Young Dong Garden isn’t a tofu house and while it serves soon tofu soup, it doesn’t specialize in it. I was definitely curious as to how it would compare to actual tofu houses and let me tell you, eating the soon tofu soup there was like eating a xia long bao at a Hunan restaurant as opposed to a Shanghai restaurant.

Before I even get to the soup, I have to give some mentions about the panchan and the other food I ordered. One word. Terrible. The panchan wasn’t fresh, with browning bean sprouts and veggies that lacked any kind of crunch or crispness. As for the bulgogi, the meat looked really pale as if it wasn’t grilled enough plus I think the seasoning was still hiding in the spice jars. The dumplings/mandu looked better than they tasted – unseasoned, oily and with a funny, strange after taste.

When the tofu soup arrived, I was hoping it would save my meal, but it didn’t. The soup had some good flavor, but was so thick that a fork would have stood upright in the middle of the bowl with no worry about it falling down. Inside the soup, the tofu was a little mushy and it didn’t help that the soup in general cooled down really quickly. Lukewarm soon tofu soup is just not right. Needless to say, I’m never going back.

Yea, I really laughed at the name when I was first taken here. And I can’t help but to love saying, “I want me some Yong Dong ,dammit!” And what a delight my first Korean food experience was. I was excited over all the little dishes of goodies you get! The seaweed is awesome as are the sprouts and the onion pancake thing. There is also Kimchee and chili zuchini, some lotus, etc.
I love the Bibinbop so much that I never seem to try anything else. I pay a little extra to get it in the hot sizzling pot so the rice is burnt and crispy at the bottom of the bowl. Oh yum. crunch. And what the heck are those brown vegetable things in it? Fern shoots? Whatever it is it is my favorite.

I swear next time I will try something different on on menu. Really. maybe.