Manna BBQ

Korean BBQ is easily one of my favorite types of cuisine. After all who doesn't crave huge plates of intensely-marinated meats cooked over table-top grills, a bountiful display of colorful side dishes, and an ice cold bottle or two (or three) of soju? And so I was quite excited when I learned that an authentic Korean BBQ restaurant was opening within walking distance of my job. Located in the recently remodeled Fox Hills Mall--now labeled Westfield Century City--Manna BBQ is not exactly on par with the best BBQ joints in Koreatown, but considering we had absolutely no Korean restaurant within walking distance prior to Manna, it suits us just fine.

A quick 10-minute walk is all that separates us from the entrance of Manna, and once or twice a month we make the short trek to get our Korean BBQ fix. About a month ago we actually attended a conference call while in the restaurant, while we were literally grilling short ribs over the flames! Yes we love to eat!




A sleek, modern interior greets you as you walk in the restaurant. Every table has a grill, and one of these call buttons to summon your waiter:



Manna's menu has a decent gauntlet of Korean fare such as bibimbap, soon tofu, chapchae, kimbap, and of course BBQ. I typically go for bibimbap as it's a quick and somewhat light meal, but I've certainly had my share of BBQ gorging during past lunch outings. This review covers three different outings where I tried BBQ, soon tofu, and bibimbap.



Like any other Korean BBQ establishment, all meals start with small side dishes known as banchan. Although the variety and quality may not be up to K-Town standards, the provided dishes are all solid and nicely prepared. Manna will restock any banchan upon request, or at least I've never had someone say "no" when I've asked for a fourth plate of kimchi.



Steamed egg banchan. Easily one of my favorite foods from any restaurant, period. It's light, fluffy and served bubbling hot in a thick, heavy bowl. The seasonings are kept to a minimum with just a sprinkling of scallions and a dash of salt. None of my coworkers particularly care for this, so all the more for this blogger. During our last visit I downed nearly two bowls of steamed egg--and the staff will bring out another if you so happen to be on a ravenous steamed egg diet.




Potato salad banchan. Delicious! How I can resist eating plate after plate of this is beyond me. Manna does an excellent version of this dish with sizable chunks of potatoes that are cooked a little on the crunchy side and lightly dressed with mayonnaise.



Kimchi. It's nowhere near as pungent or spicy as what you might get in K-Town, but it's still good, and of course the nice Manna staff will refill this to your heart's content, or until your coworkers start to think you're not being fed at home.


Coworker proudly displaying a chunk of fat used to grease the grill. Side-venting gas grills are employed here and they do a fantastic job of keeping the smoke from penetrating your business-casual outfits.



Another pic of that gloriously wonderful steamed-egg banchan, just because.


You'll need to ask for eggs when you order bibimbap or soon tofu otherwise you'll get no such yolk goodness in your bowl. I suppose a west sider or two was shocked at the sight of a raw egg in their bowls. Fear not, though, because the staff will bring out a bowl of raw eggs upon request. Crack away!



Soon tofu with seafood. I've cracked an egg into the bowl to complete the meal. Soon tofu is a very spicy soup with tofu and usually meat or seafood mixed in the broth. Manna's version is lacking in heat and the tofu's texture was quite runny. I enjoyed what little seafood was in there and I could probably count on one hand the number of clams or squid I scooped. Needless to say it needed more seafood and more heat. I've had far better bowls of soon tofu elsewhere, so you might want to skip on this.



Dolsot bibimbap with seafood. This is perhaps one of my favorite meals of all time and I could probably eat this everyday and not become tired or bored with it. What's great about Manna's version is that it's gargantuan in size, it's relatively cheap at $10, and it's not too oily. When you crack an egg over the ingredients (which are sizzling upon arrival), it scrambles slightly and what you end up with is a dreamy combination of silky and firm egg textures to compliment your rice, veggies, and protein. But wait it gets better. When you get to the bottom of this, you're left with what I almost consider a dessert course: the golden, sticky rice that has been charred from the intensely hot stone. A metal spoon is all you need to scrape the crispy rice.



BBQ lunch special. A plate of meat for the grill--I believe this is short rib, pork, and brisket. Don't come here expecting prime cuts of beef like at Park's or Chosun Galbee. Instead, just be happy that authentic Korean BBQ exists nearly west of the 405 freeway. The beef here is a little gristly, a little fatty, and marinated for far less time than it ought to be. For $13 you can select three cuts of meat, or for $17 you can feast on unlimited servings of meat--followed by absolutely zero productivity when you return to your work desk.

The service is, well, probably slightly worse than most restaurants in Koreatown as the servers rarely check on you and you'll need to ask for just about everything--including the bill which seems to appear ever so slowly when you're in a rush to make your 1pm meeting. However, the cooked dishes do come out quickly and the servers are always happy to bring new plates of banchan to your table.

Although Manna is not what I'd consider a destination Korean BBQ place, it is on the west side and the surrounding options are very limited, so consider this more of a convenience for when you're in the area and are craving Korean BBQ.



Manna BBQ
6600 Sepulveda Blvd., #2200
Culver City, CA 90230