Review: Sulga Jinju Gom Tang serves organic beef soup
Located on the busy Beverly Boulevard, Korean restaurant Sulga Jinju Gom Tang, also known as the “House of Beef Soup,” has opened for a two month run and is going pretty well so far. It is actually the new location of the original Jinju Gomtang restaurant, which first started its business on the intersection of Western Avenue and West 6th Street, and relocated to the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Alexandria Avenue after 20 years. Now, it has moved again—with the new name Sulga Jinju Gom Tang and a new menu offering various food options.
Sulga Jinju Gom Tang is best known for its “gomtang,” a traditional Korean soup with beef parts simm
Photo courtesy of Sulga Jinju Gom Tang
Begging for more · The bibimbap, the eight-vegetable mixed rice dish (shown above), is an even healthier spin on the traditional Korean dish. It includes bugolgi, but vegetarian options are available. The restaurant is best known for its signature dish, knee cap soup.
ering on a low flame. The special part about gomtang is that, during the process of stewing, no additional seasonings are added — the broth usually has a milky color and a mellow, authentic taste, which is rich in protein and calcium.
At Sulga Jinju Gom Tang, most of the ingredients are organic, and even the water goes through three layers of filter. The owners of the restaurant emphasized that they never use MSG because they want to offer healthy and natural deliciousness. For them, watching customers leave with a satisfied and happy smile is the most important.
Knee cap soup is the signature dish here. Ox knee is cleaned detailedly, and cut into smaller pieces in front of customers when served at the table. Fresh meat and gelatin blend out perfectly in the hot and nutritious soup, and sea salt can be added to season the taste based on customer’s own preference.
Brisket with organic soup and cheek meat with organic soup are also popular — the meat is cooked for hours achieving great tenderness is presented, serving along with the cellophane noodles in the thick soup base. As for the ox tail soup, it comes with tonic ginseng and dates.
If one is not craving something warm in hot weather, try the Korean naengmyeon. Cold wild yam noodle and spicy wild yam noodle are topped with brisket slices, hard-boiled egg, pickled cucumbers and root vegetables. The seafood chive pancake is a tasty choice and good item to share with friends. Unlike regular seafood pancakes that are mainly made with flour paste, the ones at Sulga Jinju Gom Tang are made from eggs stuffed with plentiful chives.
Sulga Jinju Gom Tang also offers free beet and burdock drink with pine seed at the end. The service is extraordinarily great, and is probably one of the best in Los Angeles. Staff and owners are really friendly and are always attentive to customers’ needs. The dining environment is also comfortable — clean, bright, well-organized with spacious seating.