Halmouny (Grandma Tofu and BBQ) a revisit

The Missus and I finally made it back to Halmouny a couple of weeks back...... it was cold and rainy, and the Missus was craving the Seolleongtang from here.

It does seem that something always changes on every visit. Now Halmouny is going for the late night Soju crowd.

 

And another sign near the door announces breakfast! Man, this place is trying to cover every meal. Throwing every idea at the wall to see what sticks. To me, this seems a bit discouraging......

Prices here have also risen a couple of bucks. I was considering the Galbi Jjim but decided against that since I wasn't sure what was going to come out of that kitchen. In the early days of the restaurant I thought the Galbi Jjim was decent, but something changed, and on one visit with Ed from Yuma it had become a whole different dish. I probably would have still ordered it, if only to see what had become of that dish, but it was now $18.99, four dollars more than at the same time last year.

Soon after placing our order, the panchan came out.

 

I know folks often wish for different and creative panchan; but most times I'm happy with the standards if they are done well. I still think the Baechu Kimchi, the standard Napa Cabbage kimchi is missing a level of savory flavor. Still, the gamja jorim (simmered potatoes) here are one of my favorites, and I'll admit tastes better than my version (for now).

 

In spite of the ever changing food here, the panchan, and the very nice service has always been a constant for us. The young lady serving us kept asking us if we wanted refills, and we went through for bowls of the potatoes.

When our bowls of rice came out, the Missus peeked and exclaimed, "oh no, I hate this stuff...."

 

I'm not sure when Halmouny started serving the "healthy" purple rice (rice with adzuki beans).... It turned out that the Missus actually kinda enjoyed this version.

Her Seolleongtang ($9.99) was a different story. This dish looked like a totally different dish from what we had a year ago. It was impressive looking though......

 

I guess the additional two bucks tacked on in recent months meant you got huge rib bones sticking out of your soup? This dish tasted off, the meat had a flavor reminiscent of that stale refrigerator taste. That flavor permeated through the broth, making this rather unpleasant.

I went with something I hadn't had here before, the Ttukbaegi Bulgogi ($15.99):

 

Basically a clay pot - stew usually consisting of bulgogi, vegetables, and cellophane/glass noodles. I just love the dramatic bubbling cauldron action as it arrived...

 

I had imagined a flavor close to Yook-soo Bulgogi, but this was way too sweet. The beef was also not as tender as I recalled.

Overall, this wasn't the most stellar meal we've had at Halmouny. It also got me wondering if the gul and jokbal bossam is still as good. Walking out of the restaurant, I noticed they had a lunch special menu.......

 

Personally, I just wished that the food here was more consistent.

Halmouny - Grandma Tofu and BBQ
4425 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Comments

[Dennis]

Hi Kirk, haha we must be on the same frequency this week. I checked out a couple of the lunch specials here, it's a small menu. The galbi hot pot was way too sweet for me and the meat chewy. The dinner menu looks much more interesting but too expensive for lunch. Loved the banchan though. Could you read what was offered for breakfast?

[kat]

hope they can find a consistency that is good.

[Ed]

For the breakfast menu, they have:

-haejangguk: "hangover" soup
-patjuk: adzuki bean porridge
-bindaeddeok: ground mung bean pancake
-hobakjuk: pumpkin porridge
-sujeonggwa: sweet dried persimmon punch flavored with cinnamon
-jatjuk: pine nut and rice porridge
-shikhye: fermented rice punch

The bottom says: [halmeoni-ggeseo jikjeop mandeushyeosseoyo] 'Grandmother has personally made (these)'.

[Kirk]

Hi Dennis - I see that Ed has you covered below.

Hi Kat - I hope so too!

Hi Ed - Thanks for the translation.

[Alan]

Was the red bean rice like Sekihan? It looks that way to me.

[Kirk]

Hi Alan - It's very much like sekihan, but much darker.....

[Tofu calories]

Nice review. You didn't order any tofu dish unfortunately :) Maybe it would make the difference.

[Kirk]

Hi TC - Actually, no. The English name is to get non-Koreans to try the food. The Korean name doesn't have "tofu" in it. Nor are the owners known for their tofu dishes.