GOTTA GYU...!

This past weekend, I was able to visit an “oldie but goodie” restaurant; one that I hadn’t been to in a long while. Gyu Kaku Japanese BBQ Dining first came into my life back in 2005, when my cousin decided to have her birthday dinner there. Later, the restaurant would be featured in episodes of the first season of The Hills – making it a part of L.A.’s MTVesque dining scene. But before its exposure to American TV via Heidi and Lauren, it was (and still is, as I just realized) one of my favorite places to go and hang out with friends, and to eat/cook yummy-ass Japanese BBQ.

Unlike the “all you can eat” BBQ houses that dot Koreatown (Manna Korean BBQ, Tahoe Galbi), Gyu Kaku does not offer an overflowing supply of meats (at one price) to be grilled and eaten like a food-whore. In that respect, you can go in and not get that feeling like you’re about to embark on a race to eat the most meat out of everyone in your dinner party. It’s quite subdued that way, but just as tasty and flavorful. The menu offers an array of meats (beef cuts, pork loin, chicken) specially marinated in different specialty sauces:

Shio: White soy marinade (hint of garlic and ginger)
Tare: Sweet soy marinade (soy sauce, roasted garlic and fresh juices)
Miso: Soy-based BBQ sauce
Garlic: Chopped and roasted garlic combination
Teriyaki: Sweet and thick soy-based marinade
Basil Pesto: Special pesto sauce made especially for chicken

Likewise, there are special dipping sauces:

Sweet & Spicy: Garlic, Chinese chili, fruit juice; best with steamed rice, miso & tare marinades & seafood
Tsuke: Traditional fruit soy based dipping sauce; best with kalbi short rib with tare sweet soy
Ponzu: Japanese citrus soy sauce; best with salt & pepper items, vegetables & seafood

Each table at a Gyu Kaku has a charcoal brazier in the middle (in U.S. restaurants, at least). Menu items vary from soups, salads, Japanese restaurant staples (edamame, tofu, miso soup), and a few Korean-influenced items such as kalbi short ribs and bibimba (bibimbap). The grills are pre-heated once you’re seated, and soon after the cooking and eating-fest begins. Being that you control how long items are grilled, you have your choice of meats cooked anywhere from rare to well done. Fish fillets (miso butterfish is amazing) and seasoned veggies come wrapped in foil, which are placed on top of the grill. Freshly cut vegetables, meats, and tofu are placed directly on the grill; cooked to your preference. Dip your meats and veggies in any of the sauces, and you’re in for fun times.

Their drink menu features a decent selection of wines (red and white), Japanese plum wines, sake, beer (bottled and tap), and sochu cocktails. Happy Hour occurs twice a day Mondays and Fridays –-usually after the work crowd lets out, and again an hour before closing time.

The vibe of the restaurant is a fusion of Eastern and Western influences – gorgeous wood-based walls and furnishings are cast aglow by dim lights and table candles, random pieces of traditional and modern-esque Japanese art are spread across the room, and the sound of group chatter meshes with the pulsating tunes of 80s hits (at least when we were there last). All of this makes for an intimate, and un-pretentious, dining experience.

It had been a while since I’d popped my head into the West L.A. location, but it all came back to me as soon as I sat down. My friend, whose birthday we were celebrating, had a good time as well. And we went home not overly stuffed, but perfectly pleased (and full).
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Photos courtesy of Flickr member, jeremy!. Thank you!