Josun Korean BBQ, 4681 Convoy St, San Diego, California 92111
By Sandi Masori
SAN DIEGO — We wanted to try something different, so instead of picking a restaurant and then driving to it, we went down to the Kearny Mesa/ Convoy area with the plan of randomly finding a nice Korean restaurant. At random we chose Josun Korean BBQ.
It’s a little restaurant nestled in a strip mall on Convoy between Clairemont Mesa Boulevard and Balboa Avenue. They had a few Korean dolls around, and some photos on the wall of happy customers, but other than that, there wasn’t a ton of ambiance.
Unfortunately, I have to deduct points for the lack of customer service. We were the first ones in the restaurant (well after opening but before the lunch rush), and the waitress seemed almost put out by our presence. I don’t know if she was having a bad day, or if the language barrier caused much to be lost in translation, but we did not feel particularly welcome.
I had been there before for the all-you-can-eat (AYCE) Korean barbecue, but my companion wasn’t hungry enough to do AYCE. I thought perhaps I could have barbecue and he could order off the menu, but the waitress said the barbecue tables were reserved for parties when at least two people order barbecue. She was very strict about this, even though no one came in for barbecue the entire time we were there. I have to take points off Josun’s score because of this inflexibility.
Accordingly we both ordered off the menu. Feeling a bit adventurous, I wanted to try something new. So I ordered the lunch special of the day which was beef rib soup. It wasn’t that great. It was bland yet having a strong black pepper aftertaste. I’m not a big black pepper fan. My son made quick work of the leftovers, so it wasn’t terrible; it just didn’t meet my high expectations. I might add that my dog seemed delighted by the soup bones.
I also ordered the kimchee pancake. It’s a fairly traditional Korean dish, like a regular pancake, except in this case it had kimchee (spicy fermented cabbage) in it. It also had some breading on the top, which, from my experience, was a different way to prepare it. It was very tasty and came in a very generous portion size.
My companion had the mixed vegetables with marinated beef hot stone pot (Bibimbap). This was probably the star of the meal. It’s a huge stone pot that is filled with rice, vegetables and meat. The bite that I stole was tasty enough, and my companion finished his completely, and I could tell without fear of contradiction that he enjoyed it.
Just before bringing out the food they brought out an assortment of little salads or “Panchan” or “Banchan”. According to Wikipedia, “Banchan is a collective name for small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. As the Korean language does not distinguish between singular and plural grammatically, the word is used for both one such dish or all of them combined.” It is said that the better the Korean restaurant, the more plentiful and varied the panchan. We were served 10 little dishes with various salads in them; kimchee, fish cake, spinach, bean sprouts, and other assorted traditional salads. The salads were tasty, and the waitress generously provided refills upon request. Based on other experiences with Korean restaurants I would say that the number and variety of salads were above average. So they get some points there.
All in all, it was a nice meal that satisfied our hunger, but it wasn’t one that I will dream about. There was nothing really special or different about it compared to other Korean restaurants in the area. In fact, it’s only because of Josun’s extended hours that I’ve been there a few times before. It opens earlier than most restaurants in the area, stays open between lunch and dinner, and closes later than the other restaurants, so I guess they get some points for convenience and accessibility.
I’m going to give them a 7 out of 10. The food was edible, some of it even tasty. The service left something to be desired, but I’m in a generous mood, so we’ll chalk that up to a bad day for the server. I don’t know that I would make it a destination to go again, but on the other hand, if I were with someone who suggested it, I wouldn’t protest going there.
*
Masori is the restaurant and food critic for San Diego Jewish World. If you have a favorite restaurant you’d like her to review, she may be contacted via sandi.masori@sdjewishworld.com