Dukbaeki Maeul / Suldoga, Korean in the old Chung Dai Kam Space in Annandale - Closed

[DonRocks]

We were thinking of going to Gooldaegee last night, but as I was driving, I shouted, "Charcoal barbecue!" as I noticed a new restaurant was open in the old Chung Dai Kam space.

The sign outside says Suldoga, but the menu inside says Dukbaeki Maeul Suldoga, so I was at something of a loss. However, all it took was a bit of Google-digging, and loku.com cleared it right up. There's also an article by annandaleva.blogspot.com about the pre-restaurant days.

Sadly, gone are the charcoal barbecues - perhaps sold at auction when Chung Dai Kam closed; perhaps removed when Suldoga originally opened as a bar - but either way, they are sadly gone.

My young dining companion had only one guideline: "I don't mind odd flavors or textures, but I'm not in the mood for odd body parts," he said, thus leaving out the "Ox Knee" and various other menu items offered - although I think that ox knee might be a type of root.

I started with my usual non-ethnic ethnic beer, a bottle of the benign OB Golden Lager ($4.99). One thing I learned last night is that "OB" stands for "Oriental Brewery."

Five different Banchan arrived, all vegan, and not all that good. There were two greens, two chili-reds, and one white (bean sprouts). As I've seen at other Korean restaurants, including Gamasot, the table was equipped with (instead of salt and pepper) MSG and pepper, as well as a wooden box of metal spoons for the two white boys.

Before the entrees arrived, a post-banchan bowl of Beef Broth was served, so they weren't vegan after all.

The first dish that came, came out sizzling and spattering, the LA Galbi ($16.99) served on a huge, oval metallic plate plunked into a form-fitting wooden exterior. The short ribs, about a dozen of them, were marinated in "house sauce" which looked dangerously like a brownish gravy, but on the palate, the marinade was very normal tasting. Along with the onions, long past caramelization, to the point where they had charred and were sticking to the plate, this was a tasty platter, served with some white rice on the side.

I thought the Dolsot Bibimbap ($8.99) was going to be vegetarian, the menu advertising it as being served with "mixed vegetables and fried egg," but there was also a little pocket of beef to be found. I added a little chili sauce, dressed it like a salad, and asked Matt for his opinion - we both felt it could go just a notch higher, so I added a little more to season it to perfection. At $8.99, this was an outstanding value (I thought the Dolsot version said $9.99 on the menu, but we were charged $8.99). The only problem was the inevitable hard-cooking of the egg which was so overdone and browned that I had trouble finding where the yolk used to be.

Service was courteous, if a little brusque, and this was a pleasant meal that both of us agreed was a "repeat but not a rush back."

[spaztic1215]

I really miss Chung Dai Kam, specifically because of the charcoal bbqs.

But Nak Won also does charcoal bbq for beef dishes (the pork entrees usually get grilled on a separate gas burner to avoid grease fires). Since Chung Dai Kam closed, we have started to go to Nak Won for our LA Galbi fix. They also throw in the soybean stew (doenjang jjigae) and steamed egg (gyeran jjim) for free, like Chung Dai Kam did.

The atmosphere is a bit more divey, and the parking is a lot more difficult, but it's a pretty good fallback for charcoal bbq.

[Escoffier]

a wooden box of metal spoons for the two white boys.

Koreans eat almost everything (okay a lot of things) with spoons. It's easy to tell non-Han-guks, they're eating rice with chopsticks.

Along with the onions, long past caramelization, to the point where they had charred and were sticking to the plate, this was a tasty platter, served with some white rice on the side.

Yeah, those onions (and garlic pieces) are great. Something about those charred onions that makes them addictive.

a little pocket of beef to be found. I added a little chili sauce, dressed it like a salad, and asked Matt for his opinion - we both felt it could go just a notch higher, so I added a little more to season it to perfection. At $8.99, this was an outstanding value (I thought the Dolsot version said $9.99 on the menu, but we were charged $8.99). The only problem was the inevitable hard-cooking of the egg which was so overdone and browned that I had trouble finding where the yolk used to be.

Dolsot Bibimbap is served in an extremely hot, stone bowl. The best part is the crusty rice that's left on the bottom of the bowl after you've eaten everything else. There is always a bit of beef (sometimes hamburger at the cheaper places) in Bibimbap. If you want the vegetarian option, you just ask for it without the beef. Because the bowl is just below the temperature of molten steel, the egg always cooks through. Once it's mixed up enough (and there's enough spicy bean paste added) it just adds that special something.

You should have yelled, we'd have gone with you or met you there.

Service was courteous, if a little brusque, and this was a pleasant meal that both of us agreed was a "repeat but not a rush back."

Koreans don't linger after eating like Americans. They eat and leave. The food comes when it comes and (with the exception of banchan) can show up in almost any order. You really should have gone around the corner and eaten at To Sok Jip.