Seongbukdong

Korean Comfort Food at its best.

This place is a find. This is probably one of the better Korean meals, I have had in awhile. Seongbukdong is known for having excellent Korean comfort food. Perhaps known for the simplicity of the dishes, they make them very well. These dishes - the Galbi Jjim(braised short ribs), Kimchi Chigae(stewed kimchi), Braised Mackerel(sorry, forgot the Korean name), and Galbi Tang(short rib in soup) are the headliners at Seongbukdong.

But the Galbi Jjim is what will keep you begging for more. Large enough for two people, the beef is braised so long that the meat literally falls off the bone effortlessly. The sauce is not too thick nor to condensed in flavor which makes it go well with steamed white rice. They also off a soft of fried rice with bean sprouts, kinda like a Bibim-bap, but we didn't order that. The beef cut with scissors in larger than bite size chucks was quickly gobbled up by our party of 5. As I scanned the dining room, with less than 9 tables, I saw almost everyone had the familiar over-sized white bowl of goodness.

It seems Seongbukdong attracts both young and older Koreans with comfort food, just as do Americans like mac'n cheese and fried chicken. in my humble opinion, the Galbi Tang - the short rib in soup was the 2nd best dish on our table. With the same meat, this hearty soup with glass noodles, was served in its milky white broth. You can tell it has been cooking for a long time since the bone marrow is starting to breakdown to give this milky white color.

The braised mackerel and the kimchi chigae were also exceptional as well. Not all too spicy, yet with the right amount of kick, these two dishes, along with the other two, was enough for the 5 of us. The mackerel with the large fish chunks and the kimchi chigae, though had similar flavoring with the broiled kimchi, which was my only issue.


What to Order: Galbi Jjim(braised short ribs), Kimchi Chigae(stewed kimchi), Braised Mackerel(sorry, forgot the Korean name), and Galbi Tang(short rib in soup)
What not to Order: Personally, I don't think I would order the Braised Mackerel again.

Parking situation: Small lot with $2 charge. I'd look for street parking. And make sure you get there early, this small place fills up fast.

Rating
3 pigs, $$

Seongbukdong
3303 W 6th St
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 738-8977

Galbi Tang, the short rib soup. Very good. Though I might have it with a little kimchi.

Galbi Jjim, braised beef short ribs. As I think about this, my mouth waters . . .

The braised mackerel.

Kimchi chigae

Ban chan. The steamed egg as good.

Unfortunately, this is not a place to go without a local guide (a Korean)

With the 4 dishes and no alcohol, our bill was $15 per person in a group of 5.

After dinner we stopped over at Pink Berry, which is right across the street.

I am not a big fan of pink berry or any of these yogurt places.

They said the captain crunch toppings are pretty good.