I’m not one who strives to become a regular at any place. For one, I like to maintain some level of anonymity when I move through space. But mostly it’s because there are so many places to explore, who has time to frequent the same place often enough to become a regular? (Side note: how often do you have to go to a place to become a regular? Once a week? Once a month?)

That being said, Seoul Tofu is an exception. Throughout my college years, when I wasn’t ordering mediocre Thai food from the trusty Westwood establishment, Mr. Noodle (at once point I had the delivery guy’s number saved on my phone), Seoul Tofu was the default dinner. Half the time I went to Sawtelle (which was on average… maybe twice a week?), I had Seoul Tofu. It hit the point where the waiters would recognize me and my friends because we were there once a week. Since moving out of my west LA bubble, Koreatown has become more accessible, and trips to Sawtelle reserved for ramen appointments (honestly, the escalating parking nightmare has upped the threshold for visits). But to this day, there’s still something so comforting and nostalgic about sitting down to a bubbling bowl of spicy soup and a spread of banchan that for some reason includes potato or macaroni salad and blanched broccoli (pro-tip: put the broccoli in your soup as soon as it comes).

Is this the best soondubu in LA, probably not. But sometimes you just can’t be bothered to haul yourself over to K-town, so the convenience points win out.