YOU'RE THE CHEF AT HIBACHI-EQUIPPED MANPUKU.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

IF YOU LIKE Korean-style barbecue, you'll probably like the Japanese version of it even more.

Manpuku, one of the several Japanese cafes in a busy strip mall on Sawtelle Boulevard just north of Olympic, prefers to call it Tokyo barbecue. And the main differences are in price and quality.

Manpuku offers the diner superb cuts of prime meat to ``cook'' on the restaurant's inset table hibachis but charges more money for its dishes - and that also means that all those little kim-chee condiments, which are nearly always included in the dinner entree price at Korean restaurants, here are billed at a la carte rates.

But biting into carefully cooked (by the diner) prime beef, dubbed yakiniku, whether it's seasoned or marinated, whether it's ribeye, tenderloin, skirt, shoulder or even short rib meat, you'll find it provides a wonderfully subtle variation of flavors and textures. Except for extremely rubbery tripe.

The most joyful part of a Manpuku table hibachi barbecue meal is the rich diversity, the adventure of dipping and spicing, trying this with that, that with this.

Purists would probably shake in their shoes if they saw the way I do my mixing and matching with all the condiments, squeezing between my chopsticks meats, noodles, vegetables, rice mixtures et al., basically whatever's on the table.

Between bites of everything else, I continuously dig into the bibin-bap, a spicy mix of rice topped with vegetables, meat or both. Preferred is the ishiyaki rendition ($6.50), to which you can always add fiery hot miso paste if it isn't spicy enough for you.

Of course, that's also while you're chomping on crunchy cubes of spicy hot daikon radish or regular cabbage kim-chee.

It becomes even more festive when you add a cool Japanese beer or a glass of cold sake.

There's also Korean soju ($4 and $5 a glass, $29 a bottle), distilled from sweet potatoes, sometimes flavored. This is a sneaky alcoholic beverage that you should be careful not to drink too much of straight, even though it's not considered a hard liquor. Note that it tastes quite good diluted with warm water.

When starting out a meal at Manpuku, there are various appetizer possibilities in addition to the assorted kim-chee ($6) of cabbage, cucumber and radish.

Namuru ($3.50), which like kim-chee doubles as an hors d'oeuvres item and a side dish accompaniment with main-course offerings, translates into a plate of pickled julienned daikon radish, seasoned bean sprouts, shaved gobu and chilled cooked spinach.

There are also roasted seaweed ($6), cold tofu with anchovies ($4) and beef sashimi ($7).

You might chuckle at some of the names or English translations on Manpuku's menu. The not-so-aptly-titled ``yukke'' ($7) turns out to be a tasty ribeye beef tartare. And one beef option is described as ``falt iron clod.''

But the refreshing sesame-flavored wakame salad ($5) blends seaweed and lettuce for a satisfying, easy-to-eat starter choice.

However, when the beginnings are over, you're really on your own.

Cooking the food yourself means you really can't criticize the kitchen if something is overdone or burned. As the menu directs, ``it is time to eat when the redness is nearly gone.''

And at Manpuku, in addition to the aforementioned meats, the hibachi barbecuing options include a variety of vegetables for vegetarians, chicken (breast or leg) for anti-red meat types and seafood (scallops, shrimps, squid and mussels).

Larry Lipson, [phone]

larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com

MANPUKU

Food: - Three and one half stars - Service: Three and one half stars

Where: 2125 Sawtelle Blvd., West Los Angeles.

Hours: . Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. and for dinner from 5 to 10:30 p.m. daily.

Recommended items: Assorted kim-chee, ribeye tartare, assorted vegetables, wakame salad, various cuts of salted prime beef, various cuts of marinated prime beef, chicken breast, ishiyaki bibin bap (rice with toppings), yukkejan soup, cold sake, soju.

How much: Starters from $3 to $7, meats and seafood from $5 to $13.50, ice cream or sherbet $2. Beer and wine. MC, DC, CB, V.

Wine list: Three labels only. Glass $4, bottle $19. Japanese beers, sakes and soju are the beverages of choice.

Reservations: Helpful. Call [phone].

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Photo:

A plate of jo karubi is ready to be thrown on the tableside grill at Manpuku, a Japanese barbecue restaurant in West Los Angeles where diners do the cooking.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer