ivy chuang

Somehow we agreed that Korean Barbecue was the choice for Valentine's Day dinner.  The smell of smoky meat usually doesn't really fuel romance, but we're not the roses and chocolates kind anyhow, so it was just a regular dinner outing.  We chose Yakiniku Seoul for its proximity to our home, just a short, ten-minute walk.  From the outside there are Shoji screens lining the side of the building, so I naturally thought the interior would have a traditional Asian decor.  Not so, it was a converted Karaoke Bar: I'm 100% sure.  We ordered the special menu for two that came with the run of the mill- beef, kalbi, tofu kimchee stew, green onion pajeon, and a table full of small dishes.  The pajeon was the star of the night, it's the best i've ever had! The meat came cooked already, so we didn't get the whole barbecue experience after all.  The kimchee was tasty. Everything else was decent but not so memorable.  We were stuffed - good amount of food.  Came out close to $70 with one beer each.  Return or no return?  I will say that there are more places to try.  Kimchee for Valentine's?  Definitely could be a tradition to continue b/c I freak'n LOVE kimchee!