Kbbq part dool: Korea House

Along came the rain and brought a damn cold. My body is killing me. Still...the fun had over the weekend was worth the pain. Hope no one else is sick. Now, take a seat next to this warm crackling fire I just started, and let's get on to business shall we?

From what I heard, this place had a fire and had to reopen. I've been here twice, and the place was poppin both times. It is an AYCE place, and you choose between different dinners or lunches, which basically goes the more you pay, the more selection of meats you get. Sorry no picture of the menu, but I think the cost was under $20/person.

What you'll need for some Korean bbq...


Greens. The dressing was average. Nothing special or bad about it. Just something I like to have when eating meat.


Sliced garlic, dwenjang, and some dduk bo ssam (top). I always like to ask for more garlic. Grilling it is delicious, and it doesn't smell as much. I love ssam/rice paper. Maybe because it's a chewy medium to hold together your meat, grilled garlic and salad with some sambal sauce so you can stuff everything in your mouth or maybe it's a substitute for rice, I don't know. But I love it!


Sesame oil liberally sprinkled with salt and pepper to serve as a dip (particularly for the unmarinated meats) and some sambal sauce for a kick.

And you're all set. Of course, some sides would liven up the meal too...


Banchan (side dishes) was a simple selection. On the bottom, some kelp mixed with some salt and oil.


From top left and going clockwise: cucumber kimchi, soy bean sprouts, fish cakes with krab, grated horseradish mixed in some vinegar, kimchi. Banchan was okay...nothing special. Cucumber kimchi was the best. The kimchi was too salty...perhaps as a strategy to have customers drink more water. I like to grill the kimchi.


Along with the meal, you also get some geh lan jjeem (steamed egg) and dwenjang jjigae (soy bean paste stew) in the background. These were okay, and if you like them, you can ask for more...I believe they only come with certain combos.

Onto the meat...


There were about 10 things from the menu we could choose. Here we have the galbi (short ribs), the meat to the right I forget what cut..., some tongue, and shrimp. The galbi was a little to sweet for me. The shrimp had also been in a similar marinade, but with a lot more garlic. The quality of the meat was okay, but if you're paying for all you can eat under $20, you can't have high expectations.


Pork belly on top left, with some more shrimp and tongue.


Closer picture of the shrimp cooking alongside some garlic.


First place I've seen where they offer a whole steak as part of the menu...GODDAMN. Also some chadol trying to hopelessly surround the steak(thinly sliced beef brisket). The steak quality wasn't very good though. I wouldn't get it the next time around.

Service notes: No friendly Korean mamas here. You cook and cut everything yourself, which I don't really mind...I think it makes eating more fun, as long as everyone takes turns haha. Service was good, although it did lag sometimes, which was understandable, given that the restaurant was packed. On the second visit, the service was a little bit more attentive because we came early to avoid the dinner rush. You have a little "bell" on your table that you can ring to let the waitresses know that you want something. Or trying to flag them down in the midst of the chaos works sometimes too. Don't forget to ask them to change that grill every once in a while.

I'd come here again. Sure the quality isn't as great as Ong Ga Nae nor the banchan as extensive, but you do get variety for about $18 to $22, and you'll come out stuffed, believe me. They do have lunch specials as well, which I think was around $12. There also are other AYCE places around the area, and I've been to a few. None of them really stand out to me, but my friends like this place for AYCE, and it does seem rather popular with the Rowlies.


18751 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Ending note: Parking can be tough here...small lot that insufficiently tries to accommodate a bunch of businesses, so be ready to circle aimlessly around for a while during the peak hours.