Tteok mandu guk. Tofu beullok. Busan mackerel. Yukhoe with crispy rice. These are some of the new additions at Sura Korean BBQ & Tofu House—and owners Claire Kim and Brandon Su aren’t only excited to welcome the Lunar New Year but welcome and introduce its newest head chef, Andy Uk Chang, after the departure of their longtime kitchen leader, Chef JP Kim.
It marks some decided change from their origins while compounding their constant evolution (including the addition of outdoor table-top grills)—but is nonetheless thoroughly Sura. Just like them raising $5,000 for Mutual Aid LA for relief efforts, they are community-centric while also looking at the broader picture of how they fit in.
“When it comes to our popular traditional dishes, there is very little we will be changing,” said Brandon. “But what Chef Andy brings are some new dishes. Some slight tweaks on our staples. And a little bit of elevation to showcase that traditional Korean food can be as beautiful to look at as it is delicious.”
Meet Chef Andy Uk Chang, the man slowly reimagining how Sura Korean BBQ could look culinarily
Long before Korea native Chef Andy was a chef, he was a server. But he soon found himself more and more intrigued by the kitchen—so they handed him a mop. Watching the kitchen work inspired him to go to culinary school at the New York campus for the Culinary Institute of America. From there, the vast world of corporate food—from being a line cook at the Ritz-Carlton to being a part of management for Nordstrom’s restaurant division—eventually led him to want something more independent. And that meant sushi restaurants, the Huntington Beach Country Club, and the Michelin-starred L.A. staple, Providence.
It is this type of diversity that can actually prove strong in a kitchen. Spaces like Providence showcase discipline, mise en place, and consistency. Country clubs and high-end restaurants force chefs to have a more front-facing persona rather than being relegated to the comfort of being behind the swinging doors.
“There were improvements we knew we could make in plating, consistency, and staff training,” Brandon said. “And that is where Chef Andy has really shined.”
The changes at Sura Korean BBQ are subtle and beautiful in a food scene challenging Long Beach in all the right ways.
There’s an immediate pause any Sura regular will have when it sees Chef Andy’s tofu beullok Busan mackerel or yukhoe arrive to the table. Each plate is visually unlike Sura’s previous vibe.
“I saw a lot of opportunities here,” Chef Andy said. “And Brandon and Claire are open to those opportunities being looked at and, at least creatively, expanded upon. These first few dishes reflect that.”
Some highlights from the new menu…
For their tofu beullok, a hearty hunk of spongey soybean curd—drenched in potato starch before being fried to a cubed crisp—sits in a blood-red bath of gochujang glazel-go with strings sichu lined among flowers. Visually, it’s stunning, like a deep-fried-gone-gochujang play on dubu buchim. And then there’s just quality: the choice of tofu, the gelatinous encasing, the glassy glaze…
You’ll find lightly battered mackerel. And it’s abulously fishy in the way they should be and honoring a fish deeply loved by Koreans. Simple, spotlight-on-umami-and-salt at its best with a little dosing of lemon juice.
Or a crispy take on yukhoe and rice, where a sesame’n’soy drenched short rib tartare—commonly put on steamed rice—is added to a deep-fried cube of vinegar-seasoned rice.
But then…
Sura Korean BBQ’s latest soup is something quite special.
Sura’s new soup, tteok mandu guk—a dumpling soup often served for special occasions but will be offered year-round—is that crowd-pleaser of a bowl.
Hyper-savory dumplings—filled with soybean and chives that make it feel genuinely porky—are layered in an equally savory house-made beef broth with sliced rice cakes as the star. It is a wonder of a dish that is befitting for any time—be it celebratory or if you happen to be feeling down.
Don’t worry: Sura will still be Sura—but evolution in restaurants should not just be applauded but outright expected.
Lately, I’ve been happy to witness a growing evolution among Long Beach restaurants—be it the food or consistency. To reiterate Brandon’s own admission, many restaurant kitchens need a homing in on consistency, training, and plating. And a majority of those kitchens are in American restaurants.
It doesn’t mean restaurants have some dire desire to step away from you, their loyal regular. It is a shift in learning that not all restaurants are like, well, our Mom. Some are supposed to be places you trust like Mom; ultimately, you allow them to take you on journeys you wouldn’t have likely chosen yourself. And this doesn’t always have to be full-on menu changes like The Attic. It could be about the plating—which can be beyond important in terms of both aesthetic and function. Take Chef Andy’s reinterpretation of how to present the space’s much loved galbi short ribs. Now surrounded by a glowing flame as its sits on your table, it’s not just beautiful to look at—it serves a purpose.
“We had been wondering two things,” Claire said. “How to bring the patio experience of the tableside flame inside and how to keep our cast iron plates sizzling. This solves both of those problems.”
Even more: Customers have noticed.
“This is something we’ve long wanted to do: uplift our space and plating to reflect the quality of cuisine we offer here,” Claire said. “And our reviews have gotten better.”
How can we not call that a win?
Sura is located at 621 Atlantic Ave.
