BCD Tofu House — Restaurant in Artesia

If you like spicy Korean tofu soup, then this place will fill your stomach nicely. Logistics getting to this location are pretty easy, it's in a large shopping center and there is plenty of parking. If you're lucky you'll get one of the few dedicated spots right in front of the restaurant. There's no way to tell just how policed the spaces are, let's just hope that the patrons of the nearby stores are honest.

Those not familiar with Korean food might feel a little overwhelmed. It's best to take somebody who's eaten here before to walk you through it (also it helps if you have a Korean speaker with you, most of the staff I came in contact with didn't speak the greatest English, but to me that's a GOOD thing, I have a weird thing about authenticity [although I'd venture a guess that the only language spoken behind the door to the kitchen is Spanish {I'm not being racist, I've seen it many times before}]). First you'll be presented with an array of appetizers which are included with the price of your meal. Probably the most unsettling for the uninitiated is the whole fried fish. And I mean a whole fish, guts and all. But the meat is easy enough to pick off the bone, and the skin is unnoticeable beneath the fried breading. They're all pretty good, just pick around and try new things.

The tofu soup (soon-tubu), will come BOILING HOT in a stone pot. You are given lots of different meat choices and combination possibilities, as well as spiciness level (Medium is pretty spicy, but not terrible... If it's adventure and danger you seek, order DANGER!). They also have a list of dinner entrees. We didn't try any of them for a couple of reasons. 1) We were there for the soup, and 2) They seemed over priced. I'm reluctant to pay $18 for a dish at a moderately fancy restaurant with an extensive wine list, let alone a soup joint. I imagine they don't sell a lot of the entrees.

My only criticism of my bowl of kimchee and pork soon-tubu is that it seemed really low on the kimchee and pork and had TONS of tofu chunks. So for $10, I got a bowl of tofu ...... aaaaand somekimcheeandpork. I'd rather pay $12 for a bowl and have a measurable amount of the ingredients I opted for. Regardless, the soup is tasty and that's fine. Before you get your meal, your rice is brought in stone pots, and scooped out into metal bowls. At the bottom of the pot is the rice that is burnt to the pot, and hot water is poured into the stone pots to loosen the burnt rice as an after-dinner treat. If you like rice you'll like it. If you don't care much then hey, it's just the burnt rice at the bottom.

Lastly, they have free tubs of ice cream for you to serve yourself. While I enjoyed my free scoop if vanilla ice cream, I do wish that instead they provided their restaurants with soft serve machines instead of a scooper that's just left out in the open with strangers getting their grubby...

I'm such a soondubu fan! (Korean tofu soup)

I make a concerted effort to stay away from soy products. Reason? My manboobs are big enough as is. I have no need for phytoestrogens turning me from a C-cup to a D-cup.

But, ah, sometimes I just get a hankering for some spicy soondubu.

I've been to Cho Dang Tofu House before, but this was my first time to their dreaded arch rival, BCD Tofu House. (DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUN!!!!)

Kudos to you, BCD, for using only organic tofu.

How convenient! The menu is also the placemat. Glancing over all the options, I decided upon Seafood Soondubu, heat level:Spicy, $10

Piping hot & delicious! The absolute prerequisite before diving into soondubu is to crack an egg in it, followed by a thorough mix. The heat level had me sweating, I'll tell ya. Big chunks of tofu, along with seafood delights, made this small bowl a hearty meal. Caution-the shrimp is head/skin-on. I'm fine eating it that way, but others may be put off by it.

Of course, Korean meals aren't complete w/o being accompanied by banchan

I hated it! I hated it so much that I had 2 refills of everything ;p J/K, I loved it! The waitresses were kinda taken aback by me asking for yet another refill. It's healthy, so I don't feel guilty eating up.

Diners are offered iced water or hot barley tea upon being seated. The restaurant is richly appointed w/ wood decor & tables. Cleanliness was what I perceived while I was stuffing my face. There are a few TV's, but I wasn't paying attention to what was on. Probably something...........say...........Korean?

Service was prompt & you can't pass up the free self service ice cream for dessert. A tub of vanilla ice cream is cooling in the freezer by the front door. Diners can grab a plastic cup & scoop up their own frozen treat.

Cho Dang or BCD? My verdict-BCD. The prices are less expensive & I didn't feel as cramped as I did when dining at Cho Dang.

HIghly...

I ENJOYED EATING AT THIS PLACE, BUT I HAVE TO CLARIFY THE 5 STARS. So I came here to eat after my workout Sunday afternoon and saw that it was already full. Waited less than 10 min for a seat which was good. I know Korean from my time working in South Korea, so I was familiar with the food and menu, as well as proper etiquette. Sat next table to a guy who was incredibly rude, a typical negative stereotype of an ugly American, fat, no manners and just plain awful. I did not hear him say please or thank you once. My server was his as well. I saw other servers interact with customers as well and noticed very few pleases and thank yous from the customers, just give me more of this or that... It seems people don't want to be civil anymore. She was attentive, on the move and professional. As someone who works in retail, customer service for me is at the top, so I clearly had empathy for the server. I deal with difficult situations sometimes and it can get hectic when it is very busy. I ordered the seafood tofu soup with some rice wine and a beer. Everything tasted great. However, I had to go to the bathroom at one point and once I got back to my table, they had cleared my table, including the last beer I ordered more than half full. It seems they just wanted to seat more people, so I understand. I then stood to the side on the register waiting to pay along with other guests waiting to be seated or paying. I hope I get a promotion deal or a freebie for that beer because throwing away an alcoholic drink for a customer that wanted to finish it is a MORTAL SIN. The manager apologized and I said OK, just that I won't be tipping for the meal. I will be back here though, because although there was that grave mistake in the end, I enjoy the food and service here.

Just would recommend to go at a time that is...