Furusato Korean BBQ

Furusato Korean BBQ

Menu

Banchan

Slices of beef brisket

Marinated chicken



Meat cooking on the grill.



My plate.

I thought I would post something different today.  My daughter and I visited Furusato Korean BBQ located in Gardena, CA.  As in a typical Korean BBQ restaurant the diners cook their own meat on a grill built into the table.

Shortly after being seated we were given a bowl of salad greens with a thin soy sauce dressing, a saucer of kimchi (fermented cabbage, salt and chile), a saucer of marinated cucumber, seasoned soy bean sprouts, and a saucer of sweet potatoes.  There are many different kinds of kimchi and sides which are collectively called banchan.  We each got a bowl of steamed rice, and 2 dipping sauces (a thin soy sauce and seasoned oil). There was also a plate of rice paper.  You may request sliced onions and hot sauce.  Apart from water, you may order tea, soda or beer.  We weren’t that hungry so we ordered (A). 

Some BBQ restaurants have an all-you-can-eat salad/side dishes bar.  One of the things that sets Furusato apart is that they only have 2 items on their menu: (A) $9.99 person, and (B) $16.99 per person.  (A) gets you ultra-thin slices of beef brisket, slices of pork belly which is a bit thicker than thick-cut bacon, and marinated chicken.  On the other hand, (B) gets you the three items mentioned above plus: 1 Black Angus sirloin steak (1 steak /2 people max), Black Angus marinated beef ribs, marinated beef, beef tongue, spicy marinated pork, beef small intestines, seasoned webfoot octopus and seasoned sea mussels.  You can get unlimited quantities of everything except the Black Angus sirloin steak.  Use the tongs to transfer raw meat onto the grill.  Use your chopsticks to pick up cooked meat from the grill.

The crisp salad greens and banchan whetted our appetite.  As soon as the meat arrived we transferred some to the hot grill.  The meat started to sizzle and soon the color started to turn.  The smell of cooking meat was in the air.  This was a feast for the senses!  I dipped my meat into the oil seasoned with salt, but my daughter prefers the sweetish soy-based sauce.  The beef was very tender and was wonderful adorned with the simplicity of oil and salt.  The pork was good but a little less tender than the beef.  It’s a good thing it is given to you already cut up into bite-size pieces.  The chicken thigh meat takes longest to cook but is equally tender and flavorful.  After devouring the first round the server asked if we wanted more.  We ate the second plates of meat at a more leisurely pace.

Furusato is a no-frills kind of place.  Parking is extremely limited especially during their peak hours.  You may have to share your table with other diners.  Service may be a little slow and the servers may be a little brusque.  This place is popular with the younger crowd and tends to get noisy.  It’s more fun when you go there with a group of people.  They are open Monday through Saturday 11 AM – 12 midnight, and Sunday 11 AM – 11 PM. 

Do you think you would order (A) or (B)?