Road to Seoul - Not exactly going to Seoul, but quite tasty nevertheless (Los Angeles)

Road to Seoul

As I stated in my previous post on an AYCE (all you can eat) Korean BBQ restaurant in Northern California, Korean BBQ, especially the AYCE variety is quite prevalent in Los Angeles' Koreatown, and one of my favorite is Road to Seoul.

All You Can Eat Menu ($16.99/pp)

Compared to the prices in Northern California, most of the AYCE Korean BBQ found in Los Angeles are about $16-20 per person, and it could as little as $10/person, though I question the quality of the meat served at those cheaper establishments.

Various panchan (반찬) and other side dishes served along with the BBQ

Above are the various panchan (반찬) served to our table. None of the dishes particularly stood out, though I did enjoy the potato salad as usual. Along with the panchan, we were given an order of kimchi pancake, aka pajeon (파전), and an order of steamed eggs (계란찜). The steamed eggs, gyeran jjim is always one of my favorite things to eat, which is similar to the Chinese steamed eggs I'm known to make from time to time. The big dish of vegetable is often used to combat the meat to provide more of a "refreshing" contrast.

Various Meat

Above, I could go over each variety of the meat, but I'll let the picture do the talking for me. Everyone has their favorite meat selections. Some might like the kalbi and the baby octopus, some might prefer their chicken and beef brisket. As for me, I love the beef tongue and the Road to Seoul Beef. The tongue offered here is tender and delicious. I often go through a few plates of that by myself. Along with the beef tongue, I enjoy the thin, fatty slices of the Road to Seoul beef. It's one of my favorite cuts of meat at any Korean BBQ restaurants. Delicious!

Above: Doenjang Jjigae (된장 찌개), Below: Noo reung ji (누룽지)

Upon the completion of our meal, we're presented with a pot of stew made of fermented soy beans called doenjang jigae. It might be slightly foul to some, but I usually enjoy a good pot of jjigae. Along with the pot of stew, we're also given a burnt rice soup called noo reung ji (thanks for the translation Clara). When eaten with soon du bu, it's quite nice, but I don't particularly enjoy eating noo reung ji after Korean BBQ.

At the end, Road to Seoul is one of the better AYCE option here in Los Angeles. Along with my personal favorite of Yi Ssi Hwa Ro in the Chapman plaza, Road to Seoul is a pretty safe option when one has the meat cravings. The dining room is large, and clean. The service is decent, though it's always nice to bring a Korean speaker or two. So let's hit up Road to Seoul in 2010! It's been awhile for me......

Road to Seoul
1230 S. Western Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(323) 731-9292