Restaurant Chungdam

Cuisine Korean
Price $$$$ (51-100)
Rating 6/10
Last Visit June 10, 2024
Location SFBA: South Bay
General Notes

Upscale KBBQ restaurant. I was recommended this place in the past, and I came here with a large group for a client team dinner. Compared to Ten Butchers (which is the most similar restaurant I can think of in terms of both price point and vibes), I enjoyed the non-bbq dishes a little more and I enjoyed the meat a little less. Overall the meat was good, but not quite the "wow" factor that I got from the meat at Ten Butchers. We had a big group so we tried pretty much everything, and of the meat dishes I think I enjoyed the short rib dishes the most. The non-bbq dishes hit really well, especially the spicy sauteed squid -- oh man that was something else. I don't think I would come here myself anytime soon, but I think it's a great option for a larger group, especially since they cook everything for you.

Positives

> Their kimchi was unironically some of the best kimchi I've had

Negatives

> They claim they have really good ventilation; it's definitely better than some kbbq places I've been to, but it still leaves quite a bit to be desired. You could definitely still smell my tshirt

Dishes Tasted
  • ★★☆☆ Spicy Cold Noodles -- handmade arrowroot noodles, beef, egg, daikon, pair, house spicy sauce. Pretty good, although I found the consistency of the sauce to be a little more watery than I would have preferred for the spicy version.
  • ★★★★ Spicy Sauteed Squid -- squid, bell peppers, onion. Kind of like osam bulgogi. Unironically one of my favorite dishes that I had here -- it was so good. Squid was tender, and the flavor was incredible. All the other components (including rice cakes) paired nicely.
  • ★★☆☆ Steamed Egg with Fish Roe -- egg, seaweed, fish roe. Good flavor but not quite as uniform / bouncy of a texture as I was hoping. Maybe because it was a little bit more cooled when I tried this.
  • ★★★☆ Seafood Pancake -- mixed seafood and scallion pancake. Looks very different from most seafood pancake I've had -- almost looks like a giant latke. Flavor is excellent, surprisingly tender seafood, well-fried, though I really wish the second side of the pancake were also fried for an even better texture.