Located at:
333 S Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Date of Visit: 10/24/13
I've been going to Korean BBQ joints for a while now and when i found out that there was going to be one in Little Tokyo i was excited and scared. Excited because I love Korean BBQ. Scared because I know i will eat to oblivion. But I guess I was more on the excited part since this means i don't have to haul myself over to Koreatown for Korean BBQ as often now since this place is so much closer to me.
Even since they were open this place would be very busy. Especially during the evening hours and more so during the weekends. I find myself sometimes coming here during the "late lunch/early dinner" hours just to avoid the masses so i wouldn't have to put up with the hoards of people. Now this place is pretty huge... like... VERY HUGE. And if a place as
big as this gets packed and has a line waiting outside you know they've
got something very good to offer.
Depending on when you come here the feel may be very different. Lunching hours its rather chill. But during dinner here sometimes I feel like I'm dining in a night club. They would blast rather loud music and sometimes the people who come here would slut it up like as if they really were going to a club. Then you would get the rowdy Birthday Party crowds at some tables and if you're lucky you'd get to see the Birthday gal/guy get drenched in champagne by the servers. So if you're looking for a more quiet and chill place for Korean BBQ look elsewhere.
One thing i like about this restaurant is their versatility. Most people would think that this place only does the type Korean BBQ where they bring you plates of raw meat and you'd have to grill yourself. Which is more popular choice. But they do offer Shabu Shabu (which is more a Japanese thing but whatever), where they'd bring you a plate of veggies and thinly sliced meat. And then instead of using the grill to cook your food, they'll give you a pot of boiling broth to cook your food. Of course if you're too lazy to do any grilling and just want to order food off a menu like a standard restaurant you may opt out to do so as well. But in this instance I went for their BBQ.
They provide you with two different menus for the type of BBQ. The difference between the two is mainly the choices of meat and of course the prices. The more expensive option would of course contain the bigger selection of meats. However, both options comes with the all you can eat sides as well which you can pick our for yourself at the salad bar. And boy do they have a lot of sides. Be careful you may just fill up on sides alone!
One thing you may notice about the service here and same goes for some Korean BBQ restaurants is that you don't need to wave them down if you need something. All you have to do is push a button that is attached to the table. Which I guess could be a double edged sword. It's definitely a great thing to have since they get hit pretty hard for dinner service and the scale of the restaurant could be overwhelming. So they would not have the time to check up on you every 5 min or even see you trying to flag one of them down if you need something. So having a button would make that a bit easier. But sometimes there are those people who just can't help themselves and love pushing buttons (not metaphorically) cough just drink the wait staff crazy. *cough* not me *cough* And another bad thing would be that the wait staff may grow to be way too reliant on that button. I had a really bad experience here a why back where it was really busy and I was seated at a smaller table without a button. So throughout the whole night I was just forgotten about and it was a real hassle to just get a hold of anyone. So if you can avoid it. Try to stay away from a table that doesn't have a button. Especially on a busy night.
We usually start it off with their Brisket (left),
Angus Marinated Boneless Beef (upper right) and the Angus Marinated Sliced Beef (bottom right). That fatty slugger in bottom mid of the picture is used to grease up the grill a bit so the meats won't stick. And a fun thing to dare each other to eat during the meal. (Please don't eat it) The meats that were not marinated in anything can be rather bland. But usually the condiments on the side usually helps.
Ah the grilling process. Could be incredibly fun experience or a dreadful one. Fighting over the temperature of meat with other people in your party. Or overcooking the meat and having no one else to blame but yourself. :)
Spicy Boneless Sliced Pork (Left) and Pork Belly (Right). The spicy pork usually scares the hell out of me. Not because it's spicy but just the fact that its always red. So i usually have a harder time knowing when its ready. That pork belly is a heart stopper.
I'm still at a loss as to how to sum this place up. This place is pretty good but at the same time it feels rather impersonal at times. You don't hear or see your server unless you push the button and often times they're just a quick manic blur. I usually see this place as just a facilitator for BBQs since we're mostly we're in our own little world when we're grilling. But when you do get to see your server they're usually nice and will bring you what you ask for in a timely manner. Other than that if you're looking for a place to tickle your meat fancy in this general area this is the place to go. I'd give this place a thumbs up but usually after eating here I'm in too much of a vegetated state to do anything. So I'll just have the smoke give some thumbs up for me.
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