Right off the main street in Fort Lee lies one of the town’s busiest restaurants, BCD Tofu House, a chain restaurant found in the Tri-State Area, Dallas, Texas, and Southern California. BCD Tofu House features a variety of Korean food most notably Sundubu-Jjigae, a sizzling tofu stew with vegetables, dumplings, seafood, and other meats, often paired with a main dish of some sort such as spicy pork bulgogi (jeyuk bokkeum), galbi, and spicy raw crab (yangnyeom-gejang) . The restaurant also serves a variety of complimentary side dishes, called banchan, among them are kimchi, broccoli, fishcake, fried mackerel, and more. Each of us will be describing and reviewing what our usual order is.
Justin:
My usual order at BCD Tofu House is the spicy pork bulgogi combined with the assorted tofu soup which has shrimp, beef, and clams, made at the “dangerous” spice level. Everytime I have this I am never disappointed, am extremely pleased, and leave very full. Everything in the meal is filled with flavoring and the perfect amount of spice that adds to the meal’s delectable taste while not leaving me chugging down the iced water. The rice is the perfect texture and is excellent to drench in the flavourful sundubu with a piece of pork on top, creating the perfect bite for this meal. Overall I would highly recommend this order and give it a rating of 10/10.
Erin:
As a longtime enjoyer of BCD, BCD has become one of my all-time favorite comfort meals. My favorite side dish (banchan) is the broccoli salad. It is seasoned to perfection and is addictive to eat. The workers are always so kind and notice my love for the broccoli, always giving me a refill when they notice the empty dish! Unlike Justin, I cannot handle spice so I usually opt for the Original BCD sundubu-jjigae with pork. Although it is the “plain” option, the soup is jam packed with a rich and savory flavor. The stone pot it is served in ensures the soup’s hot temperature throughout the entire meal. The tofu in the soup burns the inside of your mouth (in a good way that cannot be described unless you’ve experienced the burn yourself), and the protein that comes with it (either pork or beef, your choice) ensures that your stomach is filled and satisfied. When I am with my family, we usually order the L.A. Galbi. Galbi is a type of Korean short-rib that is thinly cut and marinated in a marinade made of soy-sauce, sugar, pear, onion, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. The ribs are then grilled, giving it a smoky flavor. This extra pack of protein and flavor makes my meal and experience at BCD all the more enjoyable. Any kind of sundubu-jjigae soup comes with fresh rice made in a stone pot. The waiter scoops out this fresh rice and pours hot water into the pot. This is a staple Korean dish called nurungji. The scorched flavor of the rice and the hot water makes for a simple palette cleanser after you finish your flavorful meal. BCD offers a wide variety of things on their menu, but this is an order I have stuck to for the past 15 years since the Fort Lee location opened up in 2010, and I do not plan on changing it up anytime soon. Truly a perfect 10/10 meal!
Rita:
My usual order at BCD Tofu House in Fort Lee is the Original BCD sundubu-jjigae with pork alongside the Tofu Japchae with no peppers. BCD has never disappointed me, it is truly the best comfort meal to have, I usually enjoy it most on a Sunday with my family. The customer service is always on point and once you order all it takes is 10-15 minutes for your food to come out. BCD is a classic choice especially if you are new to Korean cuisine. It has various options for safer food and various spice levels that can be adjusted to all soups. I first started coming to BCD when I was 12, and I wasn’t fond of Korean food but the simplicity of BCD and the personal touches you can add always had me coming back and was the start of my love for Korean cuisine. Everything in this meal is so flavorful and consistent, as well as various other things on the menu that my family has tried. The Tofu Japchae is my personal favorite and always provides the perfect balance to offset the spice of the soup. This has been a consistent order for me for the past 5 years and I couldn’t recommend it enough. No notes, always a 10/10.
Yuni:
The goal is always plain, simple, and original. The Original BCD Soon Tofu is the it girl of the menu… I see it as the glazed donut amidst the trying-too-hard donuts that is secretly better than everything else. What really sets BCD’s soon tofu apart is the consistency. Every visit, it’s just as good. The rice, served in a sizzling stone bowl, gets that perfect crispy layer at the bottom. The side dishes are fresh and satisfying. Nothing fancy—just good, honest food that delivers exactly what you came for. As somebody who has tried the soon tofu in the motherland, I’d say that BCD comes very close when it comes to its authenticity. It’s unapologetically Korean,the side dishes are legit, and the spice is just right. Every time I’ve been here, the food’s been solid. I like the layer it forms on the bottom (which is honestly one of my favorite parts) called nurungji.The banchan is fresh, the service is quick, and you’re in and out without having to wait forever. It’s not trying to be fancy or anything—it’s just really good, authentic soon tofu. The kind you crave randomly in the middle of the week. And for me, that’s what keeps me coming back. If you’ve never been, definitely try the Original Soon Tofu first—it’s simple, classic, and kind of
