Dongbu Live Fish Dongbu Live Fish

Dongbu Live Fish

18785 Colima Rd.
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
626-810-8582
Map
Cuisine: Korean / Seafood
This family-run restaurant features fish and shellfish sourced from Korea’s Jeju Island.
Openings: Dinner nightly

Features


Dongbu Live Fish Restaurant Review:


Dr. Myung Kim, a practicing orthodontist, took over this Korean Rowland Heights strip mall restaurant in 2015 and now runs Dongbu Live Fish with his wife, Hye, and his daughter Ria. The space features pastel-green walls with wood paneling, six wood tables, and tanks that host seafood from Korea’s Jeju Island. Rolls are a concession to the surrounding SGV, but the reason to visit is for high-value, multi-course sashimi meals. They sell octopus, lobster, razor clams and more, but your best bet is live halibut. The meal starts with salted edamame, fish cake soup, salad and a plate of tempura (shrimp, mushrooms and eggplant). Dynamite of imitation crab and squid arrives on an abalone half-shell. A bowl of baked egg with shaved pepper sets the stage for crunchy abalone and mild oysters dabbed with red pepper sauce. Live halibut is served on a bed of ice that’s smartly covered in plastic, so the fish doesn't get soggy. You’ll even find chewy sheets of engawa (fin) on top. Wrap with lettuce in a sauce of fermented soybean, raw garlic and jalapeño. Needle-shaped mackerel with silver skin comes grilled. The final savory course is a cauldron of spicy halibut bone soup with tofu and vegetables. Finish with a bowl of iced strawberries and parsley. To drink, your best bet is barley tea, either hot or cold.