January 26: Bulgogi House

Despite my attempts at staying healthy and eating right, Chris really wanted all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and since I know he had a long day I agreed.  We went to a new spot called Bulgogi House.
http://bulgogihousebbq.com/

House Brisket (Rear), Angus Brisket (Middle), Pork…something (Front)

We’ve been here once before and were pleasantly surprised by the amazing service.  We tried coming before but the wait was too ridiculous.  Thankfully they were very accommodating of us this time around.  There’s a premium  and a deluxe menu.  The Premium Menu comes with 12 additional options for grilling while Deluxe Menu still has a hefty 30+ options.

Sweet Sauce, Oil and Salt, Chili and Buffet Sides

Bulgogi House’s big draw that sets it apart from many other AYCE KBBQ is the buffet banchan (sides).  They have a huge selection of radish wraps, various kimchis, jalapenos, an assortment of veggies, fried rice, fried, chicken, sushi, miso, rice, desserts and so much more.

Jalapenos, Potato Salad, Bomb Fried Rice, Yummy Kimchi

This place really does have everything you could want from a KBBQ restaurant except for the egg soup and the Korean pancakes.

House Salad with Asian Dressing

They admit that their servings of meat are smaller than most places but that’s because they want their customers to be able to try everything on their expansive menu.  The servers are very helpful and do their best to accommodate guests and their wants.

Skirt Steak (Front Left), Smoked Bacon (Middle Left), Marinated Beef Finger (Marinated Beef Rib), Veggie Plate (Back Right), Angus Brisket (Middle Right), Pork Jowls (Front Right)

The only downside about this place is when the bill comes and you realize you just paid roughly $60 for dinner for two.  This place really has a lot to offer but I couldn’t justify coming here more than once every three months.  It was a good night filled with good food, but ’til next year Bulgogi House!

January 23: Yasai Japanese Grill

Going along with his usual cravings, Chris wanted either short-ribs (Kalbi) or another Beef Bowl.  Since he just wanted me to pick something up and bring it home I didn’t want to waste  a good pick so I went with Yasai.  It’s one of my mom and brother’s favorite little Japanese spots and I figured it would do the job for dinner on Friday.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/yasai-japanese-grill-cerritos

I wasn’t quite in the same beef-bowl mood that Chris was so while I ordered him the regular Beef Teriyaki Bowl, I got myself a Hot Night Roll, already bracing myself knowing that ordering sushi from a fastfood type Japanese place wouldn’t be the best idea.

I got home and realized they gave us a complimentary Miso Soup and was pleasantly surprised.  The food was as good as expected–average.  It wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t terrible or bad by any means.  Chris still didn’t like it as much as the two places we had before, but then again I didn’t really expect him to.

He didn’t finish his bowl but together we took down my hot night roll and overall had a good meal.  ‘Til next year, Yasai!

January 19: Koo Koo Teriyaki

So I have a number of places bookmarked on my yelp account.  Sometimes when I’m bored I’ll just browse around and hope that I find a good spot and I’ll bookmark it for future dining.  This is how me and Chris ended up at Koo Koo Teriyaki on Monday night after our day at the Huntington Library.
http://www.kookoogrill.net/

The food is okay.  One of Chris’ favorite foods is a good teriyaki bowl and thanks to our visit to Golden Bowl, he has moved on from Chicken to Beef.  So he ordered a Teriyaki Beef Bowl and just to be different I got Beef Tacos, which it looked like they were known for.  We got a side of fries on top of everything else.

Teriyaki Beef Bowl with Avocado

Beef Tacos with Avocado

The food was decent but I think Chris liked Golden Bowl better.  The fries were kind of bad when we at them in the car.  They tasted plain to Chris and grainy to me, but oddly enough the more he ate, the better he said they tasted.

I won’t miss this place much for the rest of the year.  ‘Til next year, Koo Koo Grill!

January 10 (Dinner): Golden Bowl

Since the first place we wanted to go to for dinner was too busy with a 40-minute wait time, we decided to look up an alternative and found Golden Bowl.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-bowl-buena-park
We were looking for a simple Japanese Teriyaki Bowl place since that’s what Chris was craving.  When we got to the restaurant I was a little doubtful since it looked really dead for a Saturday night, but to be fair, so did the Panda Express next to it.

Chris ordered the Chicken Teriyaki Bowl and I ordered a Beef Bowl.  We decided to take it to go and eat in the comfort and cleanliness of our home since the restaurant was pretty small and the table we were sitting at wasn’t the cleanest.

We got home and set ourselves up in front of the TV with my mom.  Presentation-wise, Chris’ chicken looked better than mine since he had the green onions on top.  I asked to hold mine because I didn’t want gross onion breath for the rest of the night.

I was very happy with my bowl!  I’m not the biggest fan of teriyaki in general but I hadn’t had it in a while.  I was not disappointed.  The food was fresh and the meat was tender and sweet.  Chris ended up liking mine better than his own.  The rice that came with it was soft and moist which is how I like my rice so that was good.  Adding Sriracha gave it the perfect heat that it needed in my opinion.

Beef Bowl with Sesame Seeds

Chris’ Chicken Bowl was ok.  I told him that I don’t typically order chicken if at all avoidable because I feel like it’s a cheap meat.  And especially coming from the place we were at, I thought beef was the better option.  Regardless of him liking mine better, he still ate his entire bowl, so it couldn’t have been that bad.

Chicken Teriyaki Bowl with Green Onions and Sesame Seeds

Overall, the food was better than expected–a pleasant surprise.  It was simple but filling.  The only reason that I wouldn’t go back there is because it was quite a drive for okay food.  Unless I get a ridiculous craving for Golden Bowl, I think I’ll try finding more local teriyaki joints.  Be that as it may, I’m glad for the simple dinner and if anyone asks me if it’s good I wouldn’t steer them away.  Well done and ’til next year Golden Bowl!