My boyfriend and I discovered this place when we were driving down Rainbow looking for some establishment to try after we tried going to Rockin' Baja Lobster.. turns out they closed down & I was just reading their yelp reviews too and didn't realize. #fail.
Soyo is located in the same center as Oyshi Sushi & Haven Animal Hospital. We stopped in on a Sunday evening for some dinner and drinks. We were seated right away in a little booth. They have shelves on the side with what I am thinking either books or dvds. lol. They also have video games in the front area. Right away we were brought our little tin cups/bowl look things with some tea. As other yelpers, we were a little confused at first. The tea is very yummy and I really love when businesses give you your own pitcher/jug.
For drinks, I order the lychee soju. At first, I thought it was going to be some sort of lychee soju martini and for $12 it better be good! Instead, it was brought in this skinny milk jar looking thing.. definitely more than enough for one person probably even better to share. It was most definitely delicious but not as strong as I'd expect.. especially soju. It reminded me more of a lychee sake.. They make it in-house which is awesome in itself.
To eat, I got the beef soondubujigae. It came out bubbling and topped with a raw egg. It was tasty but it could've been spicier.. it also had a much stronger garlic taste than I am used to. I love garlic so bring it on but I prefer more flavor from the dashi (soup broth) than it being overwhelmed with garlic. The bf got the kalbi ribs which were flavorful but had a bit too much fat. I loved all the ban-chans which consisted of daikon kimchee, napa cabbage kimchee, marinated beef, and bean sprouts.
Service was up to par and the servers were very knowledgeable with their menu/drinks. They came by to check up on us periodically.
I really enjoyed our visit here and I plan to be back. I loved their homemade soju as well as the atmosphere. w00t w00t.