Among the restaurants in the so-called “Korean Town” of Sukhumvit Plaza, this old favorite proudly claims to be one of the first Korean restaurants in Bangkok—open since 1992—and still has quite a following.

 

On our last visit, the ground floor was full so the staff seated us on the second floor in one of their five private rooms. These look as old as the opening year suggests, and at first our room had a slightly musty smell to match (though this soon disappeared once the air-con was turned up). The table has a built-in stove, but the wait-staff are the ones who grill your meat and cut it into bite-size portions, as well as mix your bibimbap (rice with meat, vegetables and egg).

 

The menu focuses on barbecue and other Korean staples like kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew, B250), which is served in a sizzling hot stone pot. The dish is nicely balanced, and doesn’t let the sourness of the pickled cabbage overwhelm the other flavors, while the accompanying rice is also pleasant—slightly sticky and lightly scented. The dolsot bibimbap (mixed rice, B230) also comes in a hot stone pot, which nicely chars the sticky Korean rice to the bottom for a satisfying crunch.

 

The dwaeji galbi (marinated pork rib, B350) is served wang galbi style (filleted in layers with the bone still attached). The waiters quickly grill it and then portion it out once cooked through. The pork is tender but there’s no distinct seasoning— it only becomes identifiably Korean when wrapped in lettuce and eaten with the side dishes of napa cabbage kimchi, pickled cucumber, radish kimchi, garlic, seasoned spinach, shredded scallion salad, Korean-style pancake and plenty more. We really like the thinly sliced pickled white radish.

 

Though service is generally efficient and the staff will replace your grill before you need to ask, the meat is sometimes left sitting on the heat for too long. By the time you get to the second half of your rib it ends up too dry. There’s no dessert menu but they provide complimentary fruit after the meal. As for drink, soju starts at B300/ bottle. Though the 23-year-old restaurant has lost something in the way of looks, we’re happy to say that, on the whole, you can still rely on the food.