24 hour Korean BBQ?!!!! The answer to my prayers
Tuesday, November 29, 2005 0:06So upon hearing about an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ, my girlfriend and I ventured out to Koreatown in search of this enticing place. However, much to my dismay, there was an hour and a half wait. With the both of us already dying of hunger, we decided to forego stuffing ourselves with beef and search for another place to keep us conscious.
Luckily, as I was driving up Western Ave. I spied BCD Tofu House. I had heard rave reviews about this place from my sister and her friends so I decided to give it a try. From the outside, it looks like a generic Asian quick-eats place. It was even complete with one of those take-a-number dispensers, which was used to determine the order of seating.
We waited for about 5 minutes and were given a table. The first thing I noticed was that instead of plastic or wooden chopsticks, we were given metal chopsticks, which was definitely a first for me. Things were looking good.
The menu itself is pretty simple, with a section for tofu, combinations, and meat dishes. Most of the dishes are priced around the $10-15 range. Being extremely hungry, I opted for the bulgogi combination with the assumption that it would be the most food as well as the most varied. My girlfriend got the kalbi combination.
First came out a bunch of appetizer dishes. There was kimchi (spicy, but not too), lettuce with a vinegar type dressing, pieces of potato soaked in a spicy and sweet sauce, pickles, and finally a whole fried fish. My favorite would have to be the fish, since I’m a seafood person. While it wasn’t freshly fried, there’s something about room temperature fried salty fish that appeals to the Asian in me. You’ll need to be careful if you’re not used to eating a whole fish since there are bones to worry about.
After these dishes came the main parts of the meal, which were a stone pot of rice, a stone pot of tofu in a prawn-based soup, and our orders of beef on hot stone plates. My bulgogi was very tasty though a little tough for my taste. I prefer my meat medium rare but other than that, it was good. It came with grilled peppers and green onions, which provided for excellent sides.
I must admit that I should have ordered the kalbi. The bulgogi paled in comparison in all aspects. The kalbi was juicier, tastier, and more tender. Additionally, it came on a bed of white onions, which were slowly grilling underneath, which accentuated the flavor of the ribs.
The soon tofu provided a great complement to the beef. While the beef is somewhat sweet, the tofu soup is spicy. I ordered it medium and found the level of spice to be perfect. You also get a raw egg that you cook in the soup, which provides for a slightly different consistency.
Overall, considering that BCD was my back-up plan for dinner, I was very pleased. The food was great and came out quickly. The service was a sub-par, but considering that there were only a couple servers for the entire place, it was understandable. The nice thing is that they have locations all over LA county. But the clincher for me is that BCD is open 24 hours (at least at certain locations, check the website). Thus, if you ever have the late-night munchies and don’t feel like scarfing down greasy or heavy food, consider this place if you’re nearby.
By Jeff (see more of his posts).
Kristy says:
November 29th, 2005 at 1:01 am
Mmm…I went here several months ago and had the bulgogi combo and loved it! Absolutely delicious! Although the soon dofu I had was a bit on the spicier side than what I’d probably prefer. Still, great late night eats for sure! =)
Dylan says:
November 29th, 2005 at 1:42 am
oh nice. i had no idea BCD was 24 hours. i was getting really tired of the 24-hour Hodori on olympic/vermont, the choice for many koreatown-goers. i went back a couple of years ago to BCD and found it to be good. not a breakthrough soon doo boo place, but definitely popular in LA. I think the ones that have opened up in the SGV are pretty good themselves. There’s Min Dong and Young Dong on Las Tunas Drive in San Gabriel. Same combos for $13.77.
eecue says:
November 29th, 2005 at 2:37 am
the metal chopsticks are a pretty common korean thing, I recall my best friend in grade school always had metal chopsticks at his house. also you don’t have to worry about the bones in the fish as they are pretty soft… i usually eat the whole thing, head and all except the grit stone in the head is pretty nasty. the best part are the kimchee clams!
Zteve says:
November 29th, 2005 at 7:33 pm
An interesting note about metal chopsticks, which are standard in Korea. It is called the Chopstick Theory of Scientific Supremacy among Korean geneticists, scientific community, and specifically Hwang Woo-suk, heralded as the greatest microgeneticist in Korea. The idea is predicated on the belief that Korea dominates the world in genetic manipulation because of the agility built up using metal chopsticks instead of other materials. The metal is harder to work with than other materials like wood or plastic, so tactile accuracy is believed to be greater than that of other cultures.
madcao says:
December 3rd, 2005 at 5:57 pm
check out hodori at olympic/vermont — that’s the best place for 24hr korean!
presodent says:
December 9th, 2005 at 10:15 am
BCD is great, if by chance you go there and they are ‘closed’ for cleaning, there is another 24hour location nearby on Western goin towards the 10fwy. By the way, what is the name and where is that Korean All-You-Can-Eat you mentioned?
Jeff says:
December 9th, 2005 at 10:24 am
I believe there’s one called Manna. It’s on Olympic just west of Western. More or less across the street from Chosun Galbi.
jesstifer says:
January 17th, 2006 at 3:54 pm
BCD’s my second-favorite tofu house. Beverly Soon Tofu is, IMHO, superior for two reasons: 1. They make a grilled squid as one of their combo items that’s out of this world and 2. They have a liquor license for soju, which BCD lacks, despite the soju ads on the wall. If you’re curious, there’s a review of Beverly Soon on my own blog
Tina says:
April 25th, 2006 at 10:00 am
I might only eat there if I was starving at 3am. Otherwise it’s always a no go for me. Their tofu is tasteless and chunky (instead of smooth). I don’t remember much about their side dishes–probably because they weren’t anything special. I’ve been there two or three times and each time I was dissapointed (It’s a chain and they’re pretty much all the same. I’ve been to the one you’re talking about once.)–at least it’s cheap, I guess.
Ed says:
August 30th, 2006 at 7:44 pm
BCD is the BOMB! The soon-do-bu (Korean for “tofu soup”) is the best that I’ve ever had. It’s especially delicious late at night (24 hours is key!) or early in the morning. I hear it has over 10 chain locations in the LA area. Whenever my friends come visit me, the first place they want to go to is BCD. No wonder they are one of the most successful Korean restaurant in LA! I’ve been meaning to check out their new locations in Torrance and Cerritos…
Tastymealsathome says:
May 25th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
The BCD Tofu house on wilshire blvd. is much better than the western one, although both are the same restaurant… different staff