Korean BBQ in Arcadia

For Lunar New Year this year, my family did a couple of different things including Korean barbeque. We decided to try Young Dong Garden in Arcadia. There are a few options for dinner including a la carte, a combination meal good for 2-3 people and a couple of all-you-can-eat options. We opted for the priciest AYCE option. At $20, you can try all the meats including duck. I hadn’t seen duck on the menu before and was anticipating it. Unfortunately there was a mix-up and we were given chicken twice. I suppose there’s next time. The restaurant is good with service (comparatively speaking), has parking and has ample seating.

 

 

Also, I liked the banchan. The sides were a bit basic but they were fresh and they willingly refilled them without complaint.

 

Our favorite sides were the pajeon (pancake), acorn jelly (the stuff I call Korean jello) and seaweed. I had the kimchi and kimchi squid to myself as my family isn’t into spicy foods. They did brave the cucumbers though.

 

I was happy the salad was fresh and they also sent out rice when requested. I was happy to discover they were also “rice paper” which no one hogged from me.

 

I do have to say our first round of chadol (brisket) was best. I also thought it was fun the server rubbed pork fat over the grill to keep it moist. We ended up using pork belly much in the same manner.

 

We tried brisket, pork belly, chicken, octopus and more. I think I ate too much. No, I know I ate too much. That probably explains why I eat KBBQ only once or twice a year. It’s a gut busting proposition but someone has to figure out if the local place is worth going to versus driving into Koreatown.

Young Dong Garden

19 W Huntington Dr., Arcadia, CA 91007  —  (626) 698-6198

© The Minty  2013