By Cindy Luong
While some people are spending their days and nights slaving away to homework, others are spending their time at the warm, quiet and delectable Korean Restaurant named A Ri Rang Tofu House.
In July, they had a grand opening and have attracted a large amount of customers ever since. As they swarm in, they are pleased to find a warm greeting and a bright smile from all of the waiters and waitresses.
Without a delay, they are seated with menus in their hands along with entertainment and catchy Korean and Japanese pop songs to listen to. After they are seated and have taken their order, the waiter or waitress fills the table with small and flavorful side dishes such as salad, mashed potato, cabbage kimchi, spiced cucumber, sesame broccoli, bean sprouts, sea weed and either a cold or hot tea.
Even on a busy day or night, service is still just a hand away and no one has to swing their hand around in the air in hopes that someone will notice them. The waiters and waitresses do a constant check-up on their customers almost every five to 10 minutes. They also converse with their customers as well, which makes the environment much more comfortable.
One of the main attractions is their sizzling, steam entrees and soups. Not only do they serve Korean dishes, but they also serve classic Japanese meals as well.
One of the many entrées that people can find delicious is the Golden Pork Cutlet which is also called Tonkatsu. This dish is one of the Japanese classics and contains sliced pork with melted cheese inside and is topped with warm cinnamon glazing. Next to it is a proportional size of rice and salad. Because of the light cinnamon glazing, it mixes in nicely with the melted cheese and pork causing taste buds to pop with flavor.
One enticing dish that customers can find mouth watering is Barbecue Beef Rib. This is also called Galbi in Korean. This dish is ordered as a combination at the price of $14.99 with the choice of any tofu soup and extra rice. As this meal is placed on the table, it sizzles and steams with the aroma of minced garlic, soy sauce, black pepper and green onions leaving customers ready to dig in to this delightful meal.
Another customer favorite dish is the Bulgogi which is barbecue marinated beef. Just like the Barbecue Beef Rib, it is brought out sizzling and steaming leaving a trail of the exquisite scent. This dish is also served with the choice of any tofu soup and extra rice, at the price of $13.99.
If customers aren’t in the mood for a big meal, they can also find interest in their tofu soups. Their most popular tofu soup is the Beef Tofu Soup. It comes with tofu, sliced beef and the option of having it spicy or not. When the soup is brought out, it boils for a minute or two while the waiter or waitress cracks an egg in there adding more flavor to the soup.
Beef tofu soup is not the only soup that is delectable. Customers can switch to pork, dumpling, seafood, oyster, clam, mushroom, seafood with beef and kimchi with beef tofu soup at the moderate price of $6.99 for lunch and $7.99 for dinner.
A Ri Rang Tofu House also welcomes vegetarians as well. Their vegetarian food is just as gratifying as their meat entrées such as Bibimbap which is primarily rice with assorted vegetables. Another selection is their spicy Ra-Bboki which contains noodle, vegetables and rice cake. Both are priced for only $8.99.
This restaurant is a great place to go to with a group of friends and or family. The environment is clean, spacious and never too loud. It’s great for socializing as well. Never the less, the price is also moderate too, which ranges from $9 to $30.
It is located at 529 East Valley Blvd. #128 San Gabriel and their hours are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.