Thursday, April 22, 2010

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!
Soowon Galbi on Urbanspoon
Soowon Galbi Korean BBQ in Los Angeles on Fooddigger

7 comments:

  1. Rawr! How much did this cost? Was it all-you-can-eat?

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  2. What, you mean you don't want to put Gene Simmons' tongue in your mouth?! hahaha

    I like Soowon Galbi too!

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  3. I keep hearing about Soowon lately. It's a sign! I must satiate the inner lioness as well!

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  4. weezermonkey- unfortunately, it wasn't all you can eat. with tax and tip included, it was about $56. their specialty galbi is worth a try though.

    daily gluttony- man, gene simmons stuck his tongue down many mouths during his hayday...it'll be like putting a public toilet seat in your mouth. ewww :0

    marie- it's pretty good! most certainly worth driving through ktown traffic AND they valet. ;)

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  5. i love that you said "i'm a lioness, not a cook!" it made me laugh so hard!

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  6. Haven't been here in ages. I think the quality of the beef cuts have slipped (all the cuts used to be USDA Prime, not sure about now) but man, they sure get a lot of Yelp love, and they still use charcoal. Check out Chung Dam for the next meat craving though. Choice beef, big time.

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  7. you is me- happy to have been able to deliver a chuckle to you. :)

    chinese guy- they get a lot of yelp love because it's easy to order and tasty. lots of white folks going there. chung dam eh? ok.

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