Korean BBQ date night in Sinnonhyeon: staff-grilled LA galbi, Sojei

On a day I had plans in Gangnam, my boyfriend and I headed to Sinnonhyeon for dinner. I usually love galbi (beef ribs), so while searching for a barbecue place in Sinnonhyeon, I ended up at Sojei Seoul Flagship Store, where you can enjoy LA ribs and oxtail stew together.

Along with my review of the LA ribs and oxtail stew, I'll share the atmosphere, plus parking and waiting info.

Sojei Seoul Flagship Store: location, hours, parking and waiting

Sojei Seoul Flagship Store is at 13 Gangnam-daero 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 1st floor, and is open Mon–Thu 17:00–01:00 and Fri & Sat 17:00–02:00. There is no dedicated parking, so if you come by car you'll need a nearby private or public parking lot.

We took the subway. To avoid a wait, we arrived at the 5pm opening. The place isn't as big as I expected, so I think there would be a wait at peak times.

What we ordered at Sojei Seoul Flagship Store, and the prices

• LA ribs 500g ₩60,000
• Tasting oxtail stew ₩33,000
• Kimchi stew ₩8,000
• Egg rice ₩2,000

It was our first visit, so choosing was a bit of a dilemma. We decided to try the LA ribs I always love together with oxtail stew, which I don't eat very often. The prices felt more suited to a special occasion than a casual meal.

Beef tartare comes as a side dish

After you order, the side dishes are prepared first, and along with myeongi namul (pickled wild garlic leaves), shredded radish, wasabi and sauces, yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) came out too.

With the tartare as a side, it was nice as a light bite before the main dishes, and later, when we put it into the egg rice, we found the combination really satisfying.

Are 500g of LA ribs and tasting oxtail stew enough for two?

For two people, 500g of LA ribs and the tasting oxtail stew, plus kimchi stew and egg rice, was enough. At first I wondered whether 500g of LA ribs and a tasting portion of oxtail stew would be filling enough.

LA ribs grilled by staff from start to finish

At Sojei Seoul Flagship Store, the staff grill the LA ribs for you from start to finish, so for the first time in a while I could just sit and chat without grilling the meat myself.

Once the meat was cooked, they explained which sauce goes best with each cut. Eating it the way they suggested, rather than just plain meat, made the same beef taste different depending on what went with it, so I got to try it in several ways.

Thick LA ribs that stay juicy after grilling

LA ribs are often cut thin, right? The ones at Sojei Seoul Flagship Store are on the thick side, so they don't get too thin after grilling, and they stayed moist and tender when chewed, without any dryness.

Personally, the LA ribs were the best thing we ordered that day, and my boyfriend even said they were among the best he's had recently.

Every bite was still juicy, so we enjoyed it to the very end. We both loved it, so I'll definitely order the LA ribs again next time.

Tasting oxtail stew: portion size and an ordering tip

The tasting oxtail stew (₩33,000) at Sojei Seoul Flagship Store suited us, since we wanted to try a little of several dishes. One thing to note: if you order the oxtail stew first, the basic table setup changes, and it reportedly becomes difficult to add LA ribs afterward.

The tasting oxtail stew came topped with plenty of garlic chives. You can reportedly ask for more if you run short, but there was more than enough. I assumed a tasting dish wouldn't be much, but when it arrived, it was just the right amount for two people to try several dishes.

We could pull off the meat clinging around the bones, and it was cooked tender and easy to eat. If two meat lovers like us visit, the tasting oxtail stew is nice, but I think adding more LA ribs would make for a more filling meal.

Mixing beef tartare into the egg rice

I mixed the side-dish tartare and a little of the oxtail stew sauce into the egg rice (₩2,000) at Sojei Seoul Flagship Store. My boyfriend suggested putting the tartare into the egg rice, so I followed along, and it tasted different from eating the tartare alone and went really well with the egg rice. Food lovers really do fusion well 👍🏻🤣

What's the rib-bone kimchi stew like?

For the kimchi stew (₩8,000) at Sojei Seoul Flagship Store, you can choose whether to add the bones left over from grilling the LA ribs, and we asked for them to go in. Maybe because of the rib bones, the broth was a bit richer and milder.

A big piece of soft tofu came in whole, so it felt more like a sundubu kimchi stew (soft tofu kimchi stew) than a regular kimchi stew. Many people probably order the stew as a drinking snack, but it also went well with rice, the way we ate it.

How was Sojei Seoul Flagship Store for a Sinnonhyeon date dinner?

By the way, if you take part in the receipt review event at Sojei Seoul Flagship Store, you reportedly get a cold bottle of soju.

Often you can't really talk because you're busy grilling, but at Sojei the staff grill for you, so we could relax, and we also got to try dishes we don't usually eat, which made for a fun date. Next time I'm in Sinnonhyeon, I'll definitely order the LA ribs again and enjoy a little more generously.