Pine Tree House — Restaurant in Rancho Cordova

Pine Tree House: An Ajumma’s Disappointment

Listen, I wanted to love this place. I really did. I walked in, ready for a meal that would transport me straight to a cozy Korean home where an ajumma would fuss over me, insisting I eat more. Instead, I left feeling like I had just sat through a halfhearted family reunion where the food was… fine, but nobody really tried.

Let’s start with the haemul pajeon—a seafood pancake that was mostly just a thick, doughy blanket smothering any trace of seafood. It’s like it fell asleep in the pan and never woke up. The only saving grace? The dipping sauce, which carried all the flavor that the pancake forgot to bring.

Next up, galbijjim. Now, I’ve had galbijjim that was so rich and velvety that it felt like a warm hug. This one? More like an awkward handshake. The sauce was watery and way too sweet, like it skipped the "deep, savory umami" memo. It had meat, sure—but it wasn’t the kind that falls off the bone like a love-struck K-drama lead. You had to work for it.

Then came the fried chicken, and finally, some hope. Perfectly crispy, coated in a well-balanced sweet and savory glaze—it was the one dish that made me think, “Ah, someone in the kitchen cares.”

But then, the bossam arrived and took that hope away. Dry. How is boiled pork dry? It should have been tender and juicy, but instead, it felt like it got lost in translation. At least the radish salad and ssamjang tried to help, but even they couldn’t fully save it.

The haemul jjigae? Lacking that beautiful complexity of spice, brine, and deep seafood flavor. More like "meh"-mul jjigae.

And the banchan—an array of small side dishes meant to delight and surprise—was plentiful but forgettable. They were there. They existed. That’s about it.

Now, the service? Incredible. Attentive, friendly, and warm—exactly what I had hoped the food would be. But great service can only do so much when the meal feels like a missed opportunity.

Would I come back? Probably not. But if I did, I’d stick to the fried chicken, smile politely, and pretend the rest...

I've been here once before and had some good service but today when I stopped by for lunch(solo), my experience was just horrible. When I got there, I didn't get seated until a little while but to my surprise, a group that came in behind me, got their table before I did. No, they didn't reserve a table or anything, just walked in like I did. I just shrugged it off at first. About 10mins later after I got seated, no one came to take my order until I had to get the attention of one of the ladies coming by to clear the other booths saying that I was ready to order. She said she was sorry and will have another lady come take my order. And so they did. They took my order and brought out the dishes to me when it was ready. Food was amazing tbh. As I was finishing up, I asked for a couple to-go boxes since I had leftovers. Maybe they forgot? But I was never brought the boxes and my check so I just went to the front counter to pay my bill. I asked for to-go boxes again but the lady upfront ignored my request for that and just gave me my bill instead. My bill came out to $70~ for 3 dishes that I ordered. I gave them cash to pay and got my change back. I said thank you and turned around towards the exit. All of a sudden,out loud, the lady at the front counter shouted at me before I even opened the door saying, "Excuse me! No service tip?" I didn't hear her clearly that first time so I turned around and said "Huh?". She said again, "No service tip? Why?" Gave me a dirty look then told me to hurry up and just leave the restaurant. The other people there at the restaurant just looked at us and then looked away. I'm sorry for not leaving a tip? Usually when I'm out, I'd leave a tip for good service but because the service I got today was horrible, I decided not to leave a tip. Forgot to mention but I also asked for more water as well yet again, that water was never...

Oh my God I don't even know where to start. The banchan (side dishes) were AMAZING. They gave us steamed egg, eggplant, broccoli, fish cakes, kimchi, this sweet black bean, zucchini, bean sprouts, shredded potato, macaroni salad, and more! Honestly just from the banchan I knew it was going to be a good meal. I have never liked eggplant dishes until I tried this one side dish. The broccoli was honestly THE BEST broccoli in the entire world. Perfectly cooked, a little sweet, and not too soggy but still a crunch. The steamed egg was perfection and I can't believe it was included. Disclaimer, I've only been here once so I don't know if the side dishes change.

Ok onto the main course. I got seafood tofu soup. The egg came pre-thrown into the soup. I had to eat the soup before I could find it. It comes with a side of rice. The soup was mildly spicy (I hate spicy, and I didn't know it was going to be spicy) but I diluted it with rice and ate the side dishes and drank water to cool off my tongue. It turned out okay. They gave generous portions of seafood.

Great fast service, food was quick. People were nice. Will go back and try other things 10/10!!! This is going to be my new go-to Korean tofu...