Big Pot Seolleongtang 큰솥설렁탕 — Restaurant in Federal Way

This place is an example of a tale becoming unfortunately and increasingly common in the Korean restaurant community: eager investors with dollar signs in their eyes acquiring a local restaurant (i.e the old Korean guard) with a sterling reputation and goodwill built on years of hard work serving authentic, homemade-quality Korean food made with passion shapeshifted into a low-cost and high-margin turn-key food operation.

What was once the place to get delicious and authentic beef-soup and select high quality dishes that jolted you back to South Korea has now turned into a restaurant undergoing a culinary identity crisis. This includes the restaurant's new and updated menu that contains a kitchen-sink number of items that have no relation with each other that serves, at-best, mediocre "Korean" food and, at-worst, incompetently slapped together dishes pandering to folks who just discovered Korean culture on Netflix. Adding insult to injury, the restaurant's new owners have installed tablets at every table so you can order your food on an retrofit iPad to of course amplify the soulless experience while an LED screen is radiated onto your face while you "enjoy" your meal (because who really liked the endearing ahjumas who asked you what you would like to order before, right?)

The food was no exception to this change. Among the numerous examples, the new seafood pancake had so much oil at the bottom of the pan I was afraid the United States was going to imminently invade, in addition to it being fried to a crisp at the bottom so much so it looked like pita bread you'd find at a college bar. But the greatest sin was that the "brown" rice was so poorly cooked it had a consistency and color of expired Japanese Natto--it's supposed to be purple by the way. Oh, and those beloved traditional Korean menu items they had before (the bulgogi hot pot?) Gone. It's now been replaced with its Frankenstein counterpart that can't seem to figure whether it wants to take a shot starring on the menu at Hai Di Lao or some other Chinese hot pot restaurant. Now, if I were to highlight one positive, it's that the beef-soup recipe does not appear to have substantially changed. But what is obvious is that the hands that are now making it clearly have.

For the folks who can appreciate and understand what exceptional and quality Korean food is but are seeking a thrilling night of disappointment, my suggestion is...

Food: 8.6/10 I sampled three standout dishes: the oxtail plate (꼬리수육), beef short rib soup (갈비탕), and the seafood pancake (파전). The oxtail was impressively flavorful, albeit a touch dry in some areas. You can sense the care that went into it--and taste the immense depth of flavor that seeped into the oxtail meat. They purposely don't completely season the dish to completion so you can season it separately with the seasoning salt they provide you on the side. I actually preferred it without the additional seasoning though.

The short rib soup was a surprise--those were some legit "Dino" ribs. It was tender, with just the right chew, the broth was clean and well-seasoned. The meat will literally fall off from the bone and you can use the scissors to cut it up to smaller pieces to eat. I did wish for more glass noodles though, but the balance between the rich meat and refreshing broth was spot on.

The seafood pancake that I had was very different from the one I have tried in the past. It's thick with veggies and oysters. While I would've liked a bit more chew from maybe squid or other seafood, it was masterfully fried--crispy outside, moist inside, and an impressive portion size.

A special shoutout to their radish kimchi, which definitely is one of the the top radish kimchis I have tried thus far in my life. It was crunchy, slightly tangy, slightly sweet, mildly savory spicy, and refreshingly addictive, comparable to some of the best I've had in Korea.

Service: 9/10 Service was efficient and attentive, with dishes served promptly via a rolling cart. With a group of three, we felt comfortably full without being overwhelmed. Servers checked in just enough without being intrusive, which I appreciated.

Ambiance: 8.5/10 The setting feels authentic, evoking a traditional Korean restaurant vibe. Their private rooms are a cool aspect of the restaurant as they are also slightly elevated from the rest of the ground floor--ideal for bigger groups or anyone seeking a more intimate dining experience. It's one of those spots that subtly transports you to Korea, especially with those little details like the layout and decor.

Overall, BigPot Seolleongtang delivers a satisfying, authentic meal with great service and ambiance. Definitely...

I'm a regular at Yi's Traditional Soup, which is about 8 min drive away. I tried this place as I was recommended by someone I know. Yi's Traditional Soup place has raised the bar, and this place didn't meet the expectations in many ways.

Highlights: The service is great and I saw my favorite server who I hadn't seen since the pandemic. It was a nice surprise to see her there. They give lots of meat in the soup. The pajun was decent although it wasn't crispy.

Lowlights: The Soup doesn't taste authentic. I could tell they used MSG. The slices of meat in the soup smelled. The white noodles in the soup were overcooked. Their kimchi isn't fermented. They are fresh Kimchi and are not necessarily great. You expect to have freshly fermented kimchi with lots of garlic and great Kkadugi (radish kimchi). Both were way below the expectations.

I hope they read this review and make some improvements because I'd love to go back to see my favorite...