Gyenari Korean BBQ and Lounge, More Culver City Eats

On Friday, my wife and I had a date night. We decided to DVR the Olympics and went out for dinner and a movie. We were planning to see Dark Knight at the Imax at Howard Hughes Pkwy, but all early shows were sold out, so we decided to go and see what was going on in downtown CC.

On our way there, I remembered that Gyenari Korean BBQ and Lounge had just opened a few weeks ago, next to the movie theater in downtown. So we decided to check it out and see if we could get a table without reservations. The wait for a table inside the restaurant was going to be an hour, but fortunately we found a perfect table for 2 in the patio. They serve a full restaurant menu there, so it totally worked out. The service was pretty good, very friendly, and interestingly the wait staff was mostly female.


Since we had a movie to catch, my wife and I both ordered quick dishes. My wife ordered the Asian Tacos and a lemon drop martini, and I ordered the garlic noodles with a Sapporo. The food arrived promptly and smelled great. My food was delicious, all the flavors were there. However, I couldn't help but notice that some of the noodles were undercooked. I've heard of al dente but this was ridiculous. I couldn't break the noodle with my teeth. Since we were in a rush, I didn't bother to complain. Besides it tasted very good, just difficult to eat. I had a bite of my wife's tacos, and they were also good, very light and fresh. Hopefully we can come back soon and try more of the gourmet dishes.

Afterward, we went next door and caught Mama Mia. Yes, I know, what was I thinking? Surprisingly the movie was a lot of fun and I actually enjoyed it. I guess Batman will have to wait until we can see it on the Imax screen.