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| - If you advertise AYCE Korean BBQ, you should have the general decency to bring out more than one order of Galbi at a time for a party of six. We would order "2 Galbi and 1 Brisket" and would receive 1 Galbi and 1 Brisket. We would then order "2 Galbi and 1 Ribeye" and would receive 1 Galbi and 1 Ribeye. The game became predictable, and frustrating. Repeat 6 or 7 times and you begin to think that there's a big sign in the back (in Korean) that says "Only one order of our precious Galbi per table per half hour or you're fired!" At lease that's how it felt. To top it off, there is a warning on the bottom of the menu that threatens a $25 penalty if more than a 1/2 lb of meat is left on your table. Seeing this warning was beyond ridiculous and ironic, as at no point was more than a 1/2 lb of meat served to us at any given time.
The service was typical LA / NYC, which means it was pretty much terrible and the waitresses will actually talk shit about you (in Korean) under their breaths. I saw & heard this several times, especially when we tried to manipulate the temperature of our grill. We had to get the attention of the manager (might have been the owner's wife?) to prod our waitress into filling our 6 empty beverage glasses and our empty banchan dishes. At one point we found a sweet spot by ordering with what appeared to be a servers' assistant: he brought us the 2 Galbi and 1 Whatever that we ordered a few times in a row and we felt like we hit the jackpot - sounds sad, doesn't it? In the end we ordered about 9 plates of assorted meats for an average of 3 servings per person at our table, or about 12 oz. per person. Grill off the fat and that's about 8 oz. of $5/lb. short rib plus some random banchan and soup for $25. Not a very good value, not to mention it took 3 hours to pry that much from them. This place makes Sura BBQ Buffet look like an oasis.
Quality of food and Woonam Jung retrospective: Almost exactly one year ago, this place opened with a full-price a la carte menu. The $28 single servings of Galbi were some of the most expensive in town, but absolutely the most tender, delicious Korean marinated short rib I've ever tasted. Worth every penny. This legendary Galbi DOES NOT exist anymore at Woonam Jung. Total bait and switch. Don't even think you're getting the same quality with the new (and stingy) AYCE plan. To make matters worse, the banchan they serve is below average, which is surprising because you'd think that it should be at least better than the stuff available at the Greenland Korean Market next door. I can't imagine that the owners of this restaurant actually eat the same grade food as their AYCE customers.
You guys are being cheapos: The vent hoods weren't turned up to an acceptable level, keeping our friends against the wall in a wall of smoke the entire meal. And, a table for 6 at a truly LA-style KBBQ should have a larger grill than the little circle ones at Woonam Jung. OK enough. 2 stars and I am out for good.
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