Ttu Rak

Good place to eat

The spicy galbi jjim is not as good as the bul nak I had last time. It is less spicy even though I got the same level 3 and resulted in the fried rice at the end being less tasty too. Didn’t even take the leftovers home and that is really unlike me.
I did get the half half fried rice and got udon noodles for $ 3 extra. Had to try it because it’s one of the most popular dishes and still comes out on a stove top burner but the meat is not melt in your mouth tender.

This restaurant is always great for me. I usually get spicy beef short rib. I think the owner has been changed around 1 year ago, so I was worried about the taste because i really liked the previous owner’s food. But the taste of spicy beef rib is same as before. i think this new owner’s food is even better! He is super kind. Oh don’t forget the fried rice after spicy beef rib, even you are full lol!

As a regular at ondal 2, I decided to give this place a try since some reviewers claimed it may be the best spicy rib soup in LA.
The flavor is not bad but it’s not as flavorful as ondal 2. Even though the price is cheaper. The portion is also smaller. The biggest difference between ondal and here is the beef quality. It’s a lot tougher to chew here. Ondal also has better side dishes.
Overall, I would say this is a younger generation of ondal.

I definitely came here with high expectations. Me and my two other friends ordered the galbijjim. Don’t be fooled by the pricing like I was. I didn’t realize that the price was based on serving. I guess it makes sense because I wondered why it was so cheap at 17.99 per dinner. The two serving portion was enough to share for three people. It also has decent amount of meat in it. I just wish there were more potatoes. Service was pretty okay and side dishes were basic. They also make complimentary fried rice with the leftover soup if you ordered at least 2 serving portion. Our fried rice was literally the leftover soup, rice, and mozzarella cheese. It tasted pretty bland and greasy. Overall I don’t think I’d come back

The spicy galbijim is by far the best thing I’ve eaten in Koreatown, LA.
At a price of ~$ 20 per order (and you’ll likely get two of the same), they serve you stewed short rib meat in a large casserole, and you choose your desired level of spiciness.
Though not cheap, this dish is worth every penny. The meat is plentiful and so tender that it falls right off the bone. Also included are potatoes, yam noodles (think clear vermicelli noodles), onions, mushroom. I couldn’t help drinking the flavorful broth this was all cooked in.
The reason you should order two of the same is so there’s enough broth to cook the rice that comes complementary. I always opt for the cheese rice. They move any big meat pieces off to the side and take the leftovers to the back to make the rice. Then voila! Out comes some amazing repurposed version of my leftovers on a hot pan. I love finding left over pieces of mushroom and yam noodles in my fried rice.
The two of us could not finish all that food during lunch, but I am looking forward to having the leftovers for dinner tonight — Spicy galbijim round 2!

With the cold weather rolling in, this place is so on point. I got their spicy galbi soup which is probably their most popular dish. Very generous portion– we got a portion for two and were stuffed.
There is a level of spiciness that goes from 1 – 5. We got level 3 and its still pretty damn spicy. But man, the soup is soo good it hit the spot. Theres vegetables, beef, and glass noodles in the stew– not to mention the side dishes here are pretty damn good.
We shared one bowl of rice so that we don’t fill up too quickly for the fried rice they make whenever you’re ready.
So eat your fill of the stew, then when you’re ready have them pack the rest and ask for the fried rice! They pack up most of it but leave certain bits to make into the fried rice using the leftover seasoning as well. They offer two different types — cheese or a greens one (not too sure what the word was in english) but i recommend getting half and half. Everything from the food to the service was on point.

Good, hearty soup with just the right amount of ahhh when you taste it. The fried rice at the end was the best part! They both hit the spot. I definitely wanna come back to try the spicy galbi soup with the kimchi fried rice with cheese!

I’ve only tried their spicy galbi jjim to go, but it was delicious! The spicy levels are 1 through 5 and I opted for 3 — it was spicccccy! Be prepared for a good sweat as you shovel down all the beefy deliciousness. It’s not that sweet, but more savory and it’s also filled with glass noodle, mushrooms, and onions.
They seem to specialize in lots of casserols. I’ve got my eye on the grilled pork belly over kimchee. That’s my next thing to eat here.
All Korean customers — it’s a good sign!

We didn’t have much time and this was the closest restaurant. Let’s just say we were not impressed. Came here around 11:30am and we were the only customers. The restaurant itself smelled like some type of cleaner.
We ordered bibimbap and galbitang. The bibimbap was horrible! The rice was too moist and the vegetables lacked flavor. I also wish restaurants would give real gochujang, not the watery crap in a bottle. Needless to say, I did not finish my food.
The galbitang was much better but seemed like they didn’t skim the yellow fat. Galbitang is supposed to look clear, but this one had a milky quality.
The banchan was ok. Although the bean sprout tasted off… it made me afraid of getting food poisoning.
Parking is horrible. Had to park on the street.

Korean comfort food at it’s finest! Get the spicy kalbi jim and you wont regret it. The left over soup/​sauce from the hot pot is used to flavor the fried rice that is added at the end. It’s topped with cheese and is DELICIOUS!
I’m usually too stuffed once I get through the entire meal.

Yep.
My hangover go-​to spot.
All that spice makes me sweat and nose run. I feel that alcohol coming out of me. The spice level is like extreme. So, I recommend starting low cause it gets SUPER SPICY.
The best part of this restaurant is after you finish your meal, they make you fried rice with some mozzarella cheese. Delicious.

Ok.
Listen up.
Read Only.
This place will cure your hang over in an instant.
I’ve only tried the Spicy Octopus Hotpot, but if you get a chance try the beef short ribs hot pot. You can have this served with Buckwheat noodles, rice noodles, vermicelli (mandatory with beef short ribs), or udon. Make sure to get the spicy level 3, it’s good spicy; spicy like eating in n out jalapenos.
Their side dishes are fresh and good, and they make you a kimchi fried rice in the pot topped with Parmesan cheese.
Simple and easy.
The server/​owner is very helpful and guides you through your first experience.

Small place in the corner of a plaza.
Parking: Horrible, but free valet. Free valet is still horrible because the lot is TINY, and there are 9 different shops/​eateries in the plaza.
Food: Spicy galbi jjim (⁴⁄₅) I like mine to be VERY SPICY. It comes in a pot with potatoes, meat, onion, glass noodles etc. in a thick, heavy, oily broth… a bit too heavy and oily. You cook it under high heat, and when it’s ready, you feast upon the goodness. In the end, they mix up the left overs into a fried rice concoction with a slab of cheese for good measure… BUT, I always order a bowl of rice while I eat my galbi jjim, as without the rice, it can become too salty. Besides, I like to dip my spoonful of rice into the soup. ahhhh.
The meat quality is not so good as Seongbukdong, but the jjim here will suffice for now.
Banchan (¹⁄₅) Plain, boring, doesn’t even taste good!
Prices: Increased but not by much. Take a look at my pictures.
Service: Mediocre. The couple of times I have been here, they never come and check up on you. You will have to wave them down, but once you do wave them down, they are there to assist.

Like Turok (the titular dinosaur hunter from video games of yesteryear) hunting for dinosaur meat, my own hunt for the best food in K-​town brought me to Ttu Rak. There is something primal about the simplicity of Korean food that brings out the carnivore in all of us. Recently finishing a month long cleanse of no animal products, I thought what better way to spoil it than sitting down for some home-​cooked Korean lovin’. Hubs suggested Ttu Rak and that was all it took.
The joint is tucked away in the corner of a non-​descript strip mall at the edge of Korea town. The parking lot is obviously a joke played by the owner of the property, as there are about 20 spots to service the 15 shops and restaurants in the mall. Oh well, street parking is easy around this outpost of Koreatown, so we parked right down the street. The décor is typical of what you find in an oldschool homey type Korean joint, that is to say it’s non-​existent. Yellow walls and wood tables, but the patrons were all Asian, save for Hubs. The place is clean however, and relief washes over me in an awesome, awesome wave.
The staff was attentive and courteous. I would raise my hand and within a moment our waitress would appear to ask us what we needed. There was 1 girl working the tables, but the place was at 50% capacity during supper hours on a Saturday night. Made me a little worried at first, but we’re here, we want beer, and we’re starving; Let’s do this!
We ordered Spicy Galbi Jjim and Kimchi Pork Belly. «Spicy levels 1 – 5?» Pft, 5 please! The waitress looks at Hubs, «Um, are you sure. that is very spicy…» We relent. let’s try 3 on both. And a beer, nothing complements Korean food quite like a Hite. Banchan arrives, a nice mix of pickled veggies, pretty standard fare. Then comes the food; a smoking cauldron of spices, meat, veggies, and noodles; a sizzling hot plate of Kimchi and pork belly. Turok would be proud.
Both dishes were good. We disagreed about which was the stronger of the two, but they were both extremely spicy. The waitress saved us, had we ordered a 5 level spicy I think we would be getting treated for 3^rd degree burns to our intenstinal lining.
There are few greater joys than going on Unilocal,finding a place, going there virtually sight unseen and having a great meal. There is something about it that makes me feel like I accomplished something, because after all, as Jeff Goldbloom once said, «Dinosaurs don’t want to be fed, they want to hunt.» Indeed, the same can be said of Unilocalers.

I had a good meal here :)
My family went for Mother’s Day & we ordered the spicy galbee chim (2 servings). It was enough for my mom, my brother, and I.
The soup was little thick in my opinion but that’s my only complaint with it. Besides that, it was de-​li-​cious! :)
The meat was tender, mushrooms were yummy, and just overall, super duper yummy!
The fried rice after, you’ve got two choices. Cheese or this like this leafy thing? Anyways, I chose the cheese. The spicy fried rice was really good except it had a little too much cheese & I wish it had like small bits of kimchi mixed in it… That would’ve made it really good :)
Overall, I definitely would come back because not only was the food good, the service was really great too! :)

Ttu Rak is known for their Spicy Galbijjim — steamed, hot, and braised beef short ribs stew with the ingredients (veggies, noodles) are given to you are uncooked (with the exception of the meat), and make sure you allow some time to cook. Also double check the stove for the heat … if you don’t pay attention, your food can burn and stuff. Don’t forget to get the cheesy kimchi fried rice at the end.
The guys working there on a Friday night were pretty awesome. They were attentive and whenever we needed something, they were there. You didn’t even need the little door bell things that most Korean restaurants have.
This spot is definitely mom&pop and as homemade as possible. They serve soft drinks, beer, and soju.
Parking lot is TINY! You can valet for a nominal fee, or find parking (on Western — it was free after 6pm. Make sure you’re reading your meter and the signs!)

I’d say somewhere between 3 and 4 stars.
Location: in the inner corner of a small strip mall.
Ambiance: Casual with wooden tables. Reminded me of restaurants in Korea. I actually liked the ambiance, not too loud or crowded on a Saturday night.
Food: We tried the samgyupsal with kimchi on a iron plate and spicy octopus/​short rib stew cooked tableside. Both dishes were great, but the actual amount of meat was pretty small. We asked for spicy, and it was pretty spicy! (you could ask for regular) They fry the rice for you at the end which was ok, hard to mess up on fried rice.
Service: Efficient. No complaints.
Parking: Valet parking available in the tiny lot.
Overall, I liked the restaurant, and I’d come back… but I love spicy Korean soups/​stews. It’s not so much a Kbbq place. Great for when you’re craving hot, spicy broth on a cold night.

Do you love soup? Spicy soup?
How about kimchi fried rice with cheese melted on top?
This place is located in a small plaza (the Paris Baguette mall). Although it states valet, if you go earlier in the evening, they let you self park.
Customer service was not bad and our waiter even let us order half-​half of the fried rice since we could not decide which of the two we wanted.
Spicy kalbi jim of course, is what you should order! If you order 2 servings, the fried rice is free!
The restaurant is small in my opinion, so I do not recommend a huge group to dine with you. Perhaps 6 max? There are only about 10 tables max, if at that.

When it gets colder, the perfect thing to warm you up is some galbi jjim. Thankfully they have plenty of it here AND it’s delicious!
Staff was very nice and explained everything to us, though they were not too attentive on the water and their dishes were a *bit* spicy.
Banchan was ok but my favorite had to be the eggplant.
The main star, Galbi Jjim, had plenty of nice chunks of tender galbi to go with the assortment of veggies (mushrooms, scallions, potato, kimchi) and some noodle. The broth itself was so flavorful, though the noodles soaked it up if you ate slowly.
Pork Belly with Kimchi was REALLY good. Perfect slices of pork belly BBQ’ed up for you with some hot kimchi with a jalapeño pepper. So delicious! The kimchi was very spicy and it was temperature hot because it came on a sizzling plate!
At the end, we got the fried kimchi rice with cheese. Apparently we were not supposed to use up too much of our jjim because they use what is leftover to make the fried rice. This was delicious with crispy bits here and there as well!
Parking lot is a bit tight and depending if you get lucky or not, there are spots for you. if not, valet and they will find you a spot closeby or when someone leaves.
The most important thing I learned that night (weekend), however, was that valet closes at 10PM, so come and collect your car!