In a word, perfect.
The place is cosy and slightly hipster, with the whimsical lighting, the wooden cabin-like interior; very clean. Ssam most definitely understands its customer base, with its hours extending from dinner into the wee hours. We came as party of 6 after a movie specifically for the BBQ special of the day (Wednesday's pork belly+pork false lean+beef short plate+soju/beer) and were seated at a booth with a table outfitted with an advanced/fancy electric range roaster (with built-in ventilation and digital sensor touch controls). We ordered double portions of the special as the server suggested one order could fill 2-3 people depending on appetite. She also explained to us that since they were out of the pork false lean, it would be substituted by beef ribeye, to which we all happily accepted.
Hardly a noticeable wait later, lettuce basket, banchan (honey potatoes, kimchi, spicy cucumbers, pickled daikon, tofu, nori), ssamjang (chili paste, soybean powder, salt/pepper and sesame oil, and a large soy and onion dip which is actually the perfect vessel to quickly cool meat off the grill unless you enjoy burning the roof of your mouth), an unassuming serving board with some handsome cuts of meat, and our soju were already on the table, with the server swiftly firing up the grill.
Another server, who I suspect may be the owner, came over and explained the cuts in terms of the part of the animal we were eating, as well as basic operation of the grill including the location of hot zones on the cooking surface. The meat quality exceeded my expectations and cooked easily and beautifully. In particular, the pork belly and ribeye were very delicious smothered in the various ssamjang enveloped in the lettuce. Everyone at the table had a different favourite banchan, mine being the potatoes. No shortcomings whatsoever in the quality nor the quantity of food presented.
The only thing that impressed me more than the food was the quality of the service. Servers were at our beck and call, topping up our lettuce basket without asking, and periodically without too intrusively asking us how things were going. At one point every square inch of our table was occupied by meat, dips, or banchan. One server had a bit of a mishap navigating to remove our empties and knocked over our bottle of soju; none got on clothing and we honestly didn't lose even half a shot's volume. Without hesitation, the server offered a complimentary bottle of soju for the trouble---but it doesn't end there. The owner came over and offered instead of the soju, a complimentary order of beef rib finger meat (roughly a $18+tx value, with soju at ~$16 if I recall correctly). We happily went along and of course, that meat was exceptionally succulent and tasty.
I truly had my doubts about this VIP level attention and thought it could have been because I was pulling out a camera (what does one call this...food blogger/critic favouritism?). On the contrary, as I observe from previous reviews (in addition to having discussed this with my SO who has previously frequented this bar), it is /routine/ for their servers to keep their customers happy with efficient service, consistently positive interactions, and last but not least, complimentary food (appetizers on the house on a whim!). I left quite satiated and paid less than $30 (tax and generous tip included). I honestly cannot find fault with my overall experience at Ssam---it was nothing short of warranting a perfect score. I haven't even ventured into those fishbowl-looking drinks and the tapas other reviewers have been writing about and I most certainly will be back to do so!