SGV: Korean Tofu Soup at A Ri Rang

After I got back from Seattle, I wanted something warm and comforting. Originally I was going to get hot pot  but the wait was going to be too long so we popped over to A Ri Rang, a newish tofu house in the SGV. My brother had been there before and said the service was very nice. He didn’t think the servers were in a rush like they seem to be in Koreatown.

 

It was pretty late on a Monday evening, just past 9 p.m. so I was happy A Ri Rang was still open. The banchan (side dishes) were brought immediately to our table after we ordered. I went with the combo of beef and seafood soon dobu (tofu soup) and bibimbap believing I was starving– I wasn’t. The bibimbap made excellent leftovers and a great lunch the next day.

I asked for “medium spicy” and could have inched the spice level up a bit, but not by much. I did taste my brother’s dumplings soon dobu and he ordered his mild. It was almost the same to me so perhaps I could have asked for “spicy.”

 

My brother got the spicy chicken with his combo. This too made a good lunch the next day with some plain white rice. The sauce was more sweet than spicy but we figured it’d be good to have some sauce rather than the plain chicken option.

 

One of these days, I’d probably just get dumplings somewhere in K-town even if it seems hard to get into the popular spots after a certain television host checks out the local spots. In the meantime, quite a few Korean restaurants have been popping up in the San Gabriel Valley. It’s good to not have to trek through the traffic-ridden, disastrous parking zone sometimes.

 

After a squirt or two of gochuchang (spicy sauce), a mix here and there to incorporate the runny fried egg, the bibimbap (mixed veggie and beef bowl) still isn’t quite ready. I like to be able to scrape the rice off the sides of the stone bowl, making sure I get all the crunchy bits.

In comparison to the other tofu houses in SGV, I did like A Ri Rang quite a bit. You can’t help but stare at the mesmerizing K-dramas they were showing as you slurp your tofu soup.

 

Other SGV tofu houses:

Young-Dong Tofu House

Ko Hyang Tofu House

 

 

A Ri Rang Tofu House

529 E Valley Blvd., Ste 128, San Gabriel, CA 91776  —  (626) 288-6069

© The Minty  2013