I tried the Sul Leung Tang (soup with beef and noodles) and Bo Saam (meat and vegetable platter). Â Wasn't a fan of either dish. Â The Sul Leung Tang was bland, and the Bo Saam was a nice combination of ingredients but on the salty side. Â If you average the two dishes out then you might get to a good level of seasoning, but it doesn't really work that way.
On the plus side, the banchan was pretty good and the service was on top of refills (of barley tea and banchan). Â Also, the interior is very nice, there's a variety of seating, and there is plenty of parking. Â When we visited, there were only a few other people inside so getting a table was not a problem. Â Though, that may have had something to do with the fact that it was a Wednesday evening, and raining.
Only Korean place I've been to in Virginia, and it is pretty decent. I've been told that there are great Korean restaurants (especially Korean BBQ) in Annandale, so I'll definitely be checking those out. For now, Gamasot will suffice.
I've gotten both the bibimbap and the sundubu. I ordered the bibimbap the first time around because I didn't want to be slurping soup and balancing a rice bowl and a tofu pot during lunch with a coworker. It was good, nothing spectacular, but definitely hit the spot.
The second time around, I ordered the sundubu because I was really craving a korean tofu pot. To be honest, the soup was kind of bland and the seafood left much to be desired. The shrimp and squid definitely came from a freezer, and the ratio of tofu to seafood was laughable. I will probably not order it again...I also noticed that they didn't give me as many side dishes because I was dining solo. Not a big deal to me, but it did seem kind of stingy.
My favorite part of the meal is always the yogurt drink that comes with the check. :9 I will be back, but definitely not before I have me some kBBQ!
Whenever I'm in DC area, I always make sure I stop by Gamasot to fulfill my sulung tang fix. It's been over 8 years since my last visit... seems like they are under new management... the old gentleman that behind the glass is no longer working....
They also extended their menu offering, but stick to what they are good at - Sulung Tang. Â I'm not sure what other dishes tastes like, I'm sure they are good, but for $6, you can't beat the price and the taste. Â The broth is a lot better then it used to be and is more richer and bold in taste.
What I do not like... their kimchi doesn't taste the same as it used to... as well as the radish kimchi... not sure if they changed the recipe or not, but they are not as good as it used to be..... Â Service was good and banchans were refilled when we requested it.
We went to this restaurant because I remembered it being on the top 100 or something in the Washington Post magazine. Â I still like Yechon in Annandale better. The banchan is not as tasty and numerous as Yechon. We left it there. I did not like the complementary beef soup, tasted milkyish. Â The bolgogi though is really good. My bimbimap was good, but not as bountiful as Yechon so I finished it fast. Â My husband really liked his hot bimbimap. Â We would eat here again because the prices are good, but I really want to try the pupuseria next door instead.
Review Source:What a hidden gem this place is. Â Well, maybe it's well known in the Korean community I don't know, but it's located outside of the normal Koreandale / K-ville (Annandale and Centreville) districts that most people associate with good Korean food in NoVa.
This restaurant is located in the old Hechinger lot on the Robinson Terminal side of the Springfield interchange off of Backlick Road. Â It's one of the businesses tucked into the strip mall that was converted there a few years back - use your navigator or the Yelp mobile map application to steer you in the right direction!
The decor and ambiance is rather fancy compared to most Korean joints. Â Frosted glass windows written in Hangul, immaculate dining area and Japanese-style sit on the floor tables line the outer wall. Â This is most probably for the Americans who want to experience the full "Asian dining experience".
I ordered the Galbi-gopdor-bimbimbap and was rewarded with a tasty hot stone bowl of deliciously marinated beef flavored with sesame oil and assorted vegetables. Â All of this served over a steaming mound of piping hot rice and fresh banchan.
Gamasot might not be the number one spot to go for Korean cuisine around DC, but if you are around Springfield and have an itch for bibimbap, bulgogi or spicy tofu soups you can satisfy your craving here.
Great Korean - had the Youg Yang Sul Leung Tang (from the picture of course) -- the appetizers of fried meat / veggie dumpling and meal were excellent, bland without the pepper / salt / fish sauce but once that was added it was perfect. Â Service was great and atmosphere nice - even have the little sit on the floor tables if you want to lounge like the locals. Â Going again for bibimbap soon!
Review Source:Have new owners and it doesn't seem to be quite as good but the waitstaff is still great and the menus have pictures now it makes it a little bit easier for non-Koreans. Cheap prices and one of the only good Korean options in the Springfield area. For great clay pot bibimbap one of the best around and definitely a great option outside of Annandale.
Review Source:Nestled in a little corner near 495, next to several Asian stores and restaurants is Gamasot Korean Restaurant.  The inside definitely takes me back to smaller traditional Korean restaurnts w the white air  conditioner in the corner, wood tone colors and open kitchen.
the staff was very friendly but don't forget to use the call button when you need need to order or something.
We didn't have appetizers since we wanted a lighter lunch, so i had the galbi bibimbap and my wife had the gopher bibimbap. Â The galbi inequality had so much more flavor. My only complaint was they put in a fried egg, not raw egg and you may need add a little soy sauce. Â I liked how they noticed we were not eating our soup, so they asked and brought us another kind. Â Overall, great experience, warm staff and good food.
Remember, when you ask for water and it times brown, it's barley water.
Best Korean restaurant I've been to.
The ladies are always very nice and take very good care of you.
The food is delicious and CHEAP! Very reasonably priced.
I got a kimchi jige which I thought was probably the best I've had. The bibimbap I have to say was pretty normal, but the soups here are awesome. My husband ordered a bulgogi and that was fantastic!
Not the closest place but I would definitely return and try korean bbq and more.
The best Korean food I have ever had while I've been in the US. We're recent transplants from Portland and were dubious about finding good Korean food, but little did we know that the Annandale area and this particular outlier would supply us with everything we could ever want....and more. The other issue we have is that even though my wife and I are asian, she's Japanese and I'm adopted Korean so neither of us speaks Korean. This has proven difficult at other restaurants when we're trying to order items that are not on the menu. Gamasot provides wonderful detailed pictures of the items, and has a great atmosphere. We will be returning.
Review Source:The following must be noted:
1) I am a white male and my girlfriend is a Korean female;
2) We went to Gamasot on a Monday night before seven o'clock - The restaurant was close to being empty.
Problems:
1) When we arrived it took three times to get the correct drink order (iced tea for both of us);
2) We were never given bonchon or side dishes prior to the order; however, every Korean couple or family that came through the door AFTER we sat and ordered our meal received PROMPT service and bonchon IMMEDIATELY;
3) We ordered a combination dinner to share that normally takes little time to prepare and serve; however, we were kept waiting for over thirty minutes under the following conditions: 1) The restaurant was empty; 2) Workers were standing around reading newspapers and chatting; 3) Every full Korean couple or family that came in AFTER us was served their meal - we never received our meal.
After 40 minutes of waiting for our meal, not receiving one refill on drinks, not receiving the complimentary bonchon, we decided to walk out and patron one of the nearby restaurants.
Gamasot has TERRIBLE customer service and relations. It appears that unless you speak Korean or your party is composed of 100% Koreans, STAY AWAY FROM THIS RESTAURANT. I have NEVER received this sort of experience at any Korean restaurant in Annandale.
Gamasot should be ashamed of running their business in this discriminatory practice. I am tempted to report their establishment to the Better Business Bureau. It was appalling how they treated us and the community should react by NOT supporting this racist and discriminatory establishment.
Discrimination should not occur within our community. Period. For this reason, Gamasot should be AVOIDED.
DO NOT GO HERE. HORRIBLE SERVICE!!
I'm not one to normally rate things or write reviews but this place was so bad I feel the need to warn others.
My family went there for dinner and ordered the BBQ for about $15 per person. They only offered three types of meat which were the cheapest of Korean BBQ meats. When we made a comment on the lack of meat variety, the waitress promptly began to IGNORE our table. She simply left the meat for us to cook and cut on our own without checking on our table while consistently passing us to flip and cut meat for other tables right near us. We even tried to get another waitress to help us but she also just passed our table with no response.
We were not checked on once during our meal. The gas for the stove ran out so we had to ask the guy who refills waters and clears tables to get a new canister for us. (I'll add that we replaced that canister ourselves.)
The meat did not even taste good enough to ask for more than the first plate. It was dry and all three "types" looked and tasted the same.
Basically, the only service we got was the barest minimum = the water guy served us more than any of the waitresses.
ALSO, after reading other reviews I was reminded that I heard a man from another table saying that he found something in his food. I guess it's not the first time that has happened according to previous reviews.
If you're looking for bad food and rude service, try them out!
Probably "One of the best" seul-lung-tang (Beef Soup) I've had across Korea, LA, NYC, and DC area. Â Perhaps top 3.
The soup had very thick white broth and it really is an ultimate comfort food. Â That's the way seul-lung-tang should be.
They also have all you can eat BBQ. Â I think the quality of meat is better than Honey Pig and other all you can eat BBQ joints in Annandale. Â I also like the fact that they give you a bowl of Seul-Lung-Tang along with the BBQ which is a plus.
Staffs were very friendly and responsive.
It's little off a beaten path but if you don't mind an extra 5 minute drive from Annandale to this location, I don't think you will regret it. Â This is a "go-to" place for seul-lung-tang for me.
** Edit 7/17/2012 **
Food is still good and consistent. Â They no longer have all you can eat BBQ (they were cutting the meat on-demand). Â This will work out better for them to focus on what they are good at, Seul-Lung-Tang!
Here is the deal. Â Yes, the service can be spotty at times but the food is good. Â
1. All You Can Eat BBQ
- Good quality meat is served here compared to Korshi or Il Mee Buffet
- 15 dollar is a steal when you get number of side dishes (banchan), steamed egg, marinated salad, and jigae (dan-jang). Â Honestly speaking, this is cheaper than getting a steak at Outback.
- Comes with assortment of meat which includes cha-dolt-bae-gi (thinly sliced ribeye beef), sam-gyup-sal (pork belly) and some type of steak meat.
2. Sul-lung-tang (house specialty)
- Good broth, better than Gomtangee
- 5 bucks! Â Its cheaper than eating a combo meal at McDonalds, and way more healthier!
- Wish they put more meat in the soup though
3. Galbi
- I say its mediocre, had better. Â I wouldn't order it here.
Overall, this is a good place to eat, good value. Â I would say its authentic as it gets, they haven't Americanized the menu. Â Decor is clean and they have a section where you can seat on the floor and eat at a traditional Korean table called 'sanhg'. Â
Menu is interesting because they actually have a picture of each of the dishes. Â The pictures are helpful to non-Koreans who are new to Korean food. Â
Oh yeah, written by a Korean...
Been here twice so far and both times got the all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ. Solid food for a good price ($15 for all-you-can-eat BBQ!)
The activity itself of cooking the meat is fun and great if you have a big group of people. The meat is really good and definitely rivals Honey Pig. All the side dishes are delicious and I love the "salad" that comes with the meats. Combined with rice, it makes for a really tasty and VERY filling meal.
We were looking for a decent sul-lung-tang place ever since Gom-Tang-E in Annandale went out of business. Â Then we saw this ad in Korean newspaper about Gamasot. Â They have some all-day special ($4.99 & $5.99 for sul-lung-tang, yuk-gae-jang, and man-doo-guk) so we decided to try out.
Soup was good and banchans (side dishes) were decent. Â So we ate here like 3 times in the past 10 days or so.
Food was consistent but unfortunately, service wasn't.
Even though they run this HUGE full page ad in the Korean newspaper about their special $4.99 & $5.99 pricing, when you actually order these soups (i.e. cheapest thing on the menu), I got the feeling that they were disappointed/annoyed or something.
I mean this place a bit out of my way but since their soup is decent and the price is great, we actually go out of our way to eat here. Â You can't find $4.99 sul-lung-tang in Annandale. Â That's the only reason why we'd go here. Â Sorry but I'm not gonna drive to Springfield to eat some bi-bim-bob and pay the same price when I can get this anywhere.
Another somewhat "shocking" thing was what I overheard when I was there last time. Â This lady customer must've tried to get serve'r' attention but clearly couldn't. Â
Finally, this waitress (not sure if she's the owner) went to that table and said, "if we don't come by your table right away, there's a reason why. Â We're busy doing other things.". Â I couldn't believe it. Â I mean the customer wasn't being rude or loud. Â She was actually being pretty nice in my opinion. Â I thought it was pretty nasty thing to say to the customer.
I have mixed feeling about this place. Â Decent food but not so good customer service. Â I'll probably go from time to time just to get some cheap soup but that's about it.
If you're looking for a Korean restaurant that offers both Korean BBQ and traditional cuisine, this is the place!
I've tried about 1/3 of the items on the menu, and I've never been disappointed.
The staff is ALWAYS friendly, and I find myself feeling quite satisfied and relaxed every time I leave. Today, I was asked if I wanted more hot tea. I replied that I was okay, but the server brought me a little extra just in case. I can't think of many other places that take the time to do that.
From what I can tell, the place is kept quite clean. The dinner prices aren't bad, but the lunch prices are even better.
I stumbled upon Gamasot after a long NYE, I needed takeout because the other 5 people I was with were not able to move from the couch.
Normally, we would eat pho to cure our hangover... But I love sullung tang, and it's a lot better to take out than pho is. Â It was delicious! Â Rich broth, tender beef, and yummy banchans. Â They packed it perfectly, and we had everything we needed.
Excited to go back and try something else!
went here this past weekend for the all you can eat korean bbq for $15. its all you can eat, so obviously you cannot expect the best quality, but i do think the meat was better than oegabjib in annandale, which i think is their biggest competitor.
we got the meat which comes with a variety of pork and beef. and then also ordered bibim neng myun, which we got for $4!!! it wasnt the best neng myun that i had, but $4 - you can't beat the price.
definitely worth the money!!!
My dad brought me here, which was kind of a surprise, considering I remember when this place actually was a Hechinger hardware store in which the street got its name from. Â Growing up, I only knew this area as one of the Hechingers, and where one of the only Burger Kings in the area were. Â But now, it's home to a shopping center with a vast variety of ethnic shopping available, including Gamasot.
I'll admit, I'm extra skeptical and critical when it comes to Korean dining experiences, because there's something personal about it to me, first things first. Â But that being said, I can't really say that Gamasot was a poor experience, the last time I went there. Â I took my parents out to dinner on a recent visit, and I told them to choose wherever they wanted to go, and for whatever reason, they drove to Gamasot.
There's generous parking, being in a shopping center, but if you really value your car, park further away. Â I know there's all sorts of inappropriate stereotypes when it comes to certain ethnicities and driving habits, or maybe the shopping plaza's parking spots are too narrow, but getting primo parking might come with some price involved.
The interior and atmosphere is actually a pretty interesting blend of traditional and modern. Â Instead of going way overboard with K-Pop disco hall or Korean Hipsters, Gamasot has normal chair and table dining, as well as bamboo-floored, take-your-shoes-off (and pray you don't have stinky feet), "traditional" seating (on the floor). Â All in a clean, inviting building that doesn't make you feel like you're in Busan hovel, but not a Seoul disco.
My parents really like the prices. Â I honestly don't really care as long as I'm getting good Korean food. Â I'm a big fan of soondooboo (spicy tofu stew), and Gamasot has it at a dinner price of $9. Â Admittedly, I prefer mine spicier, and with a bit more seafood than occasional baby shrimps in it, but in the end, I still had the warm and satisfied feeling of a good meal afterward.
In the end, my parents and I ate until satisfied for under $30. Â They give the place their seal of approval, and it's good enough for me from my own experiences. Â As long as they choose to go back there, I'd likely do so as well.
Gamasot was my introduction to Korean food last weekend, and I'm very glad it was!
I ordered the Sul Lung Tang, my boyfriend ordered the combination bean paste soup and kimchi pork barbecue. Our friend ordered the kimchi soup and the bulgogi. We shared a plate of steamed mandu.
As my first and only Sul Lung Tang, I can't speak to how it compares to others, but this was perfectly good, homey, comforting food -- I imagine it to be the Korean answer to chicken noodle soup.
Unfortunately (fortunately?), my tastebuds were spoiled by our other orders and by the fantastic side dishes! Everything was absolutely delicious. The best side dishes included a seaweed and raw onion salad, and addictive kimchi.
Some points off for service -- we went without water for most of the meal (an issue when you need to put out kimchi-mouth fires!), only to have it explained to us at the end that we needed to "call" for a waitress with a remote. Maybe this is normal for Korean restaurants?
Also, the price cannot be beat. Three people ate very well with a good variety of flavors for $15 each.
My wife and I decided to check out Gamasot after reading the new Washingtonian Cheap Eats. Â We got there around 12:30 on a Friday during the lunch rush. Â The place was packed. Â All the normal booths were taken so we took a seat in the traditional seating area. Â We kicked off our shoes and settled in at one of the low tables. Â My wife loved it. Â She's really limber so it wasn't a problem. Â I should have stretched my hamstrings first, but I enjoyed it, too. Â :) Â Â There was a group of very nice ladies at the table next to us that pointed out the seating pads which added a great deal of comfort versus sitting on the plain floor.
We ordered the beef dumplings, kimchi stew, and spicy pork. Â The banchan was outstanding. Â The spicy pork was excellent but not as spicy as some of the other places around here. Â It came with a bowl of tasty SLT. Â The server was very patient to show us how to add salt to the SLT. Â My wife loved the kimchi stew. Â There were some nice fatty pieces of pork in there. Â Yum!! Â Everything added up to a great meal. Â In hindsight, the dumplings were a bit much. They were great, but too much food. Â :)
The servers were very nice. Â They were attentive, but at the same time they left us alone (unlike other places). Â I agree with other reviewers about the ambiance. Â Gomasot has a traditional feel and is very well maintained.
I highly recommend Gamasot. Â It's another option for great Korean food in south Fairfax County without having to drive out to Annandale.
Ugh, not cool. My family stopped by on the way home after a really long road trip, because they were the only thing around open so late.
We all ordered a few different things, and nothing really hit the spot.
The banchan wasn't fresh; the bibimbap barely had any meat, the bibim naeng myun tasted really grainy for some reason, the kalbi a little try, and the soondubu was meh.
I forgot what other particular dish I ordered, but it was on the wall for only $5. At the very end when we asked, we were charged full price because the picture on the wall is for the "small size".
Service was okay.
I wish the Vietnamese restaurant next to it had been open, and we had been able to dine there instead. What in the world is up with the four stars? There are 9234823 better Korean options in the DMV!
This was delicious. The milky soup (SLT) tasted like liquid play-dough, but everything else had my taste buds singing. I know I need to give the SLT a few more tries; I just had a few slurps. Think "just the tip, just for a minute, to see how it feels." I'm not really sure yet, but that white stuff just might end up being one of my favorite things.
Inside was clean, spacious and there was even a little, long, bamboo-y tea room sit-on-the-floor thingy that looked great for parties. The servers were sweet; ours even grinned and bore it as my friend called his Korean buddy for recommendations and told her what he thought we should try.
We had dumplings--so good. I've had hotter/spicier kimchi. The two kinds of radish bonchan I had were banging. My friend ordered the bulgogi--it was one of the sweeter ones I've had and so addictive. I got a pork thing that was like a pork bulgogi, spicy and clean and delish.
I'll definitely be back, especially because the $14.99 all you can eat looks amazing (a table not far from us got it and we were super jealous). Lots of love!
This is definitely one of the better Korean restaurants I've been to. I'd give it 5 stars (both my parents LOVE it) but I personally haven't tried anything else besides the mandoo gook (dumpling soup, sans the usual rice cake bits). It's about the only thing that I get whenever I do go to a Korean restaurant.
Now, I've had some pretty lame dumpling soup (Garam and Woomi - although Woomi is slightly better) but Gamasot is delicious. My god. These are the best dumplings I have EVER had! (I remember trying the steamed ones at Manna in/around Rockville...ick! (I wonder if they're listed on here) The dumplings are perfectly wrinkly (the wrinklier, the better, since no one wants a deflated one) and taste really great - at some other places, they taste straight out of a bag, complete with MSG and all.
I'd love to come here more often but it's a bit far for me, which means I don't get my favourite dish nearly as much as I want!
------------ Update - 5/10/2011 --------------
Came here for the $14.99 AYCE meats after carefully considering Oegadgib AYCE deal as well. We were both somewhat skeptical, but when we got there...sooo happy we went there.
There is a limited selection of meat (pork belly, pork neck, brisket, bulgogi) however the meat was pretty good quality. When we asked for additional helpings they were very slow, which made me think they were just stalling. While I'm not saying that's not the case...it's understandable since they said the meat is freshly cut when ordered. It's not all pre-cut and frozen like many other AYCE places, it's apparently cut off a bigger slab back there at least for the moksal (pork neck). That also means with the exception of the bulgogi, none of the meat is marinated. It's meant to be grilled and enjoyed in it's unadulterated goodness. There's the optional garlic, pepper, samjang, and shredded scallion to spice things up if you need.
We loved the AYCE and definitely coming back for more.
------------ Update - 12/20/2010 --------------
I think I'll throw this place a bone and say this place is as good as it gets for Sullungtang. According to their signs this place is under new management . Not really sure a saw a big difference though since my first visit.
Their $4.99 sullungtang special was originally supposed to end mid-December, but they extended it until the end of the year.
The banchan was all pretty good, and they even gave us a serving of soondae...which is unusual for restaurants to do, but much appreciated. The sullungtang was awesome...IMO better than Gom-Tang-E. Asking for more broth is a very common thing but when we asked they said they don't do that there. At first we were a bit miffed, but then assuaged when the waitress brought us some extra broth anyway. We asked for a second helping of side dishes and at the end of the meal we had literally cleaned all the plates.
The recent change in ownership has indeed reduced the quality of the banchan, as well as the sullungtang (just a smidge), but it is still the go-to place for sullungtang (except I kind of can't stand it -- I go because my friends love it). Â Still, it is an awful long way for me to go for ox-bone soup and rice (but even I will admit it warms the soul on a wintry day), and the prices are soooooo cheap ($5 sullungtang winter special!?).
I am willing to bet that if I were a sullongtang lover, I would give this place at least 4 stars, but I just....can't do it. Â I generally don't like the -tang dishes in Korean cuisine. Â Far too bland for my taste, even if I add a ton of salt and pepper and dump cubes upon cubes of kkak-ddoo-ki (cubed radish kimchi) into my soup.
I hate to be a gossipmonger (actually, I revel in it), but rumor has it among older Korean folks that the new owners got this place for a steal. Â Apparently, the original owners had to leave town in a hurry (methinks there's a deeper story here), and they sold the place for the rock-bottom price of $60,000. Â WOW. Â Ok, gossip done.
Went because it was on the Washingtonian cheap eats list and I'm trying to crack them all off. Â
I'm sorry, but this sulungtang soup just isn't that good. Â It tastes like a bland beef stew that's had a lot of love put into it, but in the end is just thin and bland. Â You get a bowl of milky looking, stock-tasting liquid with thinly sliced beef, and some noodles. Â That's about it. Â Yes, they give you a bowl of scallions, and a wide variety of banchan. Â But that certainly wasn't enough to make the meal that enjoyable.
Also, I felt like the wait service dragged their feet a great deal. Â It was very hard for me to get their attention. Â Maybe it's because I'm not Korean, but maybe they're just not very prompt when people are in for an attempted lunch rush.
Solid 4 stars for their sulungtang. This is their specialty and they seem to have a unique offering not available elsewhere in the area. Â They deliver not only in presentation and taste, but also in overall atmosphere. The interior and open kitchen are a nice touch and this contributes to the overall experience. As far as the sulungtang, it's really good.
Some people compare this place to sulungtang restaurants in NYC's Korea town. Â To me, how much better could it be, afterall it's just sulungtang.
The Bottom Line:
4.5 stars.
Excellent sullungtang and very good ggakdugi kimchee for under $10 - rivals the standard set by Gammiok in NYC. Â As an added bonus, free mandoo and soondae if you go with a large group.
---
Extended Comments:
When I think of  sullungtang (a Korean soup consisting of oxtail broth, noodles, thin slices of tender meat, and all the scallions you want to add) I immediately think of Gammiok in NYC.  But, strangely enough, when I think of Gammiok, my first thought is its ggakdugi (pickled, fermented radish kimchee), which may be the best I've ever had.  Gamasot's sullungtang is as good as Gammiok's, and the ggakdugi, though falling just short of the standard set by Gammiok, is also excellent.
Though Gamasot offers various Korean stews, the headliner is the sullungtang, which was the perfect remedy on a cold, rainy March day. Â The sullungtang came out within minutes of ordering and was piping hot. Â The opaque broth was rich and almost creamy and the thin slices of beef almost melted in my mouth. Â The complimentary ggakdugi and kimchee were very good. Â In particular, the ggakdugi was a good balance of spicy, sweet, and sour - the only drawback was that a few pieces in the batch seemed overly fermented. Â Nevertheless, that didn't stop us from asking for more ggakdugi, which was provided free of charge.
The other added bonus was the complimentary yogurt drink that all customers receive for dessert, which is a nice change from the fruit that usually comes at the end of most meals at Korean restaurants.
The only disappointment was that our group of 6 did not get the free mandoo (Korean dumplings), soondae (Korean blood sausage), and cold radish soup that we had gotten on a previous visit when we went with a larger group. Â I guess the moral of the story is to make sure to visit Gamasot with a very large group to experience it in its fullest glory.
OK, so maybe I don't get it. Â After seeing all the great reviews of sul lung tang and how it was *the* thing to try here, I just had to try it. Â The GF and I went down there tonight, and I came away unimpressed. Â
First off, the decor/cleanliness is really top notch. Â It has a cool, clean aesthetic that seemed really nice. Â That is, except for their cash register area. Â Back there, it looks like a two bit teriyaki joint. Â It's unfortunate that they only seemed to care about decorating half the place, because it would otherwise really be attractive.
As for the food, the usual variety of condiments were spread out, and all were very tasty. Â I appreciated them cutting the kimchee right at the table--it is a nice bit of show that the customer is special. Â The service was also top-notch.
So why the two star rating? Â The food itself was nothing at all special. Â Maybe my non-Korean genes are missing the sul lung tang chromosome or something, but I really didn't get it at all. Â It tasted like completely bland beef in a watery milk-broth that I tried to doctor up with the condiments to no avail. Â My GF had a spicy goat soup that was better than the sul lung tang, but still seemed fairly one-dimensional. Â The steamed mandoo were quite tasty--they reminded me of my grandmothers' kreplach--but they weren't special enough to push the food into the "we have to come back" realm. Â
To sum up--if you don't have the sul lung tang in your genes, probably best to pass and head somewhere else for your Korean jones.
Suhlung tang anyone?
I wouldn't recommend ordering much of anything else here. I am not a big fan of suhlung tang (ox tail broth soup base with white noodles and sliced beef, add your own salt and scallions, conveniently located on your table) so I order mandoo duk guk (soup base with dumplings, sliced beef, noodles and sliced rice cake). And that was pretty much made with the suhlung tang broth. It comes out super bland so make sure you add at least one spoonful of salt.
They come out with a couple dishes of banchan and some homemade kimchi and kakdoogi that they cut up for you at the table.
The portions are a good size and the service of normal Korean standards. Although it took a while to get our waitress' attention to place our order, there were only about two of them and at least fives parties there, so I excuse the ahjunmah.
I was hungry after shopping at E Mart and remembered reading awesome reviews about this place on Yelp. I stopped by and ordered hot stone Bibimbap, Pajun (scallion pancake), Yook Gae Jang (spicy beef soup). They were all not very good. The banchans were OK, nothing to rave about. And no, though I should have, but didn't order Sulungtang....
One thing that really bothers me about this place is that I get the feeling the chef is trying too hard to "save" money/time. Almost all places serve bibimbap with miso soup. However, this place served it with sulungtang. Â Yook Gae Jang's broth was made with sulungtang broth.
I probably won't go back only because I would resort to Annandale Korean restaurants. Better value and taste.
Ahhh ... Korean comfort food. If there was such a thing, I'd put Sul Leung Tang near the top of my list. For the uninitiated, Sul Leung Tang is a rich, milky, oh so good soup made from boiling every bit of flavor out of oxtail over the course of days. Yes, I said oxtail! And no, I have no friggin idea why Koreans started eating it - all I know is that it's good dammit!
Anyway, back to da food. Sul Leung Tang is usually served with strips of beef and rice noodles swimming in the broth. On the table is coarse salt and green onions, which you can add to your hearts content. Every meal comes with a nice assortment of panchan, including a surprise visit from soondae -- blood sausage. Not as bad as it sounds (OK, maybe it is), and it is definitely an acquired taste. Culinary prudes need not apply. Another bonus is the nice bowl of kimchee and fresh Kak-Tu-Gi (radish kimchee) that comes with every meal. Â
As for ambiance and decor, look elsewhere (unless sketchy strip mall locations with simple furniture is your thing ... but it is clean). On the plus side, Gamasot is an open kitchen -- so you can watch the chef labor over your food. Now go grab a bowl!
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