grill that cooked this luscious pile of meat gave it the perfect char. mmmm...dead cow).

i suggest that you dip the spanking hot galbi pieces in one of the seasoned dips provided for you. my favorite was the simple concoction of sesame oil and salt. once dipped, i placed the galbi gently on the rice wrapper (very similar to vietnamese ban cuon) and then very crudely smushed it into my mouth so that my set of pearly yellows could grind it down to a fine meaty pulp. that night, all i did was stuff face in this fashion. forget the bowl of rice. kbbq perfection for me comes in this package ONLY.

the bulgogi was also sweet, tender, and delicious though it got somewhat burnt as i neglected it in favor of the galbi. besides, i'm a lioness, not a cook.

the service was quick and attentive. the atmosphere bright and lively. the meal finally ended with a refreshing sip of barley tea. as i rubbed my belly happily, my inner lioness purred in contentment, scheming the next opportunity for another soowon carnage. ahhh, thank god for red meat :)

Soowon Galbi Korean BBQ
856 S Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 365-9292

price: $$
verdict: omg, i love it!