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If heaven had every possible type of banchan, it would be called Tofu Village. They have ridiculous amounts of banchan here! Everything you can think of, they have. The only downside is that the portions are small, but, they will refill them quickly upon request!
I've been to a few Tofu Soup places in Los Angeles, and back in my hometown, Rowland Heights, but I love finding new gems. I ordered the Oyster Tofu Soup and waited patiently while munching on the banchan.
There are different options for rice--which is awesome! I chose the grainy / healthy purple rice, it was soo delicious. The oysters in the tofu soup were significantly smaller than the ones at Tofuya, but the soup itself was much better than that of Tofuya.
I also enjoyed the rice that's left over in the stone pot. If you don't like it, you must be crazy! I will eat your stone pot watery rice stuff if you don't!
Oooooh, they have this fun button on your table. If you push it, the waiter comes over, or at least should. Once you push the button, your number lights up on this board at the back of the restaurant. The servers then go to the numbered table to see what it is that you want. Our number was up there for so long it disappeared, so we ended up pushing the number about 3 times before we got service. I would say it was in part due to it being busy in there, but there was only one other party in the restaurant at the time.
As for parking, I didn't try in the lot next to the restaurant because I believe you have to valet. Instead, I parked on Wilshire at a meter. However, since it's located so close to the Wiltern, if there is a show going on there, it would be nearly impossible to find parking. I would suggest planning your Tofu Village trip around the Wiltern shows.
I would love love love to go back here, but I heard it's closed?! =(
this place closed down :(
I loveddd it.
It's called TOFU VILLAGE. You should go for the tofu... the other stuff, probably not as wonderful as the tofu, because if it was, it'd probably be named something else then.
Sad though, it was delicious, great side dishes and cheap food.
Any leads on another like it?
wonderful food and service!
My room mate and I went to this place, after studying all day at the…
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Banchan galore.
If there's one thing I've learned while dining with Korean friends is never mention the dreaded "H" word. No, not hermaphrodite...but Hodori. The equivalent of Denny's in the Korean eats world. While my first experience with traditional Korean food was at the aforementioned Hodori, I've since been learned by some very well meaning Korean folk.
So, my first legitimate Korean eats experience was here at Tofu Village. Delicious. Scrumptious. Tasty. Satisfying. The list of adjectives is myriad. From the tasty plates of various and traditional banchan to the bowl of noodles and side of green rice I ordered, it was all phenomenal. Everyone in my group seemed to be satisfied as a gastric inspired silence overcame the table when our main dishes were delivered.
The restaurant itself, was clean, modern and inviting. We went there on an early Friday evening and found the restaurant for the most part empty. Seating was comfortable, service was out of this world and prices were more than decent. At the end of the meal, I was almost embarrassed to admit that my first Korean food experience was at Hodori. I know better now.
Don't make the mistake I made and give Tofu Village a try.
I disagree with most of the reviews here. I may have to go here for a follow up, but i highly doubt i will.
I got the combo with beef tofu and bulgolgi. Typically some of the safest bets when it comes to Korean food. The bulgolgi was really overcooked and lacked in a lot of flavor. It was surprising that i think i've had better bulgolgi @ AYCE places. That wasn't the killer of the meal though, their soontofu was some of the worst i've ever had. It literally tasted like tasteless tofu. The soup tasted like water. The tofu tasted like water. The beef tasted like water. How they are even able to pull off a feat like this is almost mind boggling.
The atmosphere is clean though and the panchan is some of the best i've had. It's too bad their entrees are not good.
This specific Tofu village shouldn't be named Tofu Village. It's hard to screw up tofu and most places have varying levels of quality that fall within a narrow bell curve of general excellence. It's like burgers. There will definitely be outliers but in general it's hard to screw it up. That being said, the panchan (especially the presentation and variety), the service, the free ice cream and all of that is great.
Where this place REALLY shines is the absolute divine quality of the UNmarinated galbi (rib meat). It gives places far more expensive like Park's BBQ a run for it's money. It has good beefy flavor rivaling expensive steak houses. You should NOT eat this with anything else asides from the sea salt they give you if you are a beef connoisseur and you want to taste the awesomeness. Marinated meat is hard to screw up, and therefore common, but unmarinated meat that's this consistently good is rare due to all the procurement and logistics behind it.
The marblelization of the fat is finely delicate-- impossibly thin, like snowflakes on an airplane window-- lines of spiderweb like tendrils ensuring soft, decadent mouthfeel.
The actual beefy taste, and all that are impeccably good. I can't really say enough about how consistently good the quality of the meat is. I've been going here for almost 2 years and we've tried numerous things.
The chadulbaegi (brisket) is pretty good, and every now and then if you ask the waitress, she might recommend the pork belly-- if she does recommend it, get it, because it's very very good.
The mul-nang-myun frankly is inferior, but a lot of the side dishes are good. I almost never order rice here, always preferring loose leaf to wrap my food in, but I've tried all the different ones and they are pretty good.
Oh yeah, here is a picture of the meat. It's not the best picture, since it was an "off" day, but it's still amazing. When it's a great day the marbling looks like when an Olson Twin sneezes during a drug fest. Achooo. Pooof.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Oh yeah, free indoor garage parking is available on the west side of the block the restaurant is located. Just tell the guy "Tofu Village", and he'll let you in. Don't take a ticket! Just say Tofu Village. You'll save money.
Before coming here, I would only know Korean BBQ as an AYCE kind of thing. Coming here was only credit to my friend who introduced me to this place. If you haven't been here, walking into the place, you would think it's only a tofu place and nothing to cook on a grill because the front of the place, there aren't any grills. If you didn't know to ask, you wouldn't think in the back half of the restaurant that there are grills for you to cook on. I had promised not to write about my friend's secret locations but now that my friend does have a review, I felt that it's about time to write this review.
Sometimes it seems like you have to pull teeth to get service here and sometimes you feel guilty for asking. They do get what you ask for and you tell that there is a reason for coming here. It does not matter what kind of meat you ask for, it taste like it's top shelf even if it's not. The thick meat taste so good, you wouldn't even miss the marinade some other places have to entice you with. The first time I came here with my friend, no one could picture how much I was able to put away. If I remember correctly, I believe the 3 of us spent close to $120 with only 1 soju bottle ordered. Maybe 2 but that's it.
Just for the quality of meat, the great service I see our table receive, I would come back here in a heartbeat. It just wouldn't be worth my while to come here by myself. You have to come into this place with a few people or a group to enjoy a variety of meats. The variety of banchan is amazing but my ultimate favorite is the seasoned blue crab. The spice and seasoning is what I look for in each place I go to. Only this place and one other which is a noodle house that would satisfy my taste buds with this blue crab taste.
Like I say at the end of must of my Korean BBQ reviews, you must let me know when you come here. I will be furious if you came here without me.
Came here to celebrate me and my friend's bday for a group of 9. The first time I don't really remember my experience, but after a 2nd time, I can remember why it was a positive one.
We made reservations at 8:45pm on a Saturday. I don't know if it's the economy or what, but it was COMPLETELY empty!! We got seated at a booth with a wall that blocked out the entire restaurant, so it felt like we got a private room. We had 2 ladies serve us, and they were SUPER cute and really funny! They understood english and came by frequently to ask us if we had everything we wanted.
There were TONS of side dishes, and I LOVE variety! We got anchovies, asian pancakes, tofu, kimchi, cucumber kimchi, potato kimchi, glass noodles, egg salad, broccoli, salad, seaweed, mini crab, rice paper, etc. etc. It was endless and they were constantly refilling our sides.
We ordered combo #2 ($60, and includes a bottle of hite or saki) plus an extra order of marinated beef ribs. It was good enough for all of us to be full, but not super full. The marinated beef ribs were my favorite because they were so flavorful and juicy with each bite. Also, the servers came by to cook our meat for us! The grill wasn't yucky after grilling the meat though, which is usually the case for most korean bbq joints.
My friends had brought cake, and one of the servers even sang along with us, which I thought was really cool. They had already cleaned up the entire restaurant, but didn't ask us to leave or even rush us. Double plus! They also gave us a coupon for a free seafood pancake because it was our birthday! SUH-WEET!!
I'm not sure how much the bill was since my friends paid for my friend and I, but I would come back for the meat and the service. The place was super clean and ambiance was nice. However, I think if I paid for myself, I would rather go to an all you can eat BBQ place because I am a fatty at heart!!
Last time, I remember thinking, hey this is just ok and didn't really stick out as a favorite place to go for soon dubu. And why on earth would I come back when there are probably hundreds of soon dubu places around? Well. My roommate says the pan chans reminds him of his mothers panchan. So, you can't say no to mother.
The appetizers were great, same as the last time I reviewed. The 4 hungry hippos got 3 rounds of refills on those dishes until our food arrived. And it's not like it took long for the food to come out. We just inhale fast--to be fair, it was a table of men, and I pretty much eat like a man too.
My roommate likes to flirt with the older ladies, so he always gets us free dishes. So, I found out you should definitely order and try the tofu pancake thingy, if you get the chance. It's lightly fried, and has a bunch of delicious crisp flavor. Even if you don't really like tofu, give it a chance.
Soon, my crab soon dubu came, and it was totally one of those born again moments, where you see the light. It was GLORIOUS. I'm not sure what they did to it, but it definitely tastes better this time. Maybe the pot got older or the lady figured out some crazy concoction of crack. (I'm not sure why I always refer to my favorite food as crack infused... hmmm) I almost succeeded in annihilating my food, but alas, this time the food won. I left rolling out, as usual.
4 stars, no rounding up this time.
TWELVE , you can't even count that on your fingers, TWELVE types of side dishes bliss. There was… Read more »
My friends and I, we admit it, we messed up.
Roadtripped to LA for Korean BBQ, and the place we picked said it offered lunch and dinner service, but it turned out lunch service was only on weekdays. This after going through LA traffic one of us described as "fucknuts."
A nearby bakery pointed us across the street to Tofu Village. We were deeply suspicious. Tofu did NOT sound like Korean BBQ. Furthermore, there was only one diner in there, amongst a vast number of empty tables. But what the hell, we resigned ourselves to fate.
Whoa! So good! We ordered the $79.99 combination bbq and a bowl of tofu and blue crab soup, hoping it might feed five, with the option to order more food as needed. It wasn't needed, not when a virtual plethora of banchan arrived and completely obscured the tabletop. Then the grill sizzled up piles of meat, mushrooms and onion. Then I hit the soju. And hit the soju. And hit the soju one more time.
The soup is brought in the claypot, boiling mad and throwing up billows of steam. It came with a choice of white, black or green rice. We opted for green. Yum!
I do believe at one point I was double-fisting my food, sucking on crab legs with one hand, picking up bbq beef and saucing it with the other, and still my eyes were on the soju shot ahead of me.
We ate until the birthday girl threatened to cry. The bill for five people was $110, not including tip.
We headed towards the door, and our waitress came after us, "you don't want dessert?! Come back! This way!" and pointing down the corridor.
Down the corridor was a freaking ice cream machine! Self-serve soft serve. And coffee! Like some kind of christmas bonus.
So, the name is deceptive. Tofu Village. Whatever. We'll go back for the bbq!
the variety of panchan they give is riduncluous... i think i counted about 10+ plates of just panchan....
their kalbi tan is bombness... definitely eased one of the worst hangovers i've had in a while....
their soondubu is pretty standard....
the only other gripe i have is that they are not open on sundays!!??
A great place for Korean food. The prices can't be beat! We ordered the #1 combo and had a couple of liters of beer, out the door for $65 for 4 including tip!! Nobody left hungry or thirsty. Tons of great apps, and side dishes with all levels of spice from completely bland to mouth on fire, and everything in between. This is a great place for groups since it has all levels of spice.
The place is very clean, and plenty of free parking in the public garage around the corner (I think it is on Manhattan Place.. not 100%)
I will definitely be back!
I died, went to heaven, ate at Tofu Village, then died again and got drunk.
Three of us ordered the combo for $59 and this was the best Korean I have had in my life. I was completely sober so my palate was unbiased. You choose from four different types of rice, you sample five types of meat, and you leave extremely satisfied.
I did sample the soon tofu that came with the combo and it was fantastic as well.
Awesome food, I may make the flight to LA for this place alone.
I love this place but I brought a man with me tonight who wouldn't stop complaining about how shitty it was. Note to self: Don't bring the evil complaining white man to this establishment ever again.
I love the array of ban-chan they give you and the crab soon-du-bu was amazing: spicy and savory.
There's a moment in life where you meet someone and forever your life will be split into two halves. The time before her, and the time after.
This is the story of a young man who met a girl on a blind date through the urging of his aunt. The girl picked the spot, she said she heard good things about it on the internet. Korean food she said, its the new sushi she said. The young man agreed.
Parking was free and easy in gated lot around the corner. The outside reads "Tofu Village" in giant funny calligraphy type letters, as if the restaurant was straight out of some cartoon.
He went inside and the place was much bigger than the young man thought. It was partitioned off into two sides, two different restaurants in one. The server asked if he wanted to sit in the BBQ side or the Tofu side. He was confused and didn't know where he was supposed to meet her. He felt too embarrassed to call her and ask and so he made a gamble. Tofu side he said. He figured she probably didn't want the smell of meat in her hair on the first date.
She said she would be sitting with her back to him, long black hair that almost looked auburn. She would have an over-sized purse.
He saw a girl and walked over.
Young man: Excuse me, are you here alone?
Girl: No... my boyfriend is in the bathroom.
Young man: Oh.. my mistake. Sorry.
Girl: Charlie?
Charlie: Yes?
Girl: Sorry. I'm Jordan. I wasn't sure if you were you. But you are. So I don't have to lie.
Charlie: So I can sit down?
Jordan: Hmmm okay. But I may change my mind later.
Charlie: I'll keep that in mind. So what should we have?
Jordan: I already ordered for us.
Charlie: You did?
Jordan: Yes and you're going to love it.
Charlie: I am?
Jordan: Yes.
And that was their first encounter. The food came by a very attentive server who brought each dish out one at a time, like it was separate courses. There was plenty of something called ban chan, which is like free side orders with unlimited refill. All the dishes were fresh and shiny. They had seafood soon tofu, galb jjim which is some beef rib stew dish, and seafood fried rice that didn't come with spicy red paste but instead, just oils to bring out the flavor of the dish. There was also the choice of white rice, black rice, and green tea rice. The server said the tastiest was the black rice.
Everything was mouthwatering and Jordan explained to Charlie why every dish was good. And why this was the best galbi jjim in town.
Charlie: You sound like a real food expert. Like a food --
Jordan: -- Don't say it.
Charlie: What?
Jordan: You were about to say foodie.
Charlie: Yeah. Is that bad?
Jordan: That makes me sound like some food nerd. Which I am not. Neither a nerd or a dork!
Charlie: Sorry. What should I say then?
Jordan: Just say I have a great palate.
Charlie: You have a great palate.
Jordan: Thank you. You are kind of cute yourself.
Charlie blushes. There was too much food for two people to eat, the serving portions were huge but Jordan didn't believe in taking anything home. Better to let it go to waste she said than to taint its memory with soggy leftovers.
Charlie was giving Jordan a ride home because she was dropped off at the restaurant and also Charlie didn't seem like a creep so she didn't need to be picked up.
Jordan: Where you going Charlie?
Charlie: I'm taking you home.
Jordan: You missed my exit.
Charlie: Oops. Let me turn around.
Jordan: Don't. Let's not go home yet.
Charlie: Where should we go?
Jordan: You decide.
Charlie: Should we go to Vegas?
Jordan: Let's go.
Charlie: Oh yeah? What should we do there?
Jordan: Let's elope.
Charlie: Oh yeah? Let's do it! Hahaha.
Jordan: Seriously Charlie, let's go.
Charlie: Are you serious?
Jordan: Charlie I'm about the only girl in the world who would ask you to marry her on the first date.
Charlie: Wow. You're serious.
Jordan: I'm being silly. Sorry. It was just nice to pretend that something that crazy and romantic could happen.
Charlie: Well I'm about the only guy in the world I guess, who would say yes to you right now. Lets go.
And that's when Charlie's life split into two halves. The time before her, and the time after...
Ah yes... my very first tofu experience. My best friend and I came here because we were looking for somewhere to eat before the Sara Bareilles concert across the street at The Wiltern. Well... what a fun first time!
We came in and were seated. I looked at the menu and was baffled it was the placemat. No, I'm not stuck up but I'd never had a Korean soft tofu experience so cut me some slack. Anyway, I ordered the Kimchi Tofu with black rice. Haha, a lady came over with the tray of little dishes and was placing it down on the table and after six or so I was like, "Thank you!" and yet, she kept placing more! Hahahaha... I didn't know :-) And hmm, I liked it. The ones I liked best were the potato thing, seaweed, sweet cucumbers, and there was this rice cake thing, too. The kimchi was so bland and so eh that I was surprised it was even served.
Our bubbling pots arrived. I was freaking out because the dude placed it right in front of me as it was SPATTERING and I was wearing a new dress which I didn't want dotted with orange soup :-( So, he needed to be a little more aware of things. The Kimchi Tofu sucked. I'm sorry but if you're going to put it in there, you've got to make sure the integrity of the kimchi flavor is still there! It soooo wasn't. It was very very cooked cabbage in my bowl.
I didn't notice the button on the wall till afterwards and was tempted to press it for fun even though they weren't busy at all. If anything, I thought it was a little odd that they let little kids run around the restaurant going amok.
As for the service, that and my weird Kimchi Tofu are why this gets three stars. The dude actually seemed pissed off to be serving us. So, I'm sorry but if you want to be a server, then you've got to be more polite because if you're going to be scowling, then... you belong somewhere else.
*On a side note, the women's bathroom is sort of neat, lol.
I Love Tofu Village! I have eaten at this one and the Tofu Village in Little Tokyo about a dozen times total. Soontofu is as good as anywhere else I have had it but they really excel in the Banchan arena. At least twelve, yes twelve kinds of really tasty fresh Banchan plus steamed egg sometimes. The service is very good, very friendly, (especially for a Korean restaurant) and they always offer to refill the Banchan. This place is actually part of a small chain. Free parking in the structure in the back and also free, (if a little unique) ice cream and coffee...
My typical Tofu Village experience:
Sit down - Mental image of molten hot tofu bubbling away in a clay pot triggers the sal glands into overdrive. My mouth begins to froth in anticipation of the first tongue-searing slurp. To quiet the ravenous beast within, I pick away at the banchan (small plates) set before me. And yes, I like the gamja (potato) salad. Mayonnaige is good.
Eating - hoh hoh hoh! Lamaze breaths to cool down my now singed mouth. But the damn soup is sooo good. Must.keep.slurping. Paddle up a scoop of black rice onto spoon, then submerge in stew and finally draw up my catch of tofu with fruits de mer. Then inhale. hoh hoh hoh!
The Aftermath - I always leave thinking how incredibly cordial the staff is at T.V. Really top notch. Once out the door, the belly continues to swell for the next six to twelve hours. Distends to about 16 weeks, if measuring by 'pregnancy standards.' A few hours in, my lips start to shrivel. I feel as if I've been sucking on a salt lick. Must drink gallons of water to rid the post-soon tofu parchedness. Was it worth it? Yes, abso-tofu-lutely! Can't wait for next time!
I like the different kinds of rice. The banchan was OK. Lots of dishes but nothing outstanding. We didnt get some of the banchan seen in yelp's photos...Maybe b/c we were sitting on the tofu side (which doesnt stink) of the restaurant? The other side is for BBQ.
Soondubu was pretty good. And the place is a bit more upscale that BCD.
Service great, ambiance nice until 20 halmonis came in with their permed hair and loud voices.
Clean.
Parking on street.
I discovered KBBQ through Yelp, so I thought a KBBQ review would be perfect for review #100.
I went here for dinner a short time ago with some good friends and Yelpers. I'm not a big tofu connoisseur, but I was told they have Korean BBQ as well and, because of Yelp, I LOVE KBBQ so I was there without hesitation. They have valet parking in the structure behind the restaurant for $5 or so. Before arriving, I was told not to valet and that you can just park in the structure. But, when I pulled in, the attendant said I had to valet. Weird, because some of my friends ended up parking there without paying. Oh, well, on to the food!
I didn't see my party outside, so I ventured in. It's kind of a weird setup, as they have two separate sections. The back part is more like a dining room with booths and KBBQ grills on the tables. The front part is more like a diner where you can get everything on the menu, except for the KBBQ. I wasn't quite sure where to go and didn't see my friends, so I gave the "lost white boy" look and got some assistance. I finally found a few of my dining companions that were already sitting down. The rest of the party got there shortly after and we prepared to gorge.
First came the banchan. As others have said, they have a bigger variety of banchan than most other places. Noodles, veggies, anchovies, crab, kimchi, potato, steamed egg, etc. Usually I'm not a big banchan eater, but I remember a few of these being really good. Next, rice. In addition to the usual white rice, they have green tea rice and black rice, all served out of stone pots. I stuck with the boring white rice, but my friends that had the other types seemed to enjoy them.
Next, KBBQ!! I have to say, this was the best quality meat I've had at a KBBQ so far. Tender, fresh, you could just tell by looking at it that it was good! Most of the KBBQ meat they serve is beef. Sirloin, ribs, skirt, brisket, tongue, tripe, etc. They also serve pork belly. You can either get individual plates of one type of meat or combo plates that come with a variety of meat, rice wraps, soju or beer and possibly some veggies, stew, casserole or seafood (depending on which combo you order). I don't remember for sure which one we got, but everything on it was great. As I said, the meat was fantastic! I'm a big fan of the thicker cuts of meat, so my favorites were the beef ribs and the sirloin. No KBBQ meat I've had since then has compared to Tofu Village. We feasted on our KBBQ and soju like kings and queens.
In addition to all of the above, we also ordered some soon tofu. They have various types of meat, veggie, seafood and combo tofu dishes (including blue crab and baby octopus). I'm not sure which ones we ordered, but they were very good. Nice and spicy, just the way soon tofu should be.
If you're not interested in tofu or cooking your own meat, they do have a few already cooked dishes that you can order (stew, kalbi, bulgogi, spicy barbequed pork, casserole, grilled seafood). They also have some good looking lunch specials (box lunches, rice dishes, stews and salads). I just wish worked closer to the restaurant because I'd definitely be a frequent customer.
The service was very good. Maybe they just wanted to get us out of there quicker, but they were very attentive about bringing the dishes out, putting meat on our grill and flipping it if we left it on there too long. We had a couple Korean speakers in our group, so communication was not a problem. Even when I first got there and was looking for my friends, they were very nice and helpful.
One last thing, I read on another review that they have a soft serve ice cream machine???? Hmmmm...I don't think we knew about that. Must go back to investigate. Soon!
How can I not give 5 stars to the best soon tofu place in K-town??
This spot is way better than BCD. It doesn't taste like a bowl full of MSG. You get about 10 to12 different side dishes (banchan). You get a choice of white, black or green tea rice. The place is clean and the service is always good. There are 2 sections, a soon tofu section and a KBBQ section which I have not tried yet but it looks and smells really good. I will update my review after I try the KBBQ side for dinner another day.
I came here because the reviews were so high on Yelp and yes it's pretty darn good. This place had the most side dishes I've seen, you get 12. I also like that they have three choices of rice, I can't really taste the difference between the rices, but I would like to think the colored ones are healthier. The meat was really juicy and flavorful, the type of place where you keep eating after you're full, because it was so good.
The food was good, but it was a bit pricey for lunch food.
And the kimchi soontofu was nasty. Tasted like jalapenos with spicy water. There was a lot of good banchan and they give you an individual cup of egg custard.
They also offer a choice of white rice, black rice, or green tea rice which is a plus
excellent soondubu in the most modern upscale of the 3 restaurants ive been to yet ! (so kong dong and beverly soon). i had the plain beef with black rice. while i was waiting i saw those cold noodle pictures on the wall. they call me like sirens of the sea. friendly servers too can not wait to go back!
oh yeah parking sucks, if youre lucky and going at night try parking in the 5 min loading zone across the street, but only when im not trying to find parking myself,
edit::
so i realized the proportions here are not consistent at take out, the third time i did it i got half the proportion i did the last time.
in addition for the same price i realized you can go to so kong dong and get 1 soondubu for 2 people bc the proportions are that good and it tastes just as good !!! prob wont go back here for a while....
Ok. THIS is what Korean food should taste like. This place completely wowed me with its interesting side dishes, great service, fluffy silky tofu, and good quality ingredients.
I ordered the beef soon tofu which was so delicious that I already want to go back again! I also tried the "cold noodle soup" which was absolutely delicious and a new favorite!!! It featured 2 thin slices of cold beef, julienned pickled turnip, boiled egg, a chunk of crushed ice to keep the slightly sweet yet vinegary cold broth cool, and these amazing noodles that were squishy and chewy and divine!!!
Like another Yelper who mentioned that without a Korean friend to help guide you through things, I ate interesting and mysterious little dishes which were quite different than other Korean restaurants I have visited. I enjoyed most of it!
I was impressed that you have the option between regular white, green, or purple rice. When I asked the waiter what the green rice tasted like, he said green tea. When I ordered the purple rice, he said he felt the purple rice tasted better anyways. (Would he have said that about the green had I chosen green?)
Lastly, I'd suggest calling them to make sure they are open before attempting to go! I brought relatives here on a Sunday night ony to foolishly find out that they didn't seem to be open.
I usually can't finish a whole soon-doo-boo dish on my own, but I actually finished the whole thing here. That just means that the dishes are pretty small (FYI - I am a 5-foot-tall 100 pound girl...so I don't eat that much..unless it's Korean BBQ. That's a different story), and the banchan is whatevers. And even though I usually don't care too much about the music inside a restaurant, for some reason, they have the oddest playlist of songs in there, so it really bothered me. (apologies for the run-on...don't feel like correcting) Maybe I'm a bit of a tofu snob, but this place is not the best tofu I've had...
Looking for blue crab soon tofu? They got it here for $10 a bowl!
Banchans galore!
Wanted to try this new place and now Kimi is addicted to this joint. Kimi says there is also one in alhambra http://www.yelp.com/bi.... Thanks Kimi! There is also one in La Crescenta. Thanks Felicia!
I think it provides that variety that BCD, Beverly and So Gong Dong can't provide.
i would have loved to say my experience for the tofu side was as impeccable but my lunch trip fell short of expectation.
i've also had to drop a star from my previous reviews because they are closed on Sundays and well most of my ktown visits happen on Sundays and i immediately have to rule out kbbq at tofu village.
perhaps there were different factors that made this visit not as desired. i am a little under the weather, it was raining outside, i was eating along, i ordered the seafood soontofu not the baby octopus nor the mixed soontofu.
the banchans were wonderful as always and i love how they are different each time i go.. but at the same time.. sometimes, it's disappointing to not find the same potato salad which got me to fall in love with the place the first time i went.
they also don't serve the egg souffle in the wooden cups anymore.
it could possibly be my taste buds and being sick.. but my soon tofu taste a bit bland and the egg did not distribute properly so i was eating chunks of eggs. i actually asked for jalapenos to add to the soup to kick up the heat.
they brought out some minced thai chilis and said.. this will kill you just use a little. so i put in like drop.. i even tried to taste the minced goodness.. and it had a small bite.. so i dumped the rest in my soup..
yes.. the heat of the soup should have enhanced the spice as well.. but it did no good. i'm sure it was there.. i was just too numb to enjoy it.
i also ordered the spicy pork which was good.. but nothing compared to the freshly grilled meats on the other side of the restaurant.
i can't wait to go back when i can enjoy their kbbq again..
update 5/6/08:
the best time to go is non RUSH.. don't expect to get supreme excellent service on a…
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Better than BCD Tofu. After reading some Yelp reviews about Tofu Village's soon tofu and wide variety of pan chans (side dishes) I stopped by for dinner last weekend. The side dishes were plentiful - I think about 12 different kinds, and our server cheerfully replenished them as we ate. I ordered the oyster tofu with black rice (you also have a choice of white rice or green tea flavored rice). The black rice tasted just like regular rice (which was kind of disappointing), but overall it was a satisfying meal, and I will definitely be back. Curiously, on a Saturday night - the place was pretty empty.
i live in san diego.. when i decided on a place to go for dinner with my sister.. i thought, every restaurant in k-town HAS to be better than san diego..
my friend says she saw my friend pauline c. rate this place :) so we came to check it out!!
we walk in and the guy working there was extremely friendly and guided us to our seat. friday 7:30pm, there were two other groups in the nicely decorated soondooboo place.. ok, it must be because it's slightly late.
we were given the banchan right before the food came. daenjang (soybean) soondooboo and the blue crab soondooboo was ordered. i was expecting a delicious soondooboo with that hint of crab taste in my medium spicy soondooboo.. no. plus the my soup looked nothing like the picture. it wasn't bad but the daenjang was weird and we couldn't finish half of it.
banchan was disappointing.. everything was so so so sweet!! myulchi, bean sprouts, mook (i've never had sweet mook!), kimchi, mashed sweet potato?, i can't believe everything was so sweet? did i really come to the same soondooboo place everyone else was rating here? the address was the same........
so it came time to get the cheque. we look around, no one available.. then we ring the bell.. ding-dong.. (5minutes) noone. ok, aww, they must be busy in the kitchen. i think they were short-staffed though.. ding-dong.. (3minutes, i got a little impatient so i rang again) ding-dong.... uh..
after ringing the bell three times and waiting about 10 minutes, a guy who was just across the restaurant (whom i thought was just a customer) comes over and asks if he can help, no i'm sorry, he just passed by.......... uh!! he heard the bell three times and did not come over.. that disappointed me. food wasn't even that good. so sad.
2 stars to the young dood being very helpful initially, who disappeared later.
This place totally tricked me out. It's called Tofu Village, but it's a korean bbq restaurant. I sure was wrong to expect some tofu stew or variations of tofu prepared dishes. You'll never trick me again or anyone else!
The meat was decent in taste and portions. I did like the generous number of sides they provided, but didn't like the pa mu chim (or green onion salad?). They don't specialize or are known for any specific type of meat, like some a Jo Sun Galbi, Gil Mok, or Cham Soot Gohl, or Honey Pig, so I suggest trying the various different types of meat available. For a korean bbq restaurant that doesn't have a particular standout meat choice I prefer Suhrabol. Next time I will order some soon dooboo to go along with the meat, so I can say that I did have some tofu at tofu village.
This place is great! So I came here because my friend took me and I was really impressed. First there are sooo many side dishes and different choices. This place is a lot better than BCD. I actually went to BCD the next day to compare and I like this place a lot more.
Def if you like soontofu this place is much better than BCD. By the way make sure you validate your parking.
Gripes:
- Didn't bring the panchan out right away, had to ask for it. For Korean people this is a VERY big deal.
- Music selection was quite sucky. "Raindrops keep fallin' on my head"?
- They actually FORGOT one of our dishes. I asked them about it, and they admitted they accidentally gave it to another table. WTF?
- Several of the waitresses were arguing very loudly and angrily in the kitchen. If you didn't know what they were saying perhaps it would have been fine, but as I understand the language it was uber-disturbing.
- Parking around the area is impossible/horrendous/ride your bike there.
Likes:
- The food was decent
- The interior of the place was pretty nice.
Well.... so i had eaten a full bowl of some very filling beef noodles... and miss bunny calls me to join her for some korean bbq...
hmm... i ponder... i'm so very full...
but...
i says... okay... i shall go... and maybe just nibble a bit...
well...
i nibbled...
and i nibbled...
enough to do a 250 man proud...
i can't describe it better than she can but i can say that there were soooo many dishes on the table i didn't even make it too them all...
because i was too busy stuffing my already full face full of beef and pork belly...
and the super hospitable super cute short haired girl who cooked our food was great...
Well, BCD Tofu House was closed the other night for remodeling, so I panicked. But only for 15 seconds, because there are so many cool Korean restaurants within blocks....and I knew I wouldn't starve.
Driving down Wilshire on the way to BCD, I noted a place just before (west of) Western. It was called Tofu Village and had a couple of cool waterfalls to attract your attention. I now know that if Tofu is in the name, I'll get my soontofu with dumplings and be a happy guy.
Well, since BCD was closed, I doubled back. (Have you EVER tried to make a legal U-turn anywhere in that area? Impossible!) No street parking was available, but lo and behold there was a big parking structure on a side street that had a sign specifically for Tofu Village. I think it was validated parking, but it was late enough so that the gate was open. Two sleepy guard sat motionless in their chairs, protecting those parking spaces from the parking-deprived local folks.
Went in the back entrance and saw people doing the Korean BBQ thing. But I just wanted my soontofu. After a humorous English-Korean one word at a time exchange with a waitress, she directed me to the front of the house where they do tofu. Apparently this is a HUGE place with two discrete sections.
This is a modern place with nice and attractive seating, both booths and tables. Couldn't stop gazing at the beautiful restroom doors. Inlaid glass and ironwork. The place was almost empty; I detected closure for the night was at hand. Especially when the waitress told another that I was there, and I got that frustrated look from her (Really? Oh shit? Can't we just CLOSE and go home??!??) But knowing that she Works Hard For The Money, I forgave her attitude slip.
They redeemed themselves. I ordered my soontofu with meat dumplings for $9.99. OMG, when the bansan (side dishes) came out, I was bowled over. BCD gives you the fried fish, kimchee, and maybe a measly 3 additional banchan. Well, this place gave me no fried fish, but kimchee and ***12*** banchan! Just for lil old me! And boy were they good and of good quality. The banchan included japchae (flavorful glass noodles to the uninitiated), seafood pancakes, the gelatin thingies, little crunchy anchovies, several veggie dishes, raw blue crab, and a little wooden cup with steamed egg. I was in heaven.
They also have you select your rice. Not just white rice, but green rice and black rice are available. I chose green, since I'm in the sage phase of my life design-wise.
The soontofu came out shortly and was bubbling hot like always. The waiter cracked the egg for me (probably assuming that I had no idea what it was....duh) into the bubbling tofu, and I stirred and cooked it. The dumplings were plentiful but everything (dumplings, veggies, tofu, stew liquid) was in the right proportion. Flavorful, spicy, bubbling hot, and with so many banchan, I sat there and FEASTED for my $9.99. Felt like a king.
Oh, they also do the rice water thing (after removing the rice from the stone bowl and placing it in the regular bowl) like BCD, but instead of just plain hot water, they mix SOMETHING sweet in. Not sure if it was honey or some kind of rice syrup, but it made the water a slightly dark color, and the mixture was kinda tasty. Still best if you mix some of the leftover kimchee and other items in.
This place isn't 24/7 like BCD, but if it is before 10pm on a school night and I'm in that neighborhood, I'll definitely visit again and again. I kinda missed my little fish, but the variety of banchan was so good I can't pass it up again.
By the way, they had a ton of big family style dishes costing $25-100+ dollars that you order for your table and then just pig out. Can't wait to bring others and try some of those. This place raises the bar on Korean tofu houses!
----
UPDATE: I forgot to mention that the opening appetizer (pre-banchan) is a little wooden cup filled with cooked egg. Awesome flavorful, yet simple start to a great meal. I brought my Greek friend, who is a wizard in the kitchen, and he approved. A great deal.
Better than Chosun Galbi!
Korean BBQ delicate??? It is here! Starting with the side dishes, everything was obviously made with such careful consideration. Even the steamed egg came in our own little individual wooden cups. Thought and detail always makes the dining experience so much better.
-The BBQ: good quality, cut well
-Spicy Beef Rib Stew: rib, carrot, sweet potato, and ginger in a spicy stew. Redip the meat in the soup. It's full of spice and flavor.
-Cold noodles in kimchi soup: refreshing, on the sweeter side. It's huge, so split it.
-Seafood Tofu Pancake: instead of using batter, they use flattened tofu. Yumm!
-Rice: you get a choice of regular white, geen tea, and black (white rice with bits of black grains that color the whole thing darker).
-Tofu Hot Pot: Warms your insides with healthy tofu, choice of meat/seafood, in soup.
I love how they do a deliciously healthy concept on everything, even down to the rice. Good quality, fresh, clean, hearty, healthy. Excellent!
It's Friday night, 5 minutes to Tofu Village's closing time (which is 10pm, I think?) and we wander into this place. Sure, we'll let you sit down and serve you, even though the entire front section of the restaurant is closed and most of our waiters have left and the hostess and two guys from the korean mafia are in the back counting the money! No problem! We get seated, and have a super nice and competent waiter bring us menus and water (iced water with a faint tea taste, delicious - and that's a first for me, delicious complimentary water) is brought immediately.
The waiter stands a few yards away, waiting patiently for us to order, after bringing us a full array of banchan - well, maybe not full array, since I found out later that the norm is 12 plates, while we only got 10 (oh no!). The soon tofu with squid and pork bulgogi is brought quickly, and is piping hot. The egg comes late, since the waiter forgot to bring it with the soon tofu, and he apologizes a couple of times. A lengthy production of what I think is complimentary rice-in-a-hot-stone-pot with tea poured over it also ensues while we eat. Tea+flavored rice+rice crusts are delicious, and an unexpected addition to the TON of food that we got for very cheap prices ($11 or so). Most of the banchan were great (meh potato salad).
Delicious food? Check. Very flavorful soon tofu, pretty good bulgogi (a bit sweet), great banchan. Great prices? Check. All of this would usually get a 4-5 stars from any other restaurant, unless they really screwed up the service. Super nice and great quality service (a super-rarity in Koreatown unfortunately)? Check! Check coming quickly and being handled well? Check! Definitely try this place, and definitely get a soon tofu dish as part of your experience, as the restaurant's named well and their tofu soup is likely their best thing.
this place wins me over bcd and any other tofu joint.
the taste here is different from bcd (and others). it's clearer and fresher. and when you order super spicy here, it'll still taste like soon-doo-bu, not like how bcd rolls when super spicy tastes like chemicals w/tofu mixed in.
if only tofu village was open 24/7, i'd be there now. but being that it's not. i've gotta hold off until "normal" business hours. until then... farewell bcd and other joints in koreatown, garden grove, rowland heights, etc etc.
best pork Soon Tofu in koreatown!
they offer more banchan than other places.
-1 star for slow servers.
must go back soon. nom nom nom
This is one of the best Korean restaurants in LA. Besides the "traditional" bbq and soon tofu, they offer "hard to find" dishes like seafood tofu pancakes and beef rib stew. The bbq is great, and if you're craving something liquid, order the beef rib stew, which is huge pieces of beef ribs cooked until tender with carrots, potatoes, a little chili for that kick of flavor and slices of ginseng (dunno what the ginseng is for, but my guess is to make it healthier).
The side dishes are also very good. They change the variety of the dishes, so it's a possibility that when you come to visit again, you'd be getting a different set of side dishes.
The restaurant is very clean and the service is great. It has free parking at the parking structure off the side of the building (make sure to get validation).
DROOL! DROOL! DROOL! As diverse as SF is and as famous it is for good food, no offense to you hanguk sarams, but Korean food in SF (& Korea believe it or not) just does not compare to Korean food down in LA. I've been craving both soon doo poo (tofu stew with kimchee or crab or seafood) and kalbi (bbq). This place kicked @$$ in the little side dishes, the soondopoo, the bbq, the rice, the nooroonbap (rice soup?). Make sure to order the marinated calbi, the spicy lettuce, the salsa-ish dipping sauce with the rice paper to wrap it all up and make yourself a korean mini taco. YUUUUUUUUUM!!!
There is some serious soul in Mr. and/or Mrs. Tofu Village. Who wants to escape with me?
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Korean
Gardena, CA
Category: Korean
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Koreatown
Category: Korean
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Korean
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