Soowon Galbi - Fall In Love With The Grill

dolsot bimbimbap

Finally, a satisfying meal from a Korean restaurant without the feeling of fear, fear of bitchy Ajuma. And Finally, the search of the best Korean BBQ is over - this is it! 

You really get what you pay for: great meat selection and quality, charcoal grill, and dope service. All the side dishes are better than average - especially sweet potatoes, egg soup and crispy white seaweed, unlimited refill won't hurt either. And charcoal grill does make a difference, it bring the juice, smoky, and tenderness out of the meat. All you need to do is just relax, sip your soju, and the ajuma will cook them goods for you!

 combination B stands for the BOMB - marinated beef rib, beef ribeye, pork neck meat, marinated beef sirloin, beef brisket, mushroom and, of course, soju.

beef brisket, marinated galbi, and mushrooms.

can you smell it?!

Soowon Galbi Korean BBQ

856 S Vermont Ave 

Los Angeles, CA 90005 

(213) 365-9292

Chego - Let's Go Bowling

3PM meatballs - Korean-fried, shaved green onions, sesame, polenta patty.

Before we talk about food, lemme start by saying good luck on finding parking.  It's not hard, but more towards impossible to find one on their tiny lot. Secondly, good luck hustling with some fierce people who sometimes don't have mercy on getting an open table. 

Kogi trucks sure are making some serious cash and Roy Choi knows how to milk more money by opening a new sit-down restaurant, Chego. Remember how you like your hot stone Korean bimbimbap? This place has a fun twist on rice bowls. The key here is mixing everything on your bowl to get maximum flavors. Despite I hate the parking and waiting situations, this place is worth the try. Now, let's go bowling!

kogi fries. give me this and I'll shut up!

Tiny's prime rib rice bowl - chili-rubbed, with fried egg, water spinach, creamed horseradish,  fried shallots. my least favorite, the rib is so chewy and fatty. But I'm loving the rice mix.

spam bam thank you mam - kimchi rice and avocado chunks. pretty good combo.

one chubby pork belly bowl - kochujang-lacquered and lovingly glazed over 12 times, with fried egg, water spinach. my favorite! burst of flavor in one bowl. next time I'll add extra pork belly.

buttered kimchi bowl - hot and buttered with fried egg, gaenip, red tofu, chicharrones. the rice is so good. spicy, sour, and more crunchy chicharrones wouldn't hurt.

rock yer road - chocolate ice cream, smoked almonds, caramel, brownies, melting marshmallow fluff. I kinda like this simple dessert, again mix this before you enjoy.

 

Chego

3300 Overland Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90034

www.eatchego.com 

Kogi BBQ - Where You At?

Spicy pork tacos & short ribs tacos. Outburst of spicy and sweet flavors so intense and kick-ass.

Pardon me with dark quality of the photos, the parking lot of The Brig at Abbot Kinney was so dark, giving more exposure was not helping *Oops*. Waiting with less than 10 people in line, I felt so lucky that we don't have to wait any longer for these Korean Mexican midnight snacks in chilly weather. I have to say that these tacos are good but not specTACOlar!!

Short ribs sliders. Buttery toasted buns with sweet juicy beef short ribs and stack of crunchy fresh veggie.

Kimchi quesadilla - cheesy + spicy = explicitly lip-smacking.

To all the Kogi followers and worshipers who waited for two hours, calm down people, it's only tacos. But if they were in your area and line is short, bring some cash and give it a shot! It won't disappoint..

Kogi BBQ Truck
(714) 697-4683

www.kogibbq.com

http://twitter.com/kogibbq

Mountain Cafè - Feeling Hangover?

  Ginseng chicken soup with sticky rice

Not me, but I was so sick with flu when my friends brought me to this hole in the wall. This super tiny place only has 5 small tables and limited menu, but comforting enough that I feel better after dinner. The cure? Abalone rice porridge and ginseng chicken soup with sticky rice. Both were so mouthwatering and soothing my throat, will also work for your hangover.

Abalone rice porridge with egg yolk

Best side dishes - shredded hot beef stew. Mix 'em and the pickles with the porridge and you get yourself a superb comfort food.

Don't expect some royal treatment 'cos the lady that run this place reminds me of Seinfeld's soup nazi - flat mean and attitudes. I would care less as long as she keeps on refilling our side dishes, which she did. All in all, come to Mountain Cafe whenever you need hangover chaser or immune system booster, as this homefood will give you the cure.

Mountain Cafè
3064 W 8th St
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 487-7615

Honey Pig - Oink Oink

Korean BBQ is my thing! And who wouldn't love a Korean BBQ joint with a smiley fat pig as the logo? Although Honey Pig seems to be the perfect place to eat like one, my hope dashes when I figured out that it wasn't all you can eat.

Endless kimchi and bean sprout on the grill!

What to love is the dome grill which is big enough to pack so many meat and slips the oil residue to the outer edge of the grill. As much as I hate eating oily, I was a bit disappointed that they didn't give the usual sesame oil with salt as the dipping sauce, but instead hot sauce which is anything but spicy. However, I love that they put bottomless fresh kimchi and bean sprouts to the dome grill - genius!

pork belly and beef tongue 

Let's talk about meat people! I guessed their specialty was pork *duh* so we ordered the infamous pork belly. I don't get all the hype about their pork belly - they basically remind me of thick bacon which means 2/3 of the piece is fat. It's so overwhelmingly thick, it took a while to bring the crisp out of them.

minced garlic on top of beef short ribs

The thinly sliced beef is very tasty and even though I'm a more beef short ribs kinda person, their thinly sliced beef is winner. The marinated beef short ribs have plenty of marble and drizzled with minced garlic *Faboosh* - once again I'm weak for garlic so I like this meat very mucho. I'm also a fan of the non-marinated beef tounge - perfect thickness and A+ quality.

thinly sliced beef and the whole nine yard

After you're done with your porky experience they turned the magic grill to cook fried rice, sorta. They bring a mound of rice, load it up on the grill and mix it in with all the last bits of meat and bean sprouts. It's known as bokkeumbap, and if all those meat craze isn't enough for your stuffy tummy, this will seal the deal. 

Honey Pig
3400 W 8th St
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 380-0256

Kyochon Gives You Wings

 Garlic Soy & Hot Wings

I'm a sucker for chicken wings and have to say Kyochon garlic soy wings deserves two thumbs up!  Kyochon's wings are crispy, meaty, and the taste of garlicky flavor are bursting from the moment you crunch the deep fried skin. I keenly appreciated the garlic infusion with a touch of Asian flare. I'm also  diggin' the spicy hot wings. The spiciness is really kickin' *OH SNAP* mix of sweet and tangy.

Kyochon seemingly clean and airy for a fast food joint, but the price for these teeny-weeny wings cost much more than your average junk food. However, unlike other Asian chicken wings in LA which are thin and dry, Kyochon is by far my favorite for its quality and taste. So, more bang for your buck!

Kyochon Chiken
3833 W 6th St

Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 739-9292

Joy Yee's - Avocado Freeze Ritual

Avocado Freeze with tapioca. Definitely one thing that I have to put into my digestive system whenever I'm in Chicago. Joy Yee's have gazillions fresh fruit drink selections, so indecisive people beware!
I can rave all day about their drinks but the food had some hits and misses. Joy Yee's is not authentic Asian cuisines, they reminded me of college's students comfort food. Wide food range: Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Thai. Expect them to be greasy, jumbo in proportions, but not so big on taste.

Me likey: Thai Fried Calamari

Joy Yee's Escargot. YUM!

Thai Spicy Red Snapper

So-So:Ong Toy with Shrimp Paste

String Beans with Salted Fish

Korean BBQ Short Ribs

There are four Joy Yee's locations spread in Illinois: Chicago, Evanston, and Naperville. Additionally, they're now serving sushi, Pho noodle soup, and frozen yogurt in Chinatown Chicago. Make sure you make a stop for their fresh fruit freeze! If only I can have my avocado freeze in hot sunny LA...

Joy Yee's Noodle
Chicago-Evanston-Naperville, IL
www.joyyee.com