2550 Pleasant Hill Rd #101
Duluth, GA 30096
Normally open from about 10am -10pm most days.
As you can tell, I really like Korean food. I think most in my family and circle of friends do as well. There’s just something about the flavor for the Asian palate. I could probably eat it every day and not get tired. On my list is one of the original places that we still go to today, Book Chang Dong aka Tofu House on the corner in the original Super H shopping center.
I really like the way they marinate and cook the Galbi (Korean LA short ribs). In fact I spent many a try at home on my grill trying to get the same flavor and charred-ness as to not waste anything. I would have to say I can come pretty close. To put things in perspective, I think that plate has always been around $20-$25 for the dinner portion(?). You can buy a pack of LA short ribs from the Nam Dae Mun for about $10-12 on sale, plus the $3.50 for the marinade, and of course the time it would take you to grill it, clean, etc. Not to mention the cost of the side dishes. Lots of times it’s so much easier to take out of town guests to this location. In all our years of eating here, the flavor of all the dishes has been quite consistent.
My favorite side dishes are: fish cake, kim chi of course, and the rare cucumber one that tastes like our Lao “thum mahk thang.” I’ve never been keen on the simplistic flavor less bean sprouts or the mayonnaise and potatoes. I will however gladly take the fried croaker fish if someone doesn’t want theirs. 🙂
The bimimbap is always good too. I’ve had most of the varieties of Tofu Soup. You can’t go wrong with normal beef or seafood, but if you’re looking for something different, get the spawn (fish egg) or the baby octopus. I’ve found that those meats dilute the broth a bit so you’ll need to up your normal spice level one notch, especially with the fish egg tofu soup.
If you’ve never had Korean food, it’s basically the same everywhere. Ordering even just a soup will get you a bowl of rice, and random side dishes of what is available for that day. For some Western palates (and even young Asian kids born here), the cold, “slimy” and sour nature of kimchi is something you’ll love or hate. It’s understandable, since lots of Asian cuisine, even from neighboring countries is about as different as can be.
We live in an interesting place and time here in Georgia–an area where we can get any type of food or the raw ingredients to make any dish ourselves, but the hidden issue is how to raise our kids to respect and hopefully like the food of their parents and grandparents. It’s not easy from the perspective of the child either, growing up in a social system in which fish sticks don’t look like fish, fruit comes in a cup, and bringing your ethnic lunch to school comes with the looming risk of unjust cultural food shaming by classmates.
It’s just so odd, kids will make fun of others who can’t afford to even eat, and when that’s not enough, they’ll make fun of the looks of said food. Just silliness all around. Life is too short and there’s just so many things to eat and try out there! 🙂
We’ve definitely been going to this restaurant for over ten years now. Ah to be young again… 
Boon’s Review: Recommended