nj eats

Soban in Koreatown: Raw Garlicky Marinated Crab + Rice to Soak Up the Salt

2012-02-13T23:16:00.000-08:00

I've always been a big fan of kanjang kyejang, or raw crab marinated in garlic and soy sauce. It's a pain to eat but well worth it. I'm pretty picky about my raw crab so I hadn't had it in LA, especially after having such good versions in Korea on a recent trip.

But I had heard about Soban from a fellow foodie friend who raved about it. So I checked it out and was pleasantly surprised.

Kyejang should be garlicky and meaty, with plenty of sodium to go around so you crave rice - a lot of rice. Soban's wasn't as meaty as the ones in Korea but perhaps it's unfair to compare it to the OG, so to speak. Ok, the Korean version in America was not bad. The crab was fresh and it was plenty salty.

I liked that the banchan, or side dishes, were just as plentiful. They didn't blow me away but they were, for the most part, mild, simple and complemented the strong flavors of the crab well. None of them was particularly memorable.

The brown rice with grains was a nice touch and we also ordered the fish soup, which was just ok. I heard some talk about the galbi jjim, or braised ribs, but frankly my dear, I've never had galbi jjim at a restaurant that was better than home-cooked ones, but I do give a damn about this dish (you're my generation if you get the reference) so I usually just make a mean one at home.

The bottom line is, go for the crab if you want to try something new or you're just a plain old crab fiend because it's definitely not cheap.

For the finale, make sure you add some of the rice onto the crab carcass and mix it in with the juices. It's probably the best part of the meal after you've totaled the fleshiest part of the crab.

Cooking: What Does Slovenian Prosciutto Taste Like?

2012-02-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

If you've been following my blog for some time, you probably know that I'm big on ham, especially cured like prosciutto or Jamon Iberico de Bellota. It was such a treat trying prosciutto from none other than Slovenia thanks to VT, a colleague who brought it from her trip back home.

She was nice enough to bring some crusty bread and gouda cheese with it. I promptly made myself a nice afternoon snack by heating up the bread, slicing the cheese and peeling one layer (ok, maybe two) of the prosciutto. I didn't even know Slovenians ate prosciutto.

She brought one fatty kind and one drier kind that she liked. I, being the fat-lover that I am, preferred the fatty one over the dry one.

The quality was really good and I basically couldn't stop eating it. At one point, it didn't even matter that there weren't any of the fatty ones left. I'll take the dry ones, I found myself saying, and gobbled up four prosciutto and cheese sandwiches, back-to-back, without taking any breaks in between.

And then I felt sick from so much porky goodness and couldn't stomach anything else for the rest of the day. But I was still happy because I can't get enough of the salty and fatty aspects of the cured meat. I craved oatmeal after this pork fest but it was worth every bite.

dineLA Roundup: Scallops at Culina, Lobster Veloute at Tar Pit and Cauliflower Almond Soup at Sotto

2012-02-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

I inadvertently booked mostly Italian restaurants for DineLA this past week, and by the end of the week, I was completely Italian food-ed. It'll be a while until my next pizza or pasta bite.

Overall I wasn't blown away by the three joints I tried, which were Culina, Tar Pit and Sotto.

There were, however, some notables. I'm going to start with the good dishes.

As an entree, Culina in the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills served seared scallops with fennel and grapefruit that was well cooked, crispy on the edges and served very warm, which was good. The scallops were on the gigantic side and were extremely meaty. I wasn't crazy about the licorice taste of the fennel with the scallop (I don't mind it with the right combination, though) but the citrus flavor and texture of the grapefruit went great with the scallop, which was fresh.

The Tar Pit also served scallop but a single one atop a delectable lobster broth that our table couldn't get enough of (we asked for bread to absorb all that goodness). The menu called the broth veloute, as in velvety in French. It was also topped with tobiko, fish eggs, but I'm not a fan so skipped that. The rice puffs didn't add much to the dish.

The charred octopus at the Tar Pit that came with smoked paprika and white cheddar grits was a tad chewy but a nice starter. You know how I feel about white cheddar grits so I won't repeat myself but suffice to say that the octopus, soft grits and smoky paprika were a good match.

The cauliflower and almond soup at Sotto was very innovative and good. The texture of the soup was pretty thick, which I didn't mind, and super soft. This creamy soup was dotted with spicy chilies, briny capers and golden raisins. I love being pleasantly surprised at flavor and texture combinations and that's exactly what this dish offered. I liked tasting the cauliflower and nutty almond paired with some kick, saltiness as well as sweetness. If the flavor components don't work well together, I'd say it was a bad flavor explosion but that wasn't the case here.

I also liked the grilled mackerel scapece over a bed of chopped cauliflower (I'm not a cauliflower junkie, I swear) and other goodies at Sotto. Scapece is the Italian equivalent of escabeche found in many Spanish-speaking cultures, meaning grilled or poached protein (fish or meat) that's been marinated in some kind of vinegar or citrus-like mixture.

The fish was ok -- could have been a bit more fresh -- but the kicker was the bed of cauliflower, cured lemons, It's a speciality of the island of Pantelleria and a sauce used on fish, made of tomatoes, capers, basil, parsley, oregano, almonds, garlic, oil, chili peppers. There was a lot going on but I liked it. Again, a pleasant surprise.

The "short rib mignon" at the Tar Pit was not bad although not exactly melt in your mouth as ribs should be. Then again it was far better than the outrageously dry braised short ribs at Culina. The Tar Pit's short ribs came with apple-chestnut puree and pickled leeks. Although I could hardly taste the leeks, the puree went ok with the meat.

The tortelloni of sweet potato, amaretti cookies and sage brown butter at Culina was good but not nearly as good as the pumpkin ravioli at Girasole that I have raved about in the past.

The bucatini all' amatriciana at Culina held so much promise but they poured so much salt on it that the only way I was able to enjoy it was at home, topped with an unseasoned fried egg to temper the sodium. The yolk mixed into the pasta and made it more palatable. I'm not big on the hollow pasta either, mostly because I don't think it adds anything in terms of integrating better with the sauce as with farfalle or fusilli and it's darn hard to eat because it keeps slipping!

Don't get me started on the less than stellar dishes. The roasted chestnut, canellini beans and porcini soup at Culina sounded great on paper as I like all three of those things, but was too heavy and needed something light to balance out the starchiness.

The vegetable terrine of roasted vegetables and caramelized kumquats and fried plaintains at the Tar Pit was hard to eat and served room temperature, which I didn't like. The roasted vegetables were hard to mess up, but I wasn't sure about adding the sweet and tart kumquats. As for fried plaintains, what's not to like about them?

Other culprits: margherita pizza at Sotto that looked great but the crust was disappointingly soggy and chewy, instead of being crispy like it should be. The tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil were all great but the crust is half the battle, am I right? If the crust ain't there, forget about it.

The braised lamb ragu with egg and pecorino on casarecce pasta at Sotto was outright bad. The lamb was stinky and just because I don't like to waste food, I did the fried egg trick again but this time, it barely made a difference. Maybe next time, I'll have to add a ton of freshly ground pepper to mask the not-so-fresh lamb.

Ditto for the root vegetable pasta at the Tar Pit, which was bland period. No amount of fried egg-ery could salvage this one. The snapper and crab ravioli dish was probably the worst one of them all. Dry ravioli that's been frozen for far too long, as was the snapper. Awful.

Let's talk desserts. The best was the bittersweet chocolate crostata with hazelnuts and salted rosemary caramel at Sotto. Because I don't have a huge sweet tooth, I liked the sweet-cum-savory aspect of the not-too-sweet chocolate cake.

The cleverly dubbed "gelato pie" (how could one not like something called this?) consisting of meyer lemon, blueberry marmelade and hazelnuts atop some biscuits was too heavy on the cream for my taste.

I haven't met a hazelnut I didn't like. But too much cream is too much cream.

As far as service, Culina was alright but I don't think I'll be returning. Just too many good alternatives for Italian, including Os teria Mozza for special occasion or Girasole for amazing seasonal ingredients prepared fresh and no corkage!

The service at the Tar Pit was, er, pitiful. The owner/chef, Mark Peel of Campanile fame kept a constant watch over the restaurant floor featuring beautiful decor, but service was extremely slow. I didn't care for the live music either that was too loud but my fault for coming to a lounge/restaurant. It's more like a bar than a restaurant. Hard to keep a conversation.

Service at Sotto was curious. They made us wait for our table when we could see there were two tables that were visibly available right by the hostess area. Our server, however, was good.

Rant of the Week: Hold the Salt Please

2012-02-02T00:36:00.000-08:00

I've been trying out some of the DineLA joints this week and have been consistently disappointed so far. What's the deal with restaurants pouring too much salt on everything?

Take this bucatini all'amatriciana, for instance, at Culina (review pending). It looked so promising but take one bite and it's drowning in salt. That's what the bacon is for! Don't oversalt, people. I know it's supposed to raise your revenue by having customers order more drinks but that's not cool. I can't tell you how many times I've made stuff at home and realized how unsalty a dish could be despite having added a lot of salt -- which led me to wonder just how much salt restaurants actually add to food.

I couldn't finish the pasta but I was able to enjoy it more after I topped it with an oozing over-easy egg -- unsalted, of course.

Red Medicine: Good Amberjack and Chinese Lion Peppers (?), Save Room for Dessert

2012-01-29T18:00:00.000-08:00

I wasn't sure what to expect at Red Medicine, which makes it abundantly clear on its site that it does NOT serve Vietnamese food. Rather it serves Vietnamese-inspired food. The chef/owner did stints as pastry chef for both Thomas Keller and Grant Achatz of Alinea (in Chicago) fame.

Overall nothing too special. The best savory dish was the amberjack served raw with something called succulents, which tasted very fresh and looked like thin asparagus spears; deep fried lotus roots that gave the dish a crunchy texture; red seaweed that didn't do much for the flavor but looked pretty -- all on a bed of buttermilk and tiny tapioca balls that doubled as dipping sauce for the fish pieces.

The next best savory dish was something we got because we happen to take the Brussels sprouts back. The sprouts were supposed to be caramelized with fish sauce and vermouth, topped with those shrimp fritter you get out of a box. We took back the sprouts because they were beyond caramelized. They were burnt. So were the new ones we got.

On the house, the kitchen sent over what were called Chinese lion peppers, smothered in some ground almond (the menu said "almond skin" so that was curious), honey, soy, and garnished with some slivered dates and violet basil leaves.

The nuttiness reminded me of the nutty Korean drink in its powder form, misugaru, but I digress. The peppers were roasted or flash fried and weren't that spicy. The nutty almond powder and spicy peppers liked each other, as Jaimie Oliver would say. Some bites were accentuated by the occasional sweet and chewy date slivers. The violet basil gave a subtle but decidedly aromatic basil presence to the mix.

We naturally had high expectations for the dessert, since he made his name as a dessert guy. They didn't disappoint.

The more memorable one was coconut Bavarois, which combines coffee, condensed milk, Thai basil frozen balls like beautiful green gems and peanut croquant (French for "crisp") that were like crunchy and soft peanut cakes. Once mixed with all the other components, made for a creamy and delicious dessert I'd never experienced before. Approved!

The other dessert was rhubarb leaves atop a mountain of lemongrass meringue and cream (fancy name: mahlab cremeux) that, in turn, sit atop a biscuit with hibiscus jam. The whole thing was decorated with rhubarb that had been sliced uber thin and deep fried (we first thought they were beets) and some gorgeous violet flower petals known as gentian.

The verdict? Too much going on, unfortunately. Beautiful, no doubt, but not sure it lives up to the insane description or aesthetic.

Service was ok until it made the cardinal sin of all time -- brought the check before we asked for it. It doesn't matter if we've ordered all there is to order and we've had our dessert and said we didn't want coffee. I don't think any fine dining establishment should do this, regardless of how packed it is -- and this place most definitely was not packed at all. That is a HUGE pet peeve...Done ranting now.

Cooking: A Simple Fried Egg and Jalapeno Quesadilla with a Cold Brew

2012-01-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

I'm no beer snob or connoisseur, but every once in a while I like to try new beers at a fave gastropub or at a local market and then get excited when I find one I liked. I recently found that I liked Indian Wells' Silver Sun. It says it's a "premium lite lager," which doesn't mean a whole lot to this beer novice. But I do know that it had a rich flavor without too much bitterness, which I really liked.

No glass of beer is complete without the right anju, as Koreans would say, or pintxo, as Spaniards would say. So of course, I whipped up a quesadilla with a whole wheat tortilla, a shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheese mix, some pickled jalapeno slices and the venerable runny fried egg to bring it all together.

They went perfectly well together. The glass nicely painted by OK (those are really her initials) made it even better.

For best results, pre-heat a pan in medium high heat, place tortilla in pan, place cheese and other ingredients on half of the tortilla and fold into half. Flip the tortilla once the cheese starts oozing (about 3 minutes) and cook for another minute. Slice into two or three pieces and enjoy!

Yamadaya Ramen: Weak Broth, Go for the Chicken Karaage

2012-01-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

I had high hopes for Yamadaya Ramen, which recently opened outposts in Culver City and Westwood. I should have been more skeptical in retrospect, considering I haven't been able to find a bowl of ramen better than Shinsengumi's, with Santouka's a distant second. The post on Shinsengumi was my very first post back in April 2007. How quickly they grow!

Then there's also the element of the all-too rapid expansion. It took Shinsengumi years to open that many locations, but Yamadaya's seemed rushed. Just like a burger, the best ramen consists of all its excellent components working in perfect harmony together.

So let's dissect. The first things I dig into when tasting a bowl of ramen are 1) broth and 2) the noodles. The broth of the Yamadaya Ramen, which is allegedly a result of bones boiled for 20 hours plus, was so weak it was embarrassing. Ok, a reliable source told me it wasn't anything like this one in the original Torrance location and I believe her. But this was ridiculous. Diluted. Watered down. No self-respecting ramen joint would ever call this tonkotsu ramen broth.

The noodles weren't exactly overcooked but weren't as katame (al dente in Japanese -- thanks MN!) as I usually like them. Hate to belabor the point but Shinsengumi is probably the only ramen shop where you can choose the hardness of the noodles (and the strength of the broth and oil level).

Yamadaya offers fresh garlic to be minced table side into your broth. I loved the concept (and cool-looking retro tool) and I ended up adding some as a last ditch effort to salvage my sad broth. But no amount of garlic could bring this liquid back to life. Sigh.

The other works, like bamboo shoots, green onions and chashu, were fine. I particularly liked that the hard-boiled egg half was done just enough for the yolk to be soft but not oozy and not completely solid. That and the chashu pieces, which were soft and not at all too porky-smelling, may have been the best parts of this otherwise below average ramen.

The ramen that came with a massive block of pork belly was another disappointment. That pork belly should have been crumbling at first bite, dissolving softly in your mouth from 20-plus hours of slow cooking. It was tough and didn't fall off at all. It's a travesty not cooking a great part like pork belly right.

To be fair, Yamadaya raised our expectations by serving excellent chicken karaage before our ramens arrived. We just wanted a good appetizer to go with a nice cold brew, but we got crispy and perfectly-seasoned fried chicken (usually dark thigh meat) that exceeded my expectations. The meat inside was juicy and soft. Little did we know that we were in for a free-fall soon.

The gyoza arrived late, which was odd because those usually get to the table before the ramen too. These were hands-down the worst thing we had there. They were greasy but most importantly, the pork filling smelled really bad -- like the pork was either quite old or just not good quality when purchased.

You really need to step up your gyoza and broth game, Yamadaya.

I used to be biased against ramen joints that opened on the west side because I've never been impressed with their ramen. I would like nothing more than having that myth dispelled because it's close to where I am. For the time being, I'll have to venture to Santouka in Venice for immediate cravings and drive down to South Bay or Little Tokyo for Shinsengumi and other joints I have yet to try.

Cooking: Greens and Other Side Dishes Make for Great Home-made Bibimbap

2012-01-18T23:43:00.000-08:00

I tried to recreate all the amazing greens and namul (side dishes) that some of the best home-cooks made in Korea. Not surprisingly, the ingredients weren't as good out here so it definitely wasn't the same, but they were still good.

I made my version of bibimbap (rice mixed with vegetables -- usually meat is added but I left it out to keep it healthy) out of the bean sprouts, spinach, radish, nengi (aromatic greens attached to a tiny root that is cleaned and consumed), carrots, shitake mushrooms and sauteed kimchi, topped with an oozing fried egg. Since all the vegetables had been blanched, boiled or stir fried with some garlic, green onions and slightly seasoned, they melded well together, as some less salty veggies complemented the saltier ones I seasoned with duenjang, fermented soybean paste.

It also made the rice very healthy, using brown rice and adding barley, red beans, black beans, millet and other grains and beans packed with fiber and other nutritious stuff. I also added buchu, a green I had raved about in a recent Korea post.

Usually a red pepper paste mixed with sesame oil is added to mix the rice and vegetables but I didn't need it here because the sauteed kimchi did the trick. I added extra sesame oil, and it was good. I felt so nourished after eating this and I didn't get sick of it despite eating it over and over again. It's that good.

I won't post the recipes for each of the vegetables because they're so simple. Check out the post I did on the nengi namul using duenjang as seasoning.

Or, you'll just have to buy my cookbook someday!

Steingarten LA: Lackluster Burger & Sausage, Barely Redeemed by Beer List

2012-01-15T22:01:00.000-08:00

I always go to where a supposedly good burger resides so made my way to Steingarten LA in West LA. I was sorely disappointed. Not only was "The Works" burger overcooked twice (I gave up after the first time taking it back) but it wasn't even that good. In fact, the patty was flavorful enough but the sum of its parts, including the bun, toppings, etc, just didn't cut it. It's not even an average burger, I'm afraid.

The bun was far too dense and while I liked that it was toasted, that didn't help the fact that it was still too dense. I didn't feel like a lot of thought had gone into the toppings, which included tomatoes, cheddar cheese, lettuce, raw onions and Thousand Island dressing.

We tried the Bratwurst because the owner was raving about them. Disappointing. It didn't even come close to the ones I had on the streets of Germany years ago. Then he played up the dipping sauces that he makes in-house, including a very good garlic and herb-based green sauce, that was hands-down my favorite. I think that was the one good thing about the place and smothering that sauce on the burger helped a little bit (but ultimately didn't save it).

The beet salad was too heavily sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, defeating the purpose of salad. I liked having an extensive beer list but I could get that at Biergarten, Village Idiot, Congregation Ale House in Long Beach, heck even in My Father's Office that I don't frequent much.

Sorry but I'm not returning to this joint. There are simply too many far better options out there for the same price, or even less.

Cooking: Winter Salad at its Best -- Spinach and Persimmon Salad

2012-01-12T00:25:00.000-08:00

I love winter salads and the combination of fruit, nuts and greens. So this spinach and persimmon salad was the perfect counterpoint to the heavier braised oxtail dish I prepared for a recent dinner with some of my dearest friends who happen to be crazy food people (ok, maybe that's not so shocking).

Our host, GS, presented this delightful salad and even gave it her own spin, using almonds instead of pecan and adding pear slices in addition to the persimmons. I actually like almonds more than pecans so it was a great substitute for me. And what's not to like about pears in a salad? They added a touch of sweetness and soft texture.

The kicker for this salad, however, is the entirely unexpected aroma of toasted sesame oil that hits you when you take a mouthful of the greens and goodies into your mouth. It only takes a teaspoon but a little sesame oil goes a long way and it sure did in this salad. It wasn't overpowering and melded so well with the sweetness of the fruit and freshness of the spinach.

A winning salad that seems simple to make and a sure-fire crowd-pleaser at any potluck or dinner party table.

Mas Malo: Hold the Ceviche and Guac Fries, Good for After-Work Cocteles

2012-01-08T22:40:00.000-08:00

I've never eaten at Malo, but checked out Mas Malo, which is an offshoot and wasn't blown away. The space was gorgeous, similar in vibe and decor to Bottega Louie down the street. The service was appalling and most importantly, the food was average.

Ok, the carne asada and al pastor tacos (had to specify "soft tacos" as opposed to hard ones -- who in her right mind gets hard tacos these days? Ok, I won't judge or hate.) were actually good and one of the spicier salsas was the saving grace. But overall, I'd say it's more of a happy hour-kind of place than it is a fantastic eating experience.

The shrimp and seafood ceviche on tostadas was just a notch above average. The seafood tasted fresh enough but there wasn't too much flavor there.

There were a few salsas and I must say I'm not a huge fan of pico de gallo. I'm a roasted salsa-kind of person who likes her salsa smoky with bits of black roasted pepper and tomato bits floating -- although I know they are carcinogenic and I should reduce my consumption but they're so darn good... One of the spicier roasted salsas was interesting but not quite at the excellent level.

The guacamole fries held so much promise on the menu but alas, the guac was bland and the cheese sprinkled with some cotija-type cheese was the only flavor I could detect.

I looked up the menu online and it looks like it doesn't offer the ceviche or fries anymore, unless it's not publishing its happy hour menu. If it discontinued them, it may be good news as they needed to go or get some flavor infused. Guac fries was a great concept but it failed in its execution. Of course, that didn't stop me from eating the fries, which were decently fried but I dipped them in the salsa out of desperation for some semblance of flavor.

The desserts weren't all that impressive either. The churros weren't as good as the ones I had at Ortega 120, which had crispy, airy churros accompanied by the gooeiest (not sure this word exists but whatever), most intense chocolate sauce. These were just meh.

The drinks were interesting, using different kinds of tequila and mixing it with hibiscus. Given I'm virtually addicted to jamaica, it was a great pairing. I had The Senorita, that doesn't come with salt on the rim.

It's worth a trip just to see the amazing space. I would return to try other cocktails but not before it stops charging for chips and salsa, which is like charging for kimchi or bread and butter -- OUTRAGEOUS!

Park in the lot behind Bottega, which is like $3 after 6pm or something so it's reasonable and walkable.

Cooking: Spanish Chorizo + Manchego Cheese on Crusty Bread = Best Snack Ever

2012-01-04T22:37:00.000-08:00

After all that Korean food, I must say I sometimes got a hankering for some serious cheeses and hams. And what better counterbalance to rice and kimchi than chorizo Espanol with manchego cheese on crusty bread?

I got all the goodies from my favorite online Spanish store, La Tienda, which has a great selection of Spanish hams and cheeses, not to mention olives and piquillo peppers -- the list goes on.

I tried this chorizo Espanol for the first time and it was divine. I usually get the Palacios brand but these were sliced paper thin and seemed lighter (although probably not by much).

Perfect for a Spanish breakfast sandwich-late afternoon snack-cum-tapas-kind of fix.

Try ordering the Jamon Iberico de Bellota if you haven't tried it yet at The Bazaar, which is one of the few restaurants that serve good quality stuff. It's like buttah, I tell you.

Buen provecho, vale!

Best of 2011: Short-ribs Gravy over Fries, Fried Chix Sandwich and Pizza that Won't Kill Your Wallet

2012-01-01T12:14:00.000-08:00

1. Best Fine Dining: ink
Ok, this is completely predictable but I thought I'd get the obvious ones out of the way. ink was creative, flavorful and well-executed. The chef even impressed me with his version of bokchoy kimchi. The service could be better and I wish it were open on Sunday. I don't want to kiss up too much, but I'd say this joint is one of the best new eats around town too.

2. Best Comfort Food: Son of a Gun
It's no diner, but Son of a Gun manages to take something so close to our hearts like a lobster roll or fried chicken sandwich and elevate it to such heights you tolerate its not being on Opentable for an easy reservation and grudgingly make a call. The chicken sandwich was everything you'd expect from fried chicken and more. The sugar plum sorbet was like biting right into an actual sugar plum, except it was icy and slushy, both in a good way.

3. Best Brunch: Square One
Yes, Square One is hipster central, but it has the nicest patio and serves something different than typical brunch joints. I love its baked eggs with chorizo and gruyere cheese and salsa. Even brunch place standards like french toast and pancakes are well executed and well above your typical joint. I had fresh plums over my french toast as it offers seasonal fruits over them and it was summer time. They were incredibly sweet and juicy. One gripe about this place: get rid of the flies indoors. It's extremely annoying. If I wanted to go to a nature preserve, I would have.

4. Best Gastropub: Biergarten
It's a humble joint located in a non-descript strip mall in Koreatown but I've been repeatedly impressed by the creative menu items and for the most part, being pleasantly surprised at how good they are. Oh, and they're decadent. Behold this short rib poutine, with some blue cheese thrown in. Actually, the first time I had it was the best version. The rib meat didn't taste as good the second time around. They tasted old and I couldn't really finish it off as cleanly as I had the first time. Great concept and decent execution but needs to work on quality control of ingredients used. Great beer selection although I didn't love the beer flight. Other standouts include the excellent German fried rice with a gooey fried egg on top, the above-average burger (save for the bun that needs improvement), the roasted chicken and the fig salad.

Honorable mention: Congregation Ale House in Long Beach. It didn't make the best of cut because the quality of the burger that was excellent the first time around, deteriorated the second time around. Why did I give a pass to Biergarten for its lesser poutine? Because I'm a hard-core burger person and can't tolerate inconsistent burgers! And the chairs are uncomfortable, unlike Biergarten's cushy booth-like seating where we can spend hours chatting, laughing and stuffing our faces with delicious short rib gravy over fries.

5. Best Banh Mi: Banh Mi Cho Cu
I haven't tried the Nom Nom truck but judging from all the other less than satisfying food truck experiences, I'm highly skeptical that I'll be blown away. In the meantime, I'll stick to Westminster for my banh mi sandwiches. I so wish there were more authentic banh mi joints closer to me but alas, it is not to be.

The bread was fresh and the meats used were flavorful and not smelly like some bad ones I'd visited.

6. Best New Burger: Lazy Ox Canteen
You didn't think I'd let 2011 pass by without mention of one of my favorite things in the world, did you?

I didn't like the Ox the first time I visited soon after it opened. But it came around on my next visit and then again and again. The burger was perfectly cooked and the patty was juicy and boasted all of its glorious meatiness in one bite. The bun was fresh, toasted and held its own to the hefty patty and the works. Hope it stays that way.

Houston's is still my number one burger but this one is definitely a good alternative, especially now that Burger Kitchen has downgraded its patty meat and parted ways with Pat LaFrieda out east.

7. Best Alternative to Mozza: Olio Pizzeria & Cafe
I know there are a ton of new fancy pizza joints that popped up but I've been out of town so until I visit them, my favorite alternative to the madness that is Mozza is this place, sitting quietly on the corner of Third and Crescent Heights.

No, it isn't as good as Mozza. But the crust is thin and crispy, and the ingredients fresh. A bonus is the house-made sodas that were refreshing and not too sweet.

8. Best Cooking Discovery: Chorizo, parsnips and manchego bites
Since I made these at a dinner party last June, I've made them over and over for gatherings and outings and they're always a crowd pleaser. People often wonder what's the root vegetable -- is it potato? Is it celery root? Radish? Parsnips have a stronger flavor than carrots and potatoes but also have a slightly sweet side -- perfect to pair with the spicy chorizo and nutty manchego slices. Add a fried egg and you've got breakfast served.

Honorable mention: Banana and shiso harumaki dessert

I fell in love with this dessert when I had it at Nobu in Las Vegas. It was by far the best thing on the menu I had that evening. I tried to recreate it several times and after an initial glitch of buying the wrong spring roll wrapper, I finally got it right and made it for my family and boy, was it a hit. The ripe bananas, paired with dulce de leche and shiso leaves, all in a wafer-thin wrapper and deep fried -- throw in some great quality green tea ice cream or such and you've got yourself a fantastic dessert everyone will love. I was initially concerned the sweetness of the dulce de leche would overpower everything but it wasn't too sweet and in fact, people wanted more of that melted goodness to spread on some bread!

9. Best Out-of-town Food Experience: Fried Catfish at Flying Fish in Little Rock, AR
I wasn't sure what to expect when I embarked on a trip to Little Rock, but I had excellent fried catfish at this joint that's also a local favorite. I didn't have great mobility as I was staying downtown but I was very impressed with the quality of the fish and how light it was breaded and fried. I wasn't too fond of the sides but the star of the show was most definitely the fried catfish and that was a success.

10. Best Out-of-country Food Experience: Fresh Grilled Eel in Korea
Besides the delicious homemade meals I had in Korea, the best restaurant food was the fresh eel I had grilled table-side and topped with an array of sides such as pickled perilla leaves, grilled garlic, kimchi or pickled radish. Anyway you enjoy it, it was something I couldn't normally have in LA and all the ingredients were so fresh-tasting and pickled just right that added a tangy and lighter balance to the fatty fish, delightfully complete with charred grill marks and all.

That's it for 2011, folks. Let me know what you think. Thank you so much for subscribing, following me or just plain reading my posts. Hope 2012 will be an even more exciting year for eating and cooking.

Happy New Year to everybody and happy eating!! I made a pretty mean ttukguk (rice cake soup consumed by Koreans on the first day of the year) today after boiling some bones and meat for like 100 hours yesterday. Hope you had your fill of whatever your New Year traditions are!

Korea Roundup 2011: Home-cooked Meals at Their Best

2011-12-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

After having nutritious, home-made meals almost three times a day for a while, it's hard to go back to consuming store-bought kimchi. I wasn't liking any of the brands out here anyway.

I think I'll have to embark on making my own napa cabbage kimchi at home. Of course, my Mom makes it look so easy. This kimchi was so fresh, crisp and just no comparison to the mass produced store-bought kind. It's obvious, I know, but I really think I can't go back anymore.

I'm on a mission now to try making more than just kkakdugi, radish cube kimchi that is arguably the easiest kind of kimchi to make.

After making napa cabbage kimchi, I'd like to try this delicious cold kimchi soup that is the most refreshing side dish when having a meal of rice and soup. It cleanses the palate and also gives it a very mild kick from the red pepper flakes.

I know it's not photogenic but I go back to the humble bean sprouts that are stir-fried in some sesame oil with some water and makes for the best side dish. All I need is rice, soup, kimchi and these nutty-tasting bean sprouts.

Another amazing side dish that doesn't get as much love: duduk. It's a root with a very distinctive flavor that is tenderized and flattened and marinated in some spicy and sweet sauce with some sesame oil thrown in. Then pan-fried with some oil and voila.

Unlike many duduk roots, it was so tender and soft. Most importantly, it was super moist but not overly so (most duduk tastes dry).

Last but not least, there's myulchi bokkeum, or candied (with soy sauce, red pepper paste, sugar/honey, etc) dried anchovies with pine nuts, almonds and walnuts. True, there were a tad on the sweet side but I find it very hard to get the anchovies to be so incredibly crispy.

The nuts added another crunchy and, well, nutty dimension to this classic side dish.

The bottom line is consuming all these non-over-seasoned, non-overcooked and non-over-preserved foods inspired me further to cook Korean food more here even though it's so easy to drive to Koreatown Galleria and buy all my side dishes and kimchi.

I'm also on a quest for excellent quality rice. I yearn for the piping hot pots of rice that came to our table where the first bite into the grain was so unforgettable.

Korea Roundup 2011: The Final Highlights -- Fresh Tofu and Cold Noodles to Weather Snow

2011-12-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

When it's extremely hot, Koreans eat even hotter foods like samgyetang, or chicken ginseng soup, so it's only natural that when it's extremely cold, Koreans eat even colder foods, like nengmyun, or cold buckwheat noodles.

This beef broth-based dish is very hard to get right. I still haven't found a great place in LA. I got a taste of the OG back in Korea at Hanwoori, which incidentally also serves a very mean jeongol guksoo, or beef noodle soup cooked tableside, that I reviewed a while back.

Here are other highlights.

1. Gamjajeon, or potato pancakes, similar to latkes but less shredded, served at Marohwajeok, which also serves killer yookhoe, excellent quality raw marinated beef strips with Asian pear strips and bulgoki.

2. Modern gujeolpan at Jeongdaham, which was like the original kogi "taco." Usually made out of flour and water, the wraps were colorful based on the additions of black sesame (dark grey) or spinach (green). And the fillings are traditionally different kinds of delicately sliced vegetables or meat. This one had vegetables but dressed in a light spicy mustard sauce that gave it an interesting kick.

Jeongdaham (정다함)
(031) 786-0877

3. The mushroom soup at the same place was also excellent. It tasted so comforting and rich with mushroom aroma and the addition of wild sesame powder that gives anything a very smoky and nutty flavor.

4. And the myulchi bokkeum, with the "candied" dried anchovies staring you in the eye, was crunchy, salty and slightly sweet -- hitting all the right notes.

5. I must give a shout-out to the tiny joints around Dongdaemun like Yeolboonshik (열분식), that invariably and utterly consistently serve fantastic kimbab, tuna rolls with perilla leaves that are made to order, for a meager $2. And on top of that, super spicy and gooey in a good way rabokki, stir-fried rice cakes with al dente ramen noodles, a hard-boiled egg, lots of green onions and fish cakes. The total damage for the entire meal: $5. OMG.

Yeolboonshik (열분식) -- It delivers!

(02) 2237-4535

6. Freshly made tofu at Dubu Maeul: Everything else was mediocre but the huge block of fresh tofu with stir-fried over-ripe kimchi was something I really missed in LA. I used to be able to go to any market's basement and sample piping hot tofu blocks fresh out of the tray. This tofu, made fresh every morning at the restaurant, took me back. Time to make my own tofu at home, perhaps?

Dubu Maeul (두부마을)

(031) 266-3868

7. Galbi and Nakji jiim at Moodol: I'd never had braised short ribs with octopus before, so it was an interesting treat trying this version that was a specialty from Cheolla Province in Korea's Southwestern region. Octopus could easily be rubbery if overcooked but combined with super soft short ribs, they were tender and had just the right level of chewiness. The marinade wasn't overly sweet or salty but just right.

Moodol (무돌)

(02) 515-3088

8. Moving on to desserts, I had a revelation with this rice cake called duteopttuk from Chaegeundam. I could tell it was made with extreme care and skill. It's not sold in your typical rice cake shop but take one bite and you'll taste the cinnamon, pine nuts, chestnuts, walnuts and jujubes, as well as the hints of sweetness from honey and essence from dried yuja rind, also known by its Japanese name, yuzu.

Chaegeondam (채근담)

(02) 555-9173

9. For some serious desserts, we headed to Be Sweet On and had the most spectacularly grandiose and sweet indeed St. Honore cake, apple tartine and a strawberry layered wafer cake. The St. Honore was, in a word, ridiculous. The puffs were perfect, topped with a dark brown and glossy caramel with custard cream on the inside. Wow.

The strawberry layered wafer cake was probably the least memorable in terms of flavor. It was good but not as satisfying as the other two. The strawberry ice cream tasted home-made and was delicious.

The grand finale was the apple tartine, which was monumental in its vertical structure. The puff pastry layers were crumbly, crunchy and a bit on the over-baked side but still excellent. I felt like I was eating a deconstructed chausson au pomme, French apple turnovers that are one of my favorite things in the world to nibble on as a snack (warmed up in an oven, of course). Turnovers a-la-mode at that, with a scoop of home-made vanilla ice cream. I wished I could have finished it but alas, I was wavering between this and the St. Honore that's harder to come by unless you can fly to Paris at a moment's notice.

Be Sweet On

(02) 323-2370

I wish I could have tried more places and traveled outside of Seoul but I'll have to get a rain-check for that. Please share you Seoul eats stories here!

Korea Roundup 2011: Grilled Salted Fish, Raw Crab and Magical Moving Tables

2011-12-28T15:00:00.001-08:00

I like the food at Chungmok (청목 나들애), especially the grilled goolbi, or salted white croaker (although I'm never sure about the exact translations when it comes to fish because they vary depending on who you ask).

It serves jungshik (no relation to the restaurant I just reviewed of the same name), which is a full meal where the table is literally covered with loads of side dishes and main dishes. The stars also included gyejang, or raw marinated crab and bossam, steamed pork belly wrapped in cabbage leaves with some fiery kimchi.

The grilled fish was soft, smoky and just salty enough from the salt added when the jogi (fresh fish) was turned into the dried salted kind, goolbi, similar to bacalao (salted cod) popular in Portuguese cuisine.

While very challenging to consume (good luck getting the tiny bit of flesh out of the shell), the raw crab was gooey and salty in a good way and went so well with the fantastic rice cooked in an individual stone pot.

I didn't appreciate the excellent quality of the rice as much when I was there, until I returned to LA and made some rice in my humble rice cooker and...realized how each grain had a good bite to it and was cooked just right -- not too soft, not too hard. Oh my. I miss that rice.

Probably the most fascinating thing about this place besides the pretty good fish and crab was this:

Check out how the tables are set. It's Korean ingenuity at its best. Ok, I'm not sure Koreans invented this but I've never seen it before anywhere else. So efficient. Fascinating.

The restaurant is based in Icheon, a city southeast of Seoul known for its ceramics, rice and peaches. The stone pot rice will undoubtedly make the city proud. It has three additional locations, including this one in Bundang.

Chungmok (청목 나들애)
(031) 717-4224

Korea Roundup 2011: How Do You Say Molecular Gastronomy in Korean? Junsikdang.

2011-12-27T15:00:00.000-08:00

I visited Junsikdang, of NY Times' Junsik fame and allegedly Korea's answer to molecular gastronomy, the next horizon in globalizing Korean food once and for all.

The verdict is that while expectations were indeed high, results were mixed. I liked the main dish, a glorious pork belly slow cooked to perfection -- super soft and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside like bacon. But as a whole, I don't think it's there.

Dubbed Five Senses Pork Belly, it is meant to hit at the spicy, crunchy, sour, soft and sweet. There was certainly a lot going on, so much that the Wall Street Journal had a story on just the dish alone.

The whole grandiose thing lay atop pureed potatoes with onions and a pickled garlic leaf has become the most elusive ingredient for me to buy at a market as it's not available in regular markets but adds so much to meat dishes I'm trying to get my hands on it.

Then the pork belly slices were topped with some sweet and tart blackberry and ginger jam and pickled Korean green peppers. It was an explosion of flavors and textures but I loved the softness of the pork that (despite the cliche) really did melt in your mouth.

The dish I liked least but held lots of promise was the sea urchin bibimbap that came with seaweed, quinoa, sliced onions, green onions and to my outrage, watered down kimchi. It tasted so bland I had to tell the manager who checked in with us. Why water down the kimchi, I asked? For the foreigners, I was told. I think this is one of the biggest mistakes Koreans make about Korean food and foreigners. People, non-Koreans like spicy food too.

The less photogenic but much more flavorful anchovy broth-based rice topped with toasted seaweed was far better. More humble but more comforting.

There were choices for four courses of the meal. The other notable was the classic galbi, or short ribs. The meat was extremely well cooked (again, melt in your mouth) although the marinade was a tad on sweet side. The interesting thing was it came with fried rice cake balls that gave some crunchy texture to the dish.

The other starters were unremarkable. Beautiful, yes, but not particularly mind-blowing. There was a deconstructed Caprese salad of arugula sorbet, chopped tomatoes, basil, mozarella and some micro greens that was nothing special. The sorbet didn't work on a cold, winter day. Maybe a summer dish.

The beet and cucumber salad was an amazing architecture project and gorgeous to look at but there was too much going on so it was hard to appreciate any one element of it.

The second thing I was most taken by was its crusty bread. It had just the right amount of saltiness with the butter spread on it, it was fantastic. Probably the best bread I've had in Korea.

The amuse bouche also looked better than they tasted. Tofu in flan-like form and other unmemorable bites.

I was looking forward to dessert, where it served makgeolli cake. Makgeolli is a traditional rice wine that's recently taken on more popularity. Alas, I was disappointed.

The sponge cake did have a hint of makgeolli but quickly got soggy as it touched the crushed ice base and it wasn't a pleasant combination.

The second dessert featured spinach sponge cake, raspberry mouse and a refreshing sorbet. Lovely, right? Interesting textures, colors and flavors but they didn't blend well together.

The finale was good though. They had dried tangerine rinds tea that was excellent. It was smoky, tart, sweet and the perfect cup of tea on a very cold and windy day. I wish I could buy some somewhere. The complimentary muffins were unfortunately dry and unremarkable. I won't be running to its NY outpost but at least I won't be wondering when it's coming to LA. I didn't get to try celebrity chef Edward Kwon's cooking -- call him the Bobby Flay of Korean cuisine -- but I suspect it's overrated.

Korea Roundup 2011: Attention Spice Lovers, These Noodles are for You

2011-12-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

If you asked me whether I was a jjajangmyun or jjamppong-kind of person, I'd say jjajangmyun in a heartbeat. But it's rare that you find a restaurant that only serves the latter so I got curious. Both are staple noodle dishes served in Korean Chinese establishments. This place called itself Hong Kong Ban Jeom 0410, and proclaimed itself famous for this seafood noodle dish, usually served in a red hot broth reflecting its heat level.

I had the regular jjamppong that was a panoply of pork strips, mussels, squid, kimchi and zucchini, brought together by an intensely spicy broth that tasted like the sea. The noodles were done just right and helped to balance out the spiciness.

What was interesting was that this joint served variations on the classic jjamppong, namely broth-less stir-fried jjamppong and jjamppong fried rice. Hard to believe no one's thought of that so far, right? The stir-fried jjamppong was basically the same ingredients (except shrimp, carrots, mushrooms and green onions added) as my noodle soup except they were stir-fried and not as spicy. It was excellent and gave jjamppong another dimension I hadn't appreciated before.

No outing to a Korean Chinese restaurant is complete without a taste of its tangsuyook -- deep fried pieces of pork or beef smothered in a salty and sweet sauce (not sweet and sour, mind you). The beef morsels were tender, unlike many joints that skimp on the quality of the meat and mask it with dough and globs of disgusting sauce. The sauce was just gooey enough and had the right amount of sweetness.

Despite it being a lot of food, we diligently finished it off, especially me with my spicy noodle soup, although I think it isn't for the weak of stomachs. It's potent so beware.

It was an amazing deal at less than $4 for my noodles... I predict a rant pending about the quality of jjamppongs in LA.

Korea Roundup 2011: And Then There Was Tonkatsu, Real Tonkatsu

2011-12-25T20:45:00.000-08:00

Ok, here's the deal. Every day of the week beginning today, I'll post about one amazing restaurant or food item I had in Korea, culminating in the end of the year, where I'll be posting, you guessed it, the Best of 2011!

Today's entry is about tonkatsu -- remember that ethereal fried thing featured on my rant a while back? Well, I'll be damned, because I came to the sad realization that Korea has better tonkatsu than LA.

Yes, it's true. Welcome to Saboten, probably one of the world's largest tonkatsu franchises. I suspect it may be easier for a Japanese mega-franchise like Saboten to open a branch in Seoul, but hey, what about us over here in humble Los Angeles? I had other puzzling moments, wondering why the Korean website and the main Saboten Japan site were both so hard to find (I smell a major opportunity with SEO and web business).

But I digress. Ok, so what if it has like 500 shops throughout Asia? It serves excellent tonkatsu and that's all that matters.

I tried the most luxurious of them all -- a mix of quality pork tenderloin and loin in 17 layers! So not only was the outer shell incredibly crispy with perfectly fried bread crumbs, but the meat inside was also extremely soft -- even softer than if it were one chunk of tenderloin because it consisted of thin layers of meat that was tender and easy to bite into. We've all had the experience of trying to vigorously bite off the tonkatsu flesh off. This layered approach gets rid of the problem.

The lunch set came with rice, a cabbage salad, miso soup, pickled daikon radish and a mild soy sauce-based dipping sauce that had grated radish and green onions that went well with the fried beauties.

I didn't crave the classic mustard and thick soy sauce-based sauce usually had with tonkatsu but it was available.

It also offered all sorts of other tonkatsus like stuffed with cheese, etc, but I'm a purist and don't think they would go well so stuck to the (layered) classic.

Not sure if this is the norm, but management at the Myungdong location was shaky with poor service and lax restroom maintenance.

I later learned Saboten shops were indeed ubiquitous throughout Seoul and the suburbs. All I want to know is, WHEN ARE YOU COMING TO LA? THE MASSES DEMAND IT. That's it. I'm starting a petition and sending it to Saboten HQ. Who's in?

Korea Roundup 2011: Korean Bakeries, You've Come a Long Way

2011-12-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

There is one thing I didn't expect to get completely and hopelessly addicted to in Korea -- anything produced by the venerable Paris Croissant bakery (it doesn't have an English website. Interestingly, it has a baking academy. Here's the Korean website.). Mind you, this isn't the ubiquitous Paris Baguette (same owner) you could even find in LA, which is nothing special. We're talking about the upscale version of Paris Baguette that has all sorts of mouth-watering pastries that I still day-dream about.

The first one doesn't look particularly appealing, I know. But it's a genius combination of two of my favorite breads -- soboru pang, is a classic bun with a sweet and crumbly crust added on top and pat pang, a bun with red bean paste filling. Who woulda thunk it, seriously?! When I saw "soboru pat pang" being sold at Paris Croissant and other bakeries, it was one of those 'I can't believe no one's thought of that before now' moments.

Then I perused and tried other pastries like the cherry tart, whose outer shell was flaky and crispy, with a light custard in the center topped with some real cherries. None of that gross fuchsia ones used in cocktails and cheap parfaits (you know what I'm talking about). It wasn't overly sweet and yet the crust, custard and cherries all complemented each others' flavors and textures so well.

The large, round apple tart with some raisins thrown in was divine in the same way. The little pod-like breads were filled with excellent quality, pitted manzanilla-type Spanish olives that would be perfect with wine as appetizers before a meal or just munchies at a cocktail.

All of these were washed down with a heartwarming grapefruit tea full of freshly squeezed pulp -- perfect for that vitamin boost you need in the winter.

Then there were cream puffs. I've always been a huge fan of Beard Papa, but these were excellent in their own way. The puffs were as, well, puffy and fresh as BP. They differed most in their custard filling. BP has more of a yellow-toned custard that's creamier than this one, which was creamy but closer to a whiter-toned custard and closer to a good whipping cream than custard. I didn't think I'd like it judging by the color and texture but I did.

Ah, I predict a rant in the near future about a lack of Paris Croissants in LA! Paris Baguette just doesn't cut it. I just heard about Cream Pan in Tustin that allegedly makes the best strawberry croissants and I can't wait to trek out there to try them. Also, must visit the new Bouchon Bakery in BH.

Korean bakeries have come a very long way and now I can't get enough. Oh, the apple turnover with sugar sprinkled on top wasn't good because of the sugar. Apple turnovers should be left alone. They don't need to be sprinkled with sugar. The filling was good but they should NOT sprinkle any sugar!

Korea Roundup 2011: One of the Best Charcoal-Grilled Eels Ever

2011-12-20T00:26:00.000-08:00

The only time I've had really good eel was at my fave sushi joint, Hiko Sushi, where I usually revel in my last piece (ok, usually anyway -- unless I decide I want another uni...) of my omakase with anago, or salt-water eel grilled and topped with a super light sauce.

I had some of best eel I've ever had at a place called Poongcheon Jang-eo Jeonmun in the suburban town of Bundang about half an hour from Seoul. What a find.

First of all, you gotta love a place that serves you deep fried eel bones as soon as you sit down. I'd never had that before, so was skeptical but I was hoarding them after the first crunchy bite. Note to self: fried eel bones would make great anju, or bar food.

I know they look like they've been displayed in a natural history museum but they were excellent, packed with calcium and sure beat lame peanuts as my bar food of choice.

After a bunch of banchan, or side dishes, were placed before me, nine neatly chopped pieces of minmool jang-eo, or freshwater eel, were laid out on the grill tableside with a copper-toned vent to ensure my clothes wouldn't stink of burnt eel afterward (not that I'd mind).

I went with the sogeum gooey (gooey means grilled in Korean, not anything resembling the texture of okra) upon the owner's recommendation. Also, I knew that if the eel were truly fresh, the best way to enjoy it would be in its purest and simplest form -- seasoned with nothing but a little salt.

And I was not disappointed.

I flipped the eel pieces to ensure they would be nicely browned on both sides. And I dug in. Wow. The flesh was so incredibly tender and tasted like it had just been caught.

The cool thing about this place was that like with Korean barbecue, there was an array of different ways I could eat the eel. Solo, wrapped in pickled kkennip (perilla leaves), with some grilled raw garlic, with a buchu (this is the green that I recently raved about on this post) and onion "salad," wrapped in ppongnip (pickled mulberry leaves), pickled radish or cabbage leaves -- the list goes on.

Then there was ssamjang, a dip that struck a perfect harmony of salty and spicy from a mix of fermented soybean paste and red pepper paste and other aromatics that is consumed with a wrap (where the ssam part of the word derives from) containing a protein and greens.

Check out "the works."

I had three favorite ways to eat the eel. 1) Wrapped in the pickled perilla leaf, 2) wrapped in a radish round and topped with a slightly charred slice of garlic and 3) wrapped in napa cabbage (it's a non-spicy form of kimchi -- basically pickled cabbage) and topped with some ssamjang.

There's something about the combination of tangy and oily (in the best way possible) fish finished off with another dimension of flavor by way of garlic or some kick.

I'm tempted to go into a rant about LA not having a place nearly this good (I'll have to stick to Hiko for now. Sigh.) but I'll spare you.

It was hard to believe, but the duenjang jjigae, or fermented soybean stew, and gyeranjjim, or savory egg custard, that came sizzling to my table in all their rustic glory were just as good.

The duejang was hearty and bold in its saltiness with tofu cubes, mushrooms, onions, zucchini and green onions.

The egg custard (check out those bubbles!) was soft and the epitome of comfort itself -- topped with the perfectly color-combined green onions on a yellow background. The green onions are added at the very end so they don't overcook and they stayed crunchy here too. I would have finished it off had I not been relishing every single piece of that eel so much.

They say eel has 200 more times vitamin A than beef and Korean men literally eat it up because it's supposed to be good for virility (What's up with Korean men and their obsession with eating anything that's supposed to help in that department? That's a whole other post.). Whatever.

All I know is that it's incredibly delicious and although it doesn't come cheap (about US$23), the treat is well worth it.

Bundang Poongcheon Jang-eo Jeonmun
분당 풍천장어 전문
(031) 718-5129

Cooking: Combine Scallions and Seafood to Make Awesome Haemul Pajeon

2011-12-15T18:06:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like home-made haemul pajeon, or pancakes made with jjokpa (Korean green onions), oysters and clams (sometimes with squid but not this time). It's so easy to make and always a crowd pleaser. Just mix some flour and egg with some water and add the jjokpa and sprinkle some of the seafood onto the pan when you pour the batter. It goes well with makgeolli, a Korean rice drink, or just as part of a regular meal.

Korea Roundup 2011: Ginkgo Tree House Serves Up Amazing Stuffed Duck

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

I'm usually not a huge fan of duck, but this was no ordinary duck. It was stuffed with all sorts of goodies like pumpkin seeds, ginkgo nuts, chestnuts, pine nuts and sticky rice and black rice. It was none other than the Ginkgo Tree House (은행나무집), which specializes in this kind of stuffed duck.

The duck had to be pre-ordered as it is slow cooked for at least three hours. It's cooked in an oven until the skin is crisp on the outside and the rice inside is fully cooked. It makes for an amazing presentation at the table. 1) Crispy duck, 2) Piping hot stuffing is revealed as the duck is cut open and 3) the best part -- get thee some duck meat and stuffing on your plate and dig in!

The duck was juicy and tender and the sticky rice and nuts stuffing was chewy, crunchy and masked the gaminess of the bird very well. The strong aromas of the different nuts blended perfectly to make a great side to the star of the meal.

Again, this is unusual for me because I've never been a stuffing-kind of person, at least for the traditional American turkey meal.

You could dip the meat in a salt and pepper mix or a tangy and sweet Korean mustard-based sauce. I alternated between the two and before I knew it, my companion and I had devoured the entire duck!

Highlights of the banchan, or side dishes, were the buchu (remember I raved about it a few posts ago?) seasoned in some sesame oil (not the strong stuff but there's a milder one deulgireum, or wild sesame oil/들기름 ), sesame seeds and some gochugaru, or red pepper flakes.

The other fave was the radish. They're called daikon radish in the US but these are actually chubbier and shorter than the longer daikon variety so I'm just going to go with Korean radish. They were cut into thin rectangular blocks and pickled with some rice vinegar. They were very refreshing as an antidote to the very fatty and rich duck.

This was the buchu banchan.

Neatly stacked and refreshing (Korean!) radishes.

Why we felt like barbarians at the end of the meal.

Other menu items include a duck version of samgyetang, the young chicken soup that comes stuffed with ginseng, dried jujubes, etc and is usually consumed in the summer as a way to replenish one's energy in extremely hot and humid weather. It also offers duck bossam, which is usually a pork belly dish that comes with steamed nappa cabbage and other greens and kimchi as well as spicy raw squid meant to be eaten as wraps. Even though it sounds like ttuk bossam, it's vastly different in that ttuk bossam refers to thinly sliced ribeye meat slices grilled table side and wrapped in thin rice paper sheets with the works that come with Korean barbecue.

Ginkgo Tree House (은행나무집) -- Hannam Location

(02) 792-3851

Cooking: These Greens are Earthy, Healthy and Delicious

2011-12-11T05:46:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been MIA. Here's a belated rave-cum-rant of the week. Rave for neng-ee, which is a green that's eaten with its root (with the dirt washed out and outer layer shaved off, of course). Rant because yes, you guessed it, you can't get neng-ee this fresh and fragrant stateside. What's up with that?

The best way to consume this green is neng-ee namul -- blanch it quickly and season it with dwenjang, Korean fermented soybean paste (NOT miso!), some sesame oil, sesame seeds and diced green onions.

OMG. It's sold in LA but it's just not nearly as flavorful. The biggest appeal of this green is its really earthy fragrance that complements so well with the saltiness of the soybean paste. That's why it's also added to arguably one of the most classic Korean dishes of all time, dwenjang jjigae, or fermented soybean paste stew. Ok, it doesn't sound like the most appetizing dish and some may say it's an acquired taste, but trust me, it's that good.

Some may be confused by the zillion greens featured in Korean cuisine but part of the fun is trying to decipher which green is on the table after tasting it. Chui namul? Spinach? Neng-ee?

In any case, it looks like I may have to start growing Korean veggies on a community garden somewhere in LA. Anyone know of a good plot? I will really miss the earthy and super flavorful vegetables and fruits in Korea.

Korea Roundup 2011: Jeonju Kongnamul Haejangguk Serves Sizzling Bean Sprouts Soup

2011-12-04T07:22:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true. I have a thing for hole-in-the-wall joints. Of course, it's now become a cliche but this one has earned its place in the hole-in-the-wall hall of fame.

It's called Jeonju Kongnamul Haejangguk and serves its namesake, kongnamul haejangguk, a humble bean sprout soup that has already plopped the rice in there for you and is supposedly good as a hangover cure. But you don't need a hangover to have this delicious soup on a cold, winter day. When the rice is added in the soup before it arrives on your table, it's usually called a certain kind of guk bap. This one could interchangeably be called kongnamul guk bap, or bean sprout soup with rice.

I loved the sizzling sound (and the sight of the bubbles and steam emanating from the bowl!) of the soup when it got to my table, as I quickly tried to bury the egg yolk so it would cook slightly.

Let's take a step back for a sec before going into the soup. I was already impressed with this place after we ordered and the banchan, or side dishes, started to arrive.

They were simple but clearly made with care and were packed with flavor. My favorite banchan was the buchu, which was like a flattened version of green onions but as thin as chives, except without a hollow middle. Man, that's hard to explain.

As you can see on the left, they're like flat green onions. They have a much milder flavor than scallions. They are similar in flavor to saebal and are best consumed raw seasoned with some sesame oil or as pancakes. These were seasoned with a very light dressing with a lot of wild sesame seeds that had the smokiest flavor that really enhanced the buchu, with the added bonus of crunchy texture that brought it all together.

The myulchi bokkeum, or dried anchovies pan-fried and seasoned with some spice, sweetness and sesame oil and seeds, went well with the brothy soup.

The maneul jjong, or garlic stems cooked and seasoned with some red pepper flakes, gave the soup some more spice. These had a slight garlicky flavor but not too strong.

It also had sliced dashima, or kelp that was barely seasoned but gave a good balance of mild flavor. I'd never had dashima sliced so thinly so it was an interesting "cut," so to speak and easier to eat. Must try it at home.

As for the soup itself, the broth was based on myulchi or dried anchovies. Koreans love their dried anchovies -- adding them to make broth and use anchovies of all sizes to make side dishes.

The kongnamul, or bean sprouts, were so fresh and had a deep soybean flavor that the soup didn't need too much stuff except for the egg that was cracked at the end, plenty of chopped green onions and of course, rice.

It was very comforting and a great meal that I'll definitely be returning to. The place only serves four dishes.

Jeonju Kongnamul Haejangguk
전주콩나물해장국
(031) 265-9086

Cooking: Saebal, A Versatile New Green

2011-12-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

Markets are like candy stores for me so it wasn't a surprise that I spent all of three hours scouring a Korean market that sells everything from produce and cookbooks to slippers and plates.

Anyway, I discovered a new green that looked fascinating called saebal (세발나물), so naturally I bought it.

Thankfully, the packaging suggested I make namul or jeon with it. Namul is an umbrella term that usually refers to a vegetable that's been seasoned either raw or cooked -- in this case, raw. Jeon is a pancake, like the one you see here.

I figured I would split the green into both namul and jeon. However, after I pan-fried some saebal jeon in a batter of water, egg, flour and ready-made jeon powder all seasoned with some salt, it tasted so good I didn't need to make namul.

The saebal jeon was easy to eat (I had chopped the greens into one-inch long strands) and very mild and refreshing in flavor. The jeon was delicate in texture because the greens were very thin. The greens went very nicely with the flour-based batter.

They literally sold like hot cakes once they hit the table.

I had them as namul at a restaurant a few days later, seasoned with nothing but a bit of sesame oil, salt and red pepper flakes. Delicious but not as good as the jeon.

I predict this will soon become a rant of the week where I complain about a lack of fresh greens like these in LA. Stay tuned...

Korea Roundup 2011: Kalguksu Pairings at Andong Gukshi Cheongwajeong

2011-11-27T05:29:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like a nice, hot bowl of kalguksu on a cold, overcast day. That's exactly what we got at Andong Gukshi Cheongwajeong (안동국시 청화정) that's known for that very noodle dish, located in the suburban town of Suji .

I must say, the broth is key for any self-respecting bowl of kalguksu, literally translated as "knife noodles" for the way the noodles are hand-made and cut. And I wasn't too impressed with the strength of the broth of this one.

But what compensated for the weak broth was the banchan, or side dishes.

The Korean green onion kimchi above (thinner and more flavorful than the western variety) is a breath killer but a fantastic match for the mild broth.

The second side dish that did it was perilla leaves pickled with red pepper flakes and green onions. This also paired extremely well with the noodles. Usually, this side dish is consumed with rice as a way to wrap the rice (like with dried seaweed) but in this instance, it was used to wrap white noodles. Starch is starch but it was an unusual but delicious way to consume it.

And of course, how could I forget the venerable kimchi? I actually liked the perilla and green onions with the noodles and broth better but the kimchi was good too.

Also, I remember kalguksu joints used to give you a pickled green pepper relish that you could add to the noodles but this place replaced that with these strongly flavored side dishes that played that role of accents.

Check out the bowl of kalguksu by itself -- it looks lonely for sure. That's why it has these three side dishes to complement its milder flavor with punch.

Noodles + perilla leaves

Noodles + Korean green onion kimchi

Noodles + kimchi

Rave of the Week: You're Giving Me The Sweetest Persimmon

2011-11-24T05:33:00.000-08:00

Look at this beauty! I knew there was a reason fall was my favorite season. There's a bounty of amazing fruits including persimmons in every shape and form. I always virtually overdose on fruits when I come to Korea because they taste so fresh and sweet.

This persimmon, called hongshi in Korean, is no exception. I was never able to find a decent one in LA, honest to God. If they were ripe enough, they didn't taste sweet but ttulbeo, which is to say, not right.

I confess I've been consuming one of these babies every day. Thank God for hoarding! They're like candy except it's all natural sugar and it's addictive as heck.

If anyone knows of a great persimmon purveyor in LA, pray tell!

Korea Roundup 2011: Meaty Fish Grilled to Pefection at Jejuhang

2011-11-20T21:29:00.000-08:00

I know I've already reviewed this place, Jejuhang, but I only briefly mentioned it and considering I devoted a whole post to ranting about a lack of good kalchi fish in LA, I thought I should have a moment of silence for this most excellent restaurant.

It certainly doesn't come cheap. And this neat row of three grilled Hairtail (kalchi) cost us a hefty $40 but then again, it came with rice specked with black rice pebbles (giving it a deep purple hue) and the delectable side dishes that I'll get into in a bit.

The fish apparently gets flown in regularly straight from the source in Jeju Island off the southern coast. I so missed the taste of seriously meaty kalchi. It was just oily enough (but not as much as a mackerel that it also specializes in but we didn't order) to give it that soft texture and grilled to perfection with perfectly charred skin.

Let's talk banchan. It had five different kinds of side dishes, including one of my favorites, doraji. It was smothered in a spicy, tangy and barely sweet marinade -- a mix of garlic, red pepper flake, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds and rice vinegar. Doraji, which doesn't have a universally accepted translation (platy cando is one), is basically a root vegetable that has been pounded for softening and then shredded thin. It has an earthy and slightly bitter taste that blends extremely well with the aforementioned marinade.

Then came the greens in the form of sutkat. These usually show up on your table in fresh form, accompanying lettuce and perilla leaves for a barbecue fest. But they are also a popular type of namul, which is a standard way of eating greens and roots -- blanched and seasoned with either a spicy or just garlicky marinade.

The cabbage kimchi was just ok and the pickled radish and super fine (as in not stalky -- I don't mean fancy) seaweed (parae) wasn't anything to write home about.

I will try to return to this place to re-savor the braised mackerel I had last time -- piping hot and bright red in its spicy and slightly sweet glory.

Cooking: A Tuna Melt Hummus Sandwich? Yes!

2011-11-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

I feel like I've been coming up with decidedly un-photogenic concoctions but I swear they taste better than they look or sound (eg., smoked salmon + peanut butter). This tuna and hummus combination is a case in point. Ok, it's not really cooking anything but sometimes you just have to grab and go, right?

I fully admit it doesn't look appetizing one bit. But spread some hummus on whole wheat bread (preferably toasted) and top with some canned tuna and it makes for just the right amount of saltiness. I didn't want to use mayo with my tuna so I tried hummus and to my surprise, it was good. I've also tried mixing tuna with soy mayo, aka Nayonaise, and plain nonfat yogurt, both of which were good but I wanted to mix it up a bit and try something different.

I have one slice of bread at a time as an open-faced sandwich because a whole 2-slice sandwich is too much to have in one sitting.

Beer Belly in Koreatown: Excellent Fried Chicken & Decent Beer Selection

2011-11-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

I had heard a lot of things about Beer Belly, a gastropub or beer joint that has decent beer choices and serious food.

My friends and I were famished by the time we got there, so we got the fried chicken strips, fish and chips (in the form of garlic, herb and parmesan fries) and a buffalo chicken mac-n-cheese. And a beer flight, of course.

I can't say I remember all the beers I've had but that's part of the fun -- trying new ones, discovering likes and dislikes. There wasn't one that I thought stood out, like Hitachino's White Rice Ale that I love. But it was fun trying a Hef, a chocolate stout-like one, etc.

The fish and chips were ok. The catfish was just not as fresh as in Arkansas. I couldn't help but pine for the ethereal fried catfish I had there, so didn't enjoy it as much as my friends. This image of the fish and chips looks like it had some lighting issues but I thought it looked like the spotlight had been placed on the fish, the supposed star of the dish.

Let's talk fries. We substituted plain chips for the garlic, herb and Parmesan fries, which were good. There was definitely a lot going on and hence a tad distracting detecting the explosion of flavors, but when those flavors are garlic, herbs and salty/nutty Parmesan, it hardly mattered.

The fries came with a few dipping sauces, including ranch and spicy ketchup that were good but not sure they needed them.

The fried chicken strips were excellent. Chicken breasts dipped in buttermilk and fried to perfection...What's not to like?

I didn't care too much for the aioli dipping sauce that came with it. Again, it didn't need it. The chicken was moist and steamy with a super crunchy exterior that made me wonder how many times they had to fry it before reaching this level of crunchiness.

Then we got the buffalo chicken mac-n-cheese. We were all ooh-ing and ah-ing when it arrived at our table with the perfunctory sizzling sound. Yes, it was like cue music to my ears (or sound effects).

I determinedly dug into the scorching hot goodness with a spoon to reveal a puff of steam. Despite its promising beginning, however, the actual flavor was on bland side and a bit too cheesy for me. It used blue cheese and maybe it's because I like blue cheese in moderation, not melted all over my mac-n-cheese.

But the most interesting thing was the crust, so to speak. It's usually sprinkled with some bacon bits but this place used chicken skin bits, which I thought was interesting. Was it tasty? Yeah but I'd take bacon bits back any day. Also, the massive chunks of chicken in the mac-n-cheese kind of threw me off because I don't usually expect there to be such large pieces of meat in my mac-n-cheese and the chicken was bland, to top it off. I liked the surprise element of the chicken skin bits but overall didn't love the dish. Can't blame them for trying though.

Overall cool vibe but the no table service is annoying -- standing in line, ordering and having to bring everything to the table, etc. Ok, I'm just lazy when it comes to eating out. I don't mind cooking the meat tableside at barbecue joints but don't make me bring all the cups, silverware and stuff! Wow, that sounded snooty. Parking was a breeze on a weekday evening -- either in the lot if you want to valet (I never do) or on the street.

Oh and a side note, it's owned by a cute, young couple that I want to support. I do think I like the food better at Biergarten, where I recently had short rib poutine that was to die for.

Cooking: Smoked Salmon + Peanut Butter -- Who Woulda Thunk It?

2011-11-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

You're at work. It's lunch time. You wonder what to eat that is easy on the wallet and relatively healthy given the sedentary nature of the job. What if at least once a week, you didn't have to worry about it and got a perfectly healthy home-cooked meal literally handed to you on a platter?

Yes indeed. I was fortunate to be part of a group that takes turns cooking healthy lunches for each other. I have so far loved both the eating and cooking parts.

So this was a recent contribution. I was inspired by a pretty standard appetizer served at Seoul's Japanese-style robatayakis, which are essentially like izakayas but a specific type of izakaya.

I took a butter lettuce leaf, placed a slice of smoked salmon, some thinly sliced onions that have been soaked in water to extract their potency, a few capers and last but not least, a generous dollop of good ol' peanut butter!

I swear it tastes infinitely better than it sounds. There's something about pairing salty smoked salmon with nutty peanut butter (either chunky or creamy would work), punctuated by briny capers and crunchy, mild onions -- all wrapped up in a refreshing butter lettuce leaf. It's a low-carb dream.

I didn't pair this unlikely pairing with any drinks like in Seoul's bars but presented a warm butternut squash soup to warm the soul on an autumn day.

Flying Fish in Little Rock, AR: Divine Fried Catfish

2011-11-06T20:23:00.000-08:00

When I learned that I'd be in Little Rock, Arkansas, I proceeded to research some of the best food in the city -- as long as it was centrally located in downtown LR, of course, since my mobility was limited.

My good friend SF and I hit all the town's top spots, including Central High School and the Clinton Center (ok, these aren't restaurants but just as enjoyable). So it was only natural that we would end up at Flying Fish for some of the best fried catfish LR has to offer.

Yes, it is on President Clinton Avenue. Everything in LR has Clinton's imprint on it. Beautiful city, by the way. But I digress.

We were not disappointed. The breading on the catfish was perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of thickness and amazing crunchiness. Wow. It was piping hot when it reached our table (we were alerted using one of those nifty little flashing pagers), fresh out of the fryer. There are tons of farms around Arkansas that farm catfish and it showed -- the fish was super fresh and delicious.

The fries were good although not as light and delicious as the catfish. I suspected the fries had been sitting there for some time and weren't as fresh as the catfish.

We got a basket that included hush puppies. These fried cornbread balls looked extremely promising but I must say, I think I'm just not a hush puppy fan (the cornbread balls, not the shoes). They were crispy and super hot as well but a bit too starchy for me. Even though I wasn't a fan, it hails from Native American culture and has a fascinating history, including the origin of its name.

We also got a side of cole slaw, which was fine but nothing special.

The vibe of the place was interesting too. It displayed those wall decorations where the fish moves. I guess it's the namesake. It also displayed tool boxes along the ceiling.

I loved the catfish and will be pining for more whenever I see catfish out here.

LR was really a beautiful city, with the river, a lot of green tinted by the foliage this time of the year.

Indian Snacks in Artesia: Delicious and Nutritious Nut-based Goodies

2011-11-02T21:06:00.002-07:00

I've always been fascinated by all the Indian markets and shops lining Pioneer Boulevard in Artesia, so I recently did some research and ventured to the corner of Pioneer and 186th Street that seemed to be the heart of Little India.

I was able to buy some asafoetida and black salt I had used for a dal (lentil) recipe that did wonders (helped avoid gas -- yeah!) for my stomach. I also got some paratha from the frozen section that I could just cook stove-top on a pan with some oil to amazingly delicious effect. And some ghee (clarified butter).

But I digress. I headed to a few snack shops and ended up at Surati Farsan Mart, which had the longest lines and an incredibly colorful assortment of these snacks.

I told the guy at the counter that I didn't know any of the snack names or flavors so didn't know what to get. He generously proceeded to let me sample everything and I mean everything.

I was intrigued by these silvery pink ones, which turned out to be rosewater-based with edible silver. So darn beautiful and while I'm not a huge fan of rosewater, these were amazingly flavorful, filled with some nutty cashew mix inside.

I pretty tried all the offerings that didn't have dried fruit or dessicated coconut since I'm not a big fan of overly sweet snacks or dried coconut (although I do love coconut water).

In the end, I was sold on these lovelies and got a half a pound box that cost me about $4. If this isn't a killer bargain, I don't know what is.

The friendly guy at the counter relayed that green usually has some pistachio, bright yellow has almond and beige has cashews. One of my favorites was one described as "mango cheesecake."

I can't wait to return and try its hot snacks that are made to order. I'm afraid I'll need some help there too.

Madang621: Excellent Side Dishes But Mains Fail to Impress

2011-10-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure what to expect from the revamped Bann space in the CGV complex at the heart of Koreatown on Western and Wilshire. I had never been to the previous spot but Madang621 initially looked like style over substance from the outside. Even though it operates as Madang621, it doesn't have a new website or yelp page (I don't get why so few Korean restaurants have websites -- but let me save that for a rant or future business idea). Different priorities...

In any case, I wasn't blown away but I did enjoy some things and here are some highlights.

I can't recall the last time I had yookhoe, super quality raw meat cut in strips and seasoned with soy sauce, garlic and some sweetness, topped with a raw yolk (yes, just like steak tartare!) and garnished with crunchy slivers of Asian pear. The meat was good, if not hard from being frozen (it should be room temperature and soft), and tasted fresh enough. The marinade was just right and combination with the pears was divine. This place drizzled some spicy sauce around the plate but I'm not sure it needed it. Ditto for the greens on top. More for looks.

The meat and shrimp were all ok, nothing spectacular (meat was a bit tough). The real star of this place was hands down the banchan -- the side dishes that accompany every Korean meal.

The offerings were unusual for a barbecue place, including my personal favorites: duduk, an earthy root that's been pounded to soften it and smothered with spicy pepper paste, garlic and sesame oil; kkennip jjangajji, perilla leaves steamed with a spicy sauce; and chuinamul, an aromatic green that's often consumed with ogokbap (rice with five grains) during the full moon holiday after the Lunar New Year.

I also liked the blanched mini-squids (kkoltoogi) that came with the steamed broccoli and bright red spicy, sweet and tangy sauce. The baby squids were tender and dipped in the sauce, were addictive.

The banchan were all solid, just spicy and salty enough to complement the healthy white and black rice with beans.

The duenjang jjigae, or fermented soybean stew, was unremarkable. It tasted diluted -- not salty and hearty enough -- like it had no soul. Go here instead for that.

The dessert was a feeble attempt at replicating a classic Korean summer treat, patbingsoo, which is basically a red bean slush with all sorts of goodies on top, preferably fresh fruit.

It was grandiose in its presentation but besides coming in a bowl made out of slush, we found all of nine little pebbles of red beans. The vanilla ice cream tasted cheap. The red syrup looked and tasted ghastly. The canned fruits were sad-looking. For a place that spends so much dough on decoration, I think it can afford to do better. This didn't even do the namesake justice.

We also had Korean peppers (pootkochu) stuffed with white fish and deep fried but they were kind of bland and dry. The chicken legs that were presented as potstickers and seasoned like buffalo wings were hardly worth mentioning -- dry and too sweet.

If this place is serious about delivering good Korean food, it needs to 1) make up its mind about its identity -- is it a traditional BBQ place or fusion? 2) improve service (place more heat lamps in the patio) and most importantly, 3) improve the quality of the meat (the cooked meat was a bit tough) and the litmus test for many a Korean restaurant -- the soybean stew.

Cooking: What To Do With Leftover Basil -- Super Easy Walnut Pesto

2011-10-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

I recently bought a bunch of fresh basil to have some Caprese salad but there's only so much basil I can have. So once the buffalo mozzarella or heirloom tomatoes ran out, I was stuck with these super fragrant basil leaves.

I'm usually not a huge fan of pesto unless it's served in small doses as a sauce of some kind to fish or meats. So I took matters into my own hands and concocted my own. I didn't really measure anything. I don't think you need to. Just took the thick stems off of the basil and placed them in a food processor that has a lid with an opening to pour the olive oil into once it starts running. Then I added some garlic, pecans (never seen this done but I had had walnut pesto so figured it'd be ok -- you could probably substitute with almonds or of course, the OG, pine nuts) and grated Parmesan cheese. I turned the switch on and as it went, I slowly added the olive oil through the lid with the opening until I saw a creamy consistency. Then I seasoned it to taste, added fresh lemon juice to get rid of the heavy oil smell that was a turnoff for me and a whiff of agave that I probably shouldn't have added. Finished it off with freshly ground pepper and it was good to go. Oh, I also added some cayenne pepper for some kick and it was barely noticeable but added an interesting layer of flavor.

I tried to recreate one of the few pesto pasta dishes that I will eat -- from all places, a tiny hole in the wall in downtown Seoul called Pomodoro (no relation to the local chain here). It used to serve pesto with prawns and spaghetti. I browned some cut-up shrimp and added the prepared pesto while the pasta was cooking. Once pasta was almost done (after about 9 minutes for spaghetti), I strained it and added the pasta to the pan with the shrimp pesto -- smothered it and presto (no pun intended). Bon appetito~

Shalala in Bay Area: Decent Shio Ramen and Uber-Crispy Gyoza

2011-10-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

I'm always on the prowl for excellent ramen, so I was excited to try this spot in Mountain View in Northern California during a recent visit. I haven't had much luck finding a good place in San Francisco so it was a welcome adventure that made the long drive to South Bay worth it just for the anticipation of good food and good friends.

An old friend and I went to Shalala, a small joint in a strip mall near the Farmers' Market area. There was a line forming even before it opened, which was a good sign. The verdict is that I liked it. I got the shio (salt) ramen that came with two dainty slices of chashu in a tonkotsu broth that was delightfully porky.

We also got the mandatory gyoza, which I consider just as important for a ramen joint (ok, that's an overstatement but you know what I mean). Check out the wonderful crust that formed on the bottom of these beauties. It was like all the gyoza were joined at the hip but in a good way! The pork gyoza was solid and got me even more excited to try the ramen.

The broth was strong and good. The chashu was tender, probably boiled to death (also in a good way) and the noodles were just firm enough (how do say al dente in Japanese?)

We also got a radish, greens and bean sprout salad that had the standard soy-sauce based dressing that's slightly sweet.

It had deep fried wonton chips, which I dislike but didn't make much of since I was focused on the gyoza and ramen.

All in all, a happy meal that I hope to return to. Having said that, I don't think it topped Shinsengumi or Santouka here in LA. Did it top Daikokuya, you ask? I'm not going to honor that with an answer. D is one of the most overrated ramen shops in LA, and thank God Shinsengumi will finally give it a run for its money. Watch out, D, Shinsengumi is in town! Must try S's new Little Tokyo location but if the other S locales are any indication, it'll be rock solid. I heart Shinsengumi! Normal broth, low oil and hard noodles, baby!

Cooking: A High-Fiber and Delish Alternative to Bagel + Lox

2011-10-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

I love having lox for breakfast but I'm sometimes deterred by the denseness and heavy carbs of the bagel it usually comes with. While I love me a great bagel (with everything on it, of course), I like to switch things up once in a while and use wheat toast or lavash bread (Armenian flat bread) to similar effect.

A while ago, I ran into an hors d'oeuvres recipe for a lavash roll that only added cream cheese, arugula and pickled ginger (the kind served at sushi joints). I served it at parties and it was a huge crowd pleaser for the creamy and tangy flavor combinations that sounds gross but was really good. Somewhere along the way, my sister improvised by adding smoked salmon to the mix. A natural extension, right?

And so the alternative lox sandwich was born. I was elated to find that the whole wheat lavash bread I got had a whopping 18g of dietary fiber!

They're so easy to make, taste great and are a great start to a long day of work or outdoor activities. I went a step further and experimented with a bunch of different combinations, adding red leaf lettuce, perilla leaves, avocado, cucumbers and pickled sliced jalapenos (basically anything I had in my fridge). Or if you don't have much, just cream cheese and salmon works (pictured left).

To make (or assemble, really), cut a large piece of lavash bread off, spread cream cheese in a rectangular area (I used low-fat that tasted just as good), place whatever ingredients you have, smoked salmon (I used wild Alaskan sockeye salmon -- thank you Costco!), pickled ginger, avocado, cucumber and jalapenos and roll it up. Then slice them into once-inch rolls and enjoy! I had mine with an over-easy egg, which went well. Then again, I could have a fried egg with anything and it'd taste good.

Salt's Cure: Overrated and Overpriced -- Needs to Use Less of Its Namesake

2011-10-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

Salt's Cure is one of those places I had always driven by and been meaning to check out. I finally did and I must say, I was disappointed. Amazingly, I'm somehow willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, saying it must be more of a breakfast or brunch place. After all, I've seen the long lines forming on weekends (although that doesn't necessarily mean it's good -- think Blue Jam Cafe).

Sadly, I wasn't impressed with any of the food except the burger. It wasn't the best one I've ever had, but it was the most interesting and tastiest thing we had. The burger patty was good -- the meat was fresh and I could tell freshly ground -- but there were some fatty parts that I could have done without (you know, when you chew on it and it's so fatty you can't so you have to somehow get it out of your mouth). The cured ham on top of the patty was ok but I don't think it added a whole lot of value in terms of flavor and texture. The house-made poppyseed bun was an interesting touch but ultimately too dense for its own good. The fries looked promising but were a bit greasy and soggy -- just not as crispy as they could be.

We got the potted pork that message boards raved about but it was clearly overrated as it had an unpleasant porky smell and tasted like smelly tuna salad with too much mayo in it. It had the same texture but what was particularly egregious was that it was far too salty. The accompanying (also house-baked) bread was toasted and hard (but not warm) like biscuits. The also house-made pickles were ok but nothing special.

I was excited to try the house-made (ok, they pretty much make everything in-house) carpaccio -- called raw dry aged beef on the menu -- with leeks, parsley and drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Downer: the carpaccio was too salty on top of not being sliced razor thin as they should be and the texture was too chewy, like it hadn't been cured for long enough. It tasted like fake carpaccio. I've had far better carpaccio at other fine dining establishments.

Don't even get me started on the salad. It sounded promising enough: avocado, grapefruit and red onion salad with greens. I'm guessing the place grows the greens too? Well, for a $12 starter salad, I expect it to look a bit more sophisticated looking than this mush of overdressed greens with other ingredients thrown in. If the ghastly-looking thing tasted half-way decent, I wouldn't mind at all. But the lettuce was literally drowning in an overpowering citrusy dressing and as if to stay consistent with the rest of the meal, was also too salty. The dressing was so overpowering that I could barely taste the grapefruit, red onion or avocado. Not good.

I was pinning my hopes on the dessert but alas, it was too sweet. It was raisin bread pudding with caramel. I'm a bread pudding lover but a picky one so didn't find the texture to be substantial enough. It was a bit too mushy. I know caramel is supposed to be sweet but not this sweet! So I only had a bite or two.

Maybe I'll return for brunch but why go here when I could go to the solid Square One?

Cooking: The Secret to Quick and Delish Spaghetti Al Ragu

2011-10-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

I know that pasta is one of the easiest things to make at home. And among those, spaghetti al ragu, or bolognese as it's known here, is one of the easiest to make. But I wanted to share a revelation I had recently about what makes the sauce taste better.

I usually start by sauteing the ground beef with some minced garlic and chopped onions in olive oil, then add San Marzano canned tomatoes and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. I know the OG recipes for ragu require a mix of ground pork and other meats but consider this al ragu light when in a pinch.

The upside is multi-tasking is easy for this recipe. You can bring a huge pot of water to a boil while you do this so that by the time the sauce has simmered for a while, the water will be ready and you can throw in the spaghetti to cook it for about 9-11 minutes (add salt to the water).

All you need to do for the sauce is season it with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and the secret ingredient to making it taste not as bitter from the tomato sauce is sugar! I add a little bit of agave to the sauce and presto -- you got a nice bowl of spaghetti al ragu. Ok, the OG recipe may call for tomato paste instead of crushed tomatoes and may require a trio of carrots, onions and celery for flavoring but I said it was al ragu light!

This was an epiphany for me (the adding sugar part) so hopefully it is helpful for your pasta cooking adventures too.Sprinkle with some freshly grated Parmesan and you're good to go.

ink: Excellent, Beautiful and Comforting Food -- Seaweed Mashed Potatoes, Anyone?

2011-10-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

I've always been a huge fan of the Bazaar and considering Michael Voltaggio was partly responsible for that magic, I entered ink with great anticipation.

Thankfully there was no line for walk-ins at 6pm on a Sunday. We sat at the bar and ordered away.

The verdict: loved it! It was almost as good as the Bazaar. As you know, I'm not one for hyperbole and I rarely gush about restaurants unless they truly warrant it.

We started off with a refreshing hamachi sashimi plate with grapefruit, slices of jalapeno and a parsnip-sesame cream. The hamachi was excellent -- velvety and super fresh. It also came with these sponge cake-like things that had hints of sesame in them and texture-wise, the plate was garnished with what seemed like parsnip chips. They were crunchy and complemented very well with the buttery hamachi. The jalapenos were tempered so they weren't super spicy and had just the right hint of heat.

Before staring our food adventure, I got a cocktail of brandy, mint, fig and lemon that was mixed by superstar mixologist Devon Espinoza. I just blogged about how much I love figs so this was a no-brainer. It was delicious and the perfect aperitif to the meal I was about to have.

The bay scallops on a bed of cream of dehydrated potato, tiny potato skins and topped with a type of micro-greens was so comforting. The scallops were seared and nicely browned but super soft on the inside. The potato skins were cute as a button, not to mention crispy and all the good things about potato skins (but without the insane glob of cheese and bacon you get at other joints).

Another highlight was the seaweed mashed potatoes. How good could mashed potatoes be? Mashed potatoes are mashed potatoes, right?

Well, the sea grass flavor gave the super creamy mashed potatoes another dimension of flavor besides a light tint of green. I know I said the scallops were comforting but so were these potatoes. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something about creamy, starchy things that just take you back to that super nostalgic, comfy place. While intoxicated in my state of nostalgic euphoria, I soon found myself scraping the bottom of that dish.

The mashed potatoes were topped with sea beans that didn't have such a distinctive taste but it did give a slight crunch to the decadent potatoes. I wished I were sitting in a booth so I could curl up with a blanket nursing this dish.

The other dish (actually, I loved all the dishes except for two) to rave about was the octopus that tasted smoked and super soft, with some buttered popcorn mash (yes, he literally took buttered popcorn and blended it), piquillo peppers and humble, fresh spinach to finish it off.

The octopus was thick and amazing. The plate also featured an edible band with holes that had been made from compressed piquillo peppers. The band tasted smoky and delicious, just like the real peppers.

The two dishes that weren't as stellar were the crab and squid. The crab came wrapped in seaweed and then again in a thin spring roll sheet that was deep fried, cut at a bias into half and accompanied by bok choy kimchi and drizzled with smoked mayo. Being a die-hard kimchi fan, I was very skeptical about how it'd taste. I assumed it would be watered down but alas, I was wrong. He didn't compromise on the heat. He ground the spicy paste very finely -- so finely that it almost didn't look like kimchi. The red hue was more of a bright orange so that's where my bias came from. I liked the kimchi but the crab rolls didn't jive as well with the garlicky kick of kimchi and the mayo didn't add too much value either.

The squid dish was a giant squid cut into strips like pasta ribbons seasoned with piment d'espelette, a mild pepper often used in Basque cuisine. The "pasta" sat on a squash emulsion and a hazelnut-squid ink pesto. It was garnished with Parmesan crisps.

It wasn't bad but not as excellent as the other dishes.

One interesting thing we noticed and that the restaurant is apparently known for are these huge blocks of ice served with the drinks at the bar. It's a large, vertical block of ice the length of a tall glass that looks like a sculpture. Even the way the ice looks inside is like art - just beautiful. It's a patented type of ice and they were cagey about sharing any secrets to how it's done.

The desserts were good and definitely a treat for their unusual combinations and innovation.

The one I liked better was the grapefruit curd with avocado essence, cilantro sorbet and charred maple-lime. The grapefruit was tart and not too sweet and the avocado added an interesting savory layer to the dessert. My favorite within this dish was the cilantro sorbet. It was a dark green packed with cilantro flavor that cleansed the palate and was a great finish to a meal. I couldn't stop scooping the sorbet. The maple-lime was good but I was happy just with the cilantro sorbet.

The apple creme caramel came with burnt wood sabayon, and topped with a merengue dome. I didn't care too much for the whole thing but I liked the little apple-flavored "grapes" made from compressed apples with some liquid that makes it look like these beautiful translucent gems.

All in all, ink didn't disappoint with creative but not gimmicky (ok, maybe a little gimmicky) dishes that push the envelope and make for a great food adventure. Unusual combinations and textures are the name of the game here and I can't wait to return to try the meat dishes. My dinner companion and I also thought the prices were reasonable for what we got -- for the most part, art on a plate.

Cooking: Fig Withdrawal Coming Soon, Have it While You Can!

2011-10-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to thank the 16 folks who are following me and many others who come here regularly to read my rants and revelations! Let me know what you think of the places I review or recipes I share. Would love to hear from you~

Ok, so this post isn't so much about cooking as it is about assembling. I'm desperately trying to stretch this year's fig season -- that is, trying to find figs until the very last moment. I like black figs better than green ones as I find them sweeter and juicier, but then again, maybe I haven't had a fantastic green one.

Anyhow, I got into this routine of having a quick and delish dinner on weekdays where I slice a bunch of black figs in half and alternate my bites of figs with pairings of 1) a slice of prosciutto or 2) a slice of super rich and creamy cheese (I tried Lingot D'argental). You feel a tad guilty having pork and gooey cheese for dinner but that is tempered by the rationale that I'm eating fruit so in the end, I feel ok. And completely satiated and titillated by the explosion of flavors including salty, sweet and slightly bitter as well as textures like crunchy (from the fig seeds) and creamy.

I daydream about the excellent, razor-thin prosciutto and caramelized figs served at Girasole. Until my next trip there, this trio of home-assembled fig concoction will have to do.

Jang-an Duenjang: Excellent Duenjang Jjigae, Stew with Serious Soul

2011-10-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

No, it isn't photogenic by any stretch, but solid, perfectly salty and stinky in a good way duenjang jjigae, or fermented soybean paste stew, is the ultimate comfort food for me. But sadly, it isn't easy to come by in LA's Koreatown. And that's why you must venture to Jang-an Duenjang. Jang-an is one of those places where everything is only in Korean, including the mini-mall sign, the sign outside the actual restaurant and the menu. Basically, it hasn't bothered trying to market itself to the non-Korean population because it figured it was self-sustaining within the community. But that would be a huge mistake because it serves a really mean duenjang jjigae that behooves it to be shared.

Salty? Check. Potent? Check. Big chunks of tofu, zucchini, onions and potatoes? Check. Just the right ratio of water to duenjang, the paste, gave it the right consistency and stinky goodness.

What I also liked about this place was the side dishes like the kimchi, which is made here and was unlike the commercial ones sold in bulk at the markets. I could taste the freshness and it was just the right level of spicy.

It also had bean sprouts, or kongnamul, that had been blanched and seasoned with some garlic, salt and sesame oil. The other banchan included daikon radish strips pickled with rice vinegar and red pepper flakes with a hint of sweetness added for a refreshing finish. The tofu side dish was a bit hard and tasted like it had been sitting on the counter for a while. Not the freshest tasting.

We also got an order of pan-fried flounder-like fish, in Korean it's anmyunsoo, which was not the fleshiest of fish but fresh and delicious.

Again, not photogenic at all (quite scary-looking, actually) but I'm telling you, it's good and worth getting. Grilling or broiling is probably healthier than pan-fried like this (similar to the fried whole fish you get at Thai restaurants) but it's still relatively healthy. It's not often that Korean restaurants serve good seafood. I still haven't found a good fish market in Koreatown, but I'll save that for a rant later.

So if you'd like to try some rustic Korean stew that's got soul and a ton of sodium that will be balanced out by some clean protein in the accompanying fish you'll order, get thee to Jang-an Duenjang, located on the corner of Olympic and Berendo in Koreatown just west of Vermont.

Rant of the Week: What's the Deal with the Ever Elusive Ttukbokki and Rabokki?

2011-09-29T17:29:00.000-07:00

I know I sound like a broken record but I will say it again and again. Why is it that something as seemingly simple as ttukbokki, rice cakes smothered in a blood red spicy sauce, that's so ubiquitous in Seoul so impossible to find in LA? The dish's cousin, rabokki, that adds ramen noodles (hence the "ra") either instead of or in addition to the cylinder blocks of chewy rice cakes, is equally hard to get.

I've scoured the many joints that purported to specialize in this and every time have been sorely disappointed. In Korea (cue broken record), you could find half-way decent to excellent ttukbokki at every street corner stall or mom-and-pop joint. Throw in some fish cakes, hard-boiled egg and lots of green onions and you've got yourself the best snack in the world. Definitely one of those "Oh my God it's so spicy but I'll keep shoving it into my mouth because it gives me so much pleasure"-type of food. Even better with some kimbab rolls to dip into the gooey and oh-so garlicky red sauce.

I may have to resort to trying to recreate the glorious OG at home, and will keep you posted.

Tasting Kitchen: Excellent Pasta and Bread but I Don't Like Paying for Bread and Butter

2011-09-25T16:00:00.001-07:00

Tasting Kitchen on the trendy Abbot Kinney strip in Venice was good but I couldn't help but feeling a bit ripped off for paying for bread and butter. Who does that?

Yes, the bread was fresh -- crusty and substantial enough to withstand my vigorous butter spreading -- and the butter, well, it was good although I liked the butter at Bouchon Bistro as much if not more. But charge for it? That's outrageous. That's like charging for kimchi and banchan in a Korean restaurant.

My favorite dish was the tagliarini pasta (similar to fettucini) with crab meat and serrano peppers. The dressing was a light cream sauce that was barely there, which was good because the crab was almost sweet in its freshness and deliciousness and it was complemented very well with the kick from the peppers.

I'm a sucker for all things crab, so this was a veritable treat. They thankfully didn't skimp on the crab meat, which was nice.

The second favorite was the fries. My dinner companion and I concurred that it must have been fried in duck fat several times to achieve this kind of extra crispiness. The fries were the only item that came to our table piping hot, straight out of the fryer. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was that the olive oil fragance was too overpowering. I liked the sage touch on them but after the initial euphoria over the texture, the olive oil took over everything and not in a good way.

The flat iron steak with fingerling potatoes and oyster mushrooms was just ok. Considering the caliber (and price tag) of this place, I didn't think the quality of the meat was all that. Hard to go wrong with roasted fingerling potatoes and mushrooms, which they had skimped on (like two each). They hadn't skimped on the quantity of meat but apparently had on the quality, so that's one thing it needs to improve on.

We also had radicchio salad with lemon and olives, which was far too bitter as I had somehow expected the radicchio to have been grilled or slightly cooked to get rid of the bitterness. It had shavings of parmesan cheese but I only had a bite, which I didn't enjoy.

Dessert was a tad disappointing. We were full so got the sorbet and gelato three-scoops combo. We had the coffee and chocolate gelato and lemon sorbet but none was any good. Again, I expected to be blown away like at Gordon Ramsay (not documented in this post but went back recently) when I got the plum sorbet. Now that was amazing and tasted like I was biting into the fruit itself.

I had several other beefs with this place, good-tasting as it was.

All but the fries came out lukewarm, which didn't affect the pasta's taste so much but the steak, oh the steak. Steak's gotta be sizzling hot on the outside, right? It wasn't.

And last but not least, what's with the uber rushed service? I liked the attentive water service, but the rush to get us out was ridiculous. This isn't Fatburger, y'all. This is one thing American restaurants need to learn from their European and Asian peers. Do not clear the table unless the last morsel on the plate is gone. Do not come by five times to check whether we have paid our bill. Do not bring the bill unless we ask for it, for that matter. This is such a basic notion that I'm flabbergasted at how rude some servers at these supposedly fancy restaurants are in bringing it to you. Special occasion meals last for hours and that's why we're here. Get used to it! This isn't some go in, eat and go out-kind of place.

Also, our server was ok but not as good as the down to earth, Danny Meyer-esque trained folks at Jose Andres restaurants. Don't just hire beautiful people. Hire servers who can talk intelligently about the menu and prompts one to want to get that and return for more. Ours didn't.

Cooking: Egg and Bread are All You Need for a Tres Bon Breakfast

2011-09-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

I had the best soft-boiled egg when I went to Paris a few years ago. The cafe served it with baguette, cut into finger-thin pieces, toasted and with a generous spread of butter over them. I cracked the egg and dipped the bread into the oozing yolk. That stuck in my mind and I've been trying to recreate it ever since.

Of course, baguette and butter that good are hard to come by. I've experimented with different kinds of bread, butter and even tried it with olive oil. It takes me back every time.

I recently craved a simple breakfast that doesn't involve chopping any vegetables or anything too elaborate. So I soft-boiled the eggs -- it's important to submerge the eggs (I cooked two), lower the heat once the water reaches a boiling point and boil for another 3-5 minutes max. If you leave it for any longer than that, it won't have the oozy consistency that lets you dip your bread. If you like super oozy, do 3 minutes, if you like some oozy, do 5.

I also drizzled the bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar instead of butter and it tasted great. A "cafe creme" would have been the perfect accompaniment to this breakfast, although I just had diluted grapefruit juice.

Enjoy!

Iota Coffee and Bakery: Killer Space, Decent Desserts and Pastries

2011-09-18T17:42:00.001-07:00

If this ain't food porn I don't know what is.

I'm not one to like glitzy cafes that are all style over substance but I was curious about Iota Cafe on Western, which replaced the old Eewhajang that had since become Goolhyang, an oyster specialty joint that was just soso.

No less than three permutations later, the makeover is remarkable. The space has high ceilings, is airy and I must admit, a very cool space.

That's precisely why I was apprehensive at first though. The displayed pastries were awkwardly labeled with some labels outright missing. When I asked the guy behind the counter what a pastry was and why there weren't any labels, he said it's because the items changed daily. That's fine but he should still know what they are, even if the pastry chef isn't there (that's the reason he gave for not knowing). That's not good. I didn't buy it.

Had a small coffee-flavored roll called curiously called loti that was good but tasted just like the coffee breads Korean bakeries sell. The chocolate one tasted like chocolate cake except less sweet. Loti is apparently a staple at Japanese bakeries in Little Tokyo.

The yam cake topped with some blueberries and a blackberry was pretty good, not too sweet and just what we wanted after a heavy meal. Well, technically, we didn't need to eat anything but we did. Don't judge.

I later had a beef curry pastry, flaky and baked like an empanada, which was pretty good but not Chilean empanada good. I really wish we had a Julia's Empanadas in LA. I'll save that for a rant later.

The tea selection was pretty good and it looks like it takes its coffee seriously but who knows, this is K-town, after all.

This is a great place to come after a meal to chat with your friend for hours on end. I'm not a huge fan of the massive screens with K-pop idols gyrating and music pumping but it's certainly better than ESPN if you ask me.

Warning: parking sucks but street parking isn't bad.

Rant of the Week: Why Can't I Find Awesome Tonkatsu in LA?

2011-09-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Apologies for my delayed post but here it goes -- What's with the lack of really good tonkatsu joints in LA? I mean, with the vast Japanese, not to mention Asian, population who are clearly a tonkatsu-loving bunch, you'd think there would be at least ONE place in LA where that's the ONE thing they do and do really well.

You know, those places in Tokyo or Seoul where the house specializes in deep fried breaded pork tenderloin, chicken or fish (not as good). In fact, thanks to my food aficionado friend SY who directed me to a place in Tokyo that serves nothing but tonkatsu, I was able to savor the best, fluffiest and crispiest piece of meaty tonkatsu I've ever had. It was piping hot and crunchy on the outside and soft and juicy on the inside with a tiny dollop of mustard and sauce, it was oishii for sure! Oh, and don't even mention Wako in Koreatown to me. Myungdong Donkatsu in Korea's downtown Myungdong may be acceptable, but this place blows big time. I've had to resort to making at home when cravings hit and you know how cumbersome it is to flour, egg and bread these babies and dip them in the fryer! I don't want to do all the work, darn it -- although this video got me to make tonkatsu curry the same week I watched it. And it was worth the effort.

Palsaik Samgyeopsal: Take Your Pork Belly Pick (Choose Spicy)

2011-09-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

Palsaik Samgyeopsal, translated as eight-colored pork belly in Korean, sounded a tad gimmicky. "Pork belly, marinated and seasoned EIGHT different ways!" The verdict is that it was good but there wasn't a big difference in flavor among the different marinades.

Adding to the gimmick radar was having a sloped grill, presumably to allow fat to slide into a receptacle; a wooden plate when all the pork belly slices first come out that is labeled in three languages (Korean, Japanese and English) what the marinade or seasoning is, suggesting the sequence in which they should consumed (from mild to spicy).

The eight kinds include red wine, plain, ginseng, garlic, herbs, curry, fermented soybean paste and spicy red pepper paste. I was ready to savor the pure flavor of the meat and fat, but I didn't like the milder ones. The wine didn't add anything, the meat wasn't flavorful enough to warrant a full-blown appreciation of the plain one; the ginseng was barely noticeable (read: bland); the herbs (I tasted some parsley but it was probably a mix) one wasn't that good either; the curry one wasn't bad but call me a traditionalist, my favorite was hand-down the last one -- the most strong flavored one. The dwenjang (fermented soybean paste) one was ok but not good enough to warrant anything more than a brief mention.

Here are the things I liked most about this joint.

1) The spicy red pepper paste pork belly (gochujang): the spicy marinade hit the spot but I did miss the most complex marinade for pork ribs and bulgoki that also includes garlic mixed with some sweetness.
2) Upon pre-heating the sloped grill, the server dumps these huge heaps of kimchi on one side and another pile of semi-spicy kongnamul, or soybean sprouts.

3) Pickled daikon radish that you can use to wrap the morsels of pork with. As pretty as it looks, I didn't love the bright pink coloring action. But they tasted good and a must for any heavy meat fest like this one. It acts sort of like a cleanser to balance out the greasiness. Wonderful combo.

I wasn't impressed with:

1) Greens selection and quantity: They gave us lettuce, Korean green pepper and perilla leaves but unlike other joints, this place decided to skimp as much as possible and give out perilla leaves in multiples of three leaves. That was annyoing. We kept having to ask for more. "Please give us more than three sheets."

2) Anemic vegetables selection: The combo we ordered came with some vegetables but they merely included a single slice of sweet potato, an even smaller slice of yellow pumpkin, two sad slices of oyster mushroom, two button mushrooms and some garlic and pepper slices. Oh, and a radish cube on a stick our server used to flavor the grill. I couldn't taste but it was different, I guess.

3) Green onion and lettuce mix: This is the stringy green onion and shredded lettuce mix that also wasn't flavorful or as plentiful as I'm used to in other joints.

Did I mention the combination is a great deal? There's plenty of food for a party of four and after the meat-grilling is over, we got the seafood soup, which was good. It had some crab, which is always challenging to suck out the flesh from but a nice change from the usual fermented soybean paste stew. The seafood was fresh, which was a nice surprise.

Then, as if we weren't already beyond stuffed, we were offered complimentary cold buckwheat noodles that Koreans have at the end of a barbecue meal. Cleanser #2.

The noodles were just ok but at least very cold with ice broth floating, which is always a good thing. I'm still in search for excellent nengmyun, the Korean name for this noodle dish.

Made from beef broth, it comes with sliced radishes, one slice of Asian pear and half of a hard-boiled egg. Usually there's a slice of beef but not in this version and that was ok.

I know it's crazy that I was even expecting to get complimentary dessert like at other barbecue joints (a glass of shikhae, a cold rice drink or at least a slice of orange!) but alas, there wasn't any.

While I do like pork belly, I think I liked Dongdaegam better for its variety and fried rice at the end (this would be what people call mindless eating).

Honey pig is a close second. Gimmicky? Yes. Worth the hype? I think I'll venture to old standbys DDG and Honey Pig for now.

Cooking: Recreating Banana, Shiso and Dulce de Leche Spring Rolls from Nobu

2011-09-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

This was how my harumaki, Japanese spring rolls that I stuffed with banana and dulce de leche, were supposed to look like. But I made the mistake of using thicker Chinese spring roll skins, so they ended up looking more like the below.

What is the difference, you ask? The thickness of the skin! It turns out that Japanese spring rolls, the crunchier kind, is a lot thinner than the Chinese skin, which tend to blister when fried.

They still looked pretty good but they just weren't the same.

Anyhow, I wanted to recreate a dessert I had at Nobu Las Vegas years ago, although it now serves a difference version. Miami's location serves a similar one too.

The one I had was truly phenomenal. It was shiso leaf-wrapped bananas with dulce de leche in a spring roll, with a side of chocolate dipping sauce and sesame brittle ice cream. It was better than any of the sushi I had at Nobu's sushi bar.

Of course, I had to improvise because I couldn't readily find the brittle ice cream (Scoops makes it but didn't have it at the time and ordering a pint or whatever would have been too much) and used store-bought chocolate sauce, which wasn't the same but not too bad.

What I'm probably most proud of is making dulce de leche in my pressure cooker. That little can of condensed milk was simmering in water for hours on end and cooled for at least 24 hours. Wow! Call it dulce de leche or manjar, which I'm more used to from my South America days (still searching for some decent mil hojas), that camel colored goodness was dangerously addictive (gotta watch my sugar intake). I thought it'd be too sweet but I added a bit dollop for each roll and it was excellent, if I may say so.

I usually don't like shiso but it went well with the combination of the sweet and savory. I used hazelnut and vanilla ice cream, which was good albeit not the same.

One of the best parts was that I had some leftover dulce de leche and thanks to SC's suggestion, I decided to spread it on some really good baguette from Bread Bar. Heat up some bread and spread it on like buttah. Best snack in the world.

Here's the recipe for a version of the harumaki with passion fruit and merengue that I found online from Nobu:

Banana Harumaki from Nobu Las Vegas

Serves 8 (2 pieces per person)

4 fresh bananas, cut into quarters

16 spring roll wrappers (7-in square)

16 shisho leaves

2-4 tablespoons dulce de leche

1 egg yolk, beaten, for sealing the wrappers

vegetable oil for deep frying

4 passion fruits

yuzu meringues

sesame ice cream

Lay a spring roll wrapper on a flat surface and spray with water. Place a shiso leaf, then a banana quarter on the wrapper. Place the dulce de leche in a pastry bag and pipe out, from left to right, 2 tsp to cover the top of the banana. Roll in the wrapper. Brush the egg yolk on the edge of the wrapper and seal. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers.
Fry the rolls in 325 degree oil. Transfer to a paper-lined plate to drain any excess oil and allow to cool slightly.
Cut each roll in half on an angle. Arrange two halves on individual plates, or arrange all rolls on a platter. Cut the passion fruits in half and squeeze the runny flesh and seeds on top of the rolls.
Crumble the yuzu meringues in a plastic bag. Sprinkle around the sides of the rolls and top each roll with a scoop of sesame ice cream.

How to make dulce de leche

Makes 14 oz

One 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

Remove label from the can and put in a pot. Add enough water to cover the can by at least 4 inches. And bring water to a boil over high heat. Lower heat and simmer for 6 hours. Do not forget to add water to keep the level above the can, or the can may burst. Leave the can in the water to cool, then remove from the pot. Leave for 24 hours at room temperature before use.

*My notes: If you use a pressure cooker under relately low heat, you can get away with simmering for 2.5-3 hours.

Enjoy and let me know how they turned out!

(photo credits: this blog and this site)

Slaw Dogs: Is the Spicy Polish Dog Spicy Enough? Good Fries and Beer Selection

2011-09-04T16:21:00.000-07:00

I'm still in search of my fave hot dog -- well charred, juicy and super spicy. Add some sauerkraut, mustard and fresh bun and I'm good to go. It had been Top Dog in Berkeley for some time but a recent visit left me sorely disappointed.

I had heard about Slaw Dogs so checked it out recently. The hot dogs were disappointing but the fries weren't bad and I liked its beer selection that included Allagash, a white ale from Maine and Hitachino, one of my favorite beers of all time.

I first had the spicy Calabrese, and hated it as soon as I bit into it. It was the fennel in the sausage. I asked the guy over the counter if I could swap it for a spicy Polish and he generously gave me a new one.

I added sauerkraut, grilled onions and bbq sauce as toppings that came with it. The dog was not bad but just not excellent like the hot link at that certain Berkeley joint (at least until recently).

I got it charbroiled as opposed to steamed, which is how I like it. The bread was fresh enough and the toppings were fine. The sausage itself just wasn't the same.

The sweet potato and regular fries combo basket was good but nothing mind-blowing.

It's a cute place and maybe I will try the Thai dog or other specialty ones others have raved about. But I much prefer the ambiance at Wurstkuche with the communal tables in Little Tokyo. It is a bit out of the way but maybe good for a quick bite if you're in the area.

Rant of the Week: O, Galchi, Where Art Thou?

2011-09-01T22:22:00.000-07:00

To mix things up a bit, I've decided to start a Rant of the Week section and alternate with the cooking tip/recipe of the week. Yes, it's not the most constructive use of our time but hey, maybe it can lead to something good.

So my inaugural rant (cue patriotic music) will be on the sad state of Korean seafood in Los Angeles and the US in general. Since LA boasts the largest Korean population outside of Korea, I'm going to guess that if it isn't sold here, it isn't sold anywhere else in the US.

What am I talking about specifically? If you've ever been to Korea or Cheju Island on the southern tip of the country, you can get the meatiest, fleshiest and most delicious galchi, which is translated as silver fish or belt fish. It has a beautiful silvery skin (pictured above) that gets even better when broiled with some salt.

It's that good. It doesn't need anything else but salt and some heat. If I'm craving something spicy, then a braised galchi jorim with red pepper flakes, red pepper paste and a ton of garlic and radishes would be perfect.

But alas, none of the Korean markets carries half-way decent galchi (believe me, I've tried) and the fish isn't sold in any other markets. Hence my rant -- why doesn't the US import galchi from Chejudo? Maybe it's one of those supply issues where there aren't enough to go around beyond domestic consumption. For the time being, then, we'll have to console ourselves with mackerel that's readily available for now. But it's just not the same. If anyone knows of a good fishmonger that carries fresh, fleshy galchi, let me know!

Salo Salo: It Had Me at Pork Ribs, Calamari and Fresh Coconut Juice

2011-08-28T22:21:00.000-07:00

Behold this massive platter with five different kinds of meat at Salo Salo Grill, a Filipino food joint with four locations throughout Southern California and Las Vegas (I went to the Artesia location). I was initially faced with the carnivore's dilemma, so to speak, but quickly went for the pork ribs and after trying all of the skewers, anointed the ribs my favorite. They were tender, sweet and savory all at the same time.

The glaze on the skewers were a bit too sweet for my taste but the meat tasted good enough. The piles of pork meat that also came with the platter was on the dry side but still flavorful. But I was very focused on the ribs.

The platter also came with a side salad of tomatoes, onions and salted duck eggs that had been hard boiled. I must say I didn't care for the duck eggs too much. I think they're an acquired taste and I just didn't acquire it this time.

The sauces for the meat included a barbecue glaze and a vinegary sauce with some chilis floating but I didn't use them too much because after tasting it, I didn't think any of the meats really needed anything more as they were already packed with flavor.

Another winner was the fried calamari that we had as an appetizer. They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and well seasoned. I'd definitely get that next time.

To balance out the strong flavors and sodium in the meat and fried dishes, we got the garlic fried rice, which was studded with little specks of fried garlic and tasted delightfully garlicky (although not as good as I remembered it from my first experience tasting my friend ET's leftovers she brought a while back).

The butterflied milkfish (never had milkfish) martinated in garlic vinegar was a bit on the bland side but a healthy alternative to the meatfest.

We also got the Beef Canton Guisado, which was a stir-fried noodle dish with beef, shrimp, fish balls and vegetables. It was ok but nothing special, as was the vegetable fried rice.

The lumpia sampler, similar to deep fried egg rolls with shrimp, meat and vegetables, was not my favorite. I'm not a big lumpia person.

Another treat was the fresh young coconut water, called buko, which hit the spot for this coconut water addict.

You can work your arms to scrape the flesh from inside the coconut too. It was ice cold and delicious.

We were all looking forward to the halo halo dessert of red beans and shaved ice with flan and ice cream but it disappointed. It wasn't all the sweet and there wasn't enough ice. What's up with that? I craved Korean patbingsu...

But I digress. I'll definitely be returning to try the lechon and other dishes recommended by the peeps who frequent this place. Just be prepared for some serious food comma.

Scoops: Any Flavor of the Best Ice Cream Your Heart Desires

2011-08-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

On a hot summer day like this, there's only one answer: SCOOPS!

I naturally found myself in front of that tiny shop on Heliotrope off of Melrose, wondering what wonderful flavors awaited me.

I was pleasantly surprised the line wasn't too bad and I quickly browsed the flavors at hand, including brown bread, Chai, Guiness chocolate and chocolate baileys.

As enticing as those sounded, however, I first tasted the hazelnut banana, raspberry lychee and non-dairy Thai iced tea. And I ended up with two scoops: a deliciously creamy hazelnut mix with subtle banana flavor and a super refreshing raspberry lychee, delivering an almost-sorbet-like coolness in my mouth.

Just what I needed in this scorching weather. I heart Scoops, big time. Apologies for not having an image. I pretty much swallowed the two scoops in exactly five bites. What can I say? The ice-cream was melting and I couldn't wait.

Cooking: Spinach, Catalan-Style by Jose Andres

2011-08-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

I have sung the virtues of Chef Jose Andres and his restaurants over and over again here, but I can't help it. His recipes are simple and delicious and the food served at his restaurants is nothing short of stellar, whether in LA or DC (haven't been to Vegas but may just go for that).

Tapas, a Taste of Spain is a great cookbook, and here's a simple spinach recipe from it that is good as a side dish to more elaborate dishes like paella or a main dish. It's savory and sweet from the apples and raisins, with a little nuttiness from the toasted pine nuts. Delish.

Buen provecho!

Spice Table: Decent but Needs Some Spice, Good Kaffir Lime Custard

2011-08-21T17:18:00.000-07:00

You know how I feel about anything Asian Fusion, so I did enter Spice Table with some skepticism. The verdict is that it's ok and I should probably have more dishes on my next visit but I wasn't blown away like at Son of a Gun most recently.

The fact that I can't pinpoint the best dish is a problem. They were all good to above average but short of fantastic. Take the very promising-looking Kon loh mee noodle bowl with its egg noodles, choy sum green, ground pork and delightfully glistening char siu slices. The pork tasted decent enough, but there was wow factor. No punch of flavor and all the ingredients weren't melding altogether to great effect.

The fried cauliflower was good -- crunchy and well-fried and mildly flavored. I wished it had some punch. I asked for sambal sauce. They brought me some and I had overlooked that it would cost me $1. That's like charging for kimchi. Dislike.

The lamb belly satay was interesting and very tender. I had to punch up the peanut sauce to add some flavor.

The soft-shell crab toast was also so promising and the deep fried soft-shell crab was indeed good but didn't have the wow factor. Think it didn't help that we got too many fried dishes but wouldn't the few strands of greens in the noodles balance out the heaviness?!

The best thing, if I thought hard, would have to be the kaffir lime custard with lychee, which I don't usually go for but tried at our server's suggestion. It was creamy and tasted tart and sweet, dotted with small pieces of lychee.

I may return but can't fight the feeling of many reviewers, which is that it's food I could get at a fraction of the price in San Gabriel Valley. If it offered something different and new, I'd pay the premium but am not convinced it does yet.

Cooking: Fried Chicken Fingers and Blue Cheese Salad

2011-08-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

I usually don't deep fry stuff from home because it uses up so much oil and it makes a mess. Oh, and it's not good for you so that's an added disincentive to deep fry at home.

But one day I wanted to have chicken fingers. So I went to my trusty Everyday Food roster and found this cool combo of fried chicken fingers and blue cheese salad. Everyone knows fried chicken goes well with blue cheese. Remember all those cheesy dips for buffalo wings?

This one I found online (the old one I used is no longer available) has a "buffalo" twist where it's smothered in that sticky sweet and spicy sauce. You can skip the sauce and just deep fry the chicken and have it with the blue cheese salad. It's fine that way unless you're a hard-core buffalo sauce fan.

Square One: Great French Toast, Plum Topping and Ham

2011-08-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

I ventured into the thick of hispterland for brunch at Square One, a solid breakfast and lunch joint smack across from a bright blue art deco building with an imposing sign that reads "SCIENTOLOGY." The wait is bad (20-30 minutes) unless you go before 10 but the line moves somewhat quickly because it has quite a bit of tables in its patio, which are the best tables in the house anyway.

I was torn on whether to get the French toast or baked eggs but I settled for French toast with a plum and almond topping and smoked ham on the side (gotta have my protein).

The brioche bread was delicious and the plums were super sweet and interesting since I'd never had it with French toast before. The French toast was browned just right with some crunchy edges.

The only thing I would have liked better was that the egg batter covering the toast be less sweet. I liked the crunchiness from the almonds but a tad sweet.

The prices are definitely on the higher side but it's obvious the cooks use fresh quality ingredients so it's worth it. The ham was juicy and very salty, just like any ham should be. It was thick enough to satiate my craving for something meaty and savory to balance out the sweet carb I was having.

The outdoor patio is the perfect place for a Sunday brunch on a nice sunny LA day, which is pretty much any day.

The breakfast quesadilla with squash blossoms, feta cheese, jalapenos and scrambled eggs was ok but nothing fantastic. I liked the tomatillo salsa that came with it. The quesadilla came with a green salad (or choice of potatoes).

The restaurant also has breakfast tacos and I would definitely like to try the baked egg dishes.

The freshly squeezed orange juice was good, as was the service.

Besides the wait, most everything was positive.

Cooking: Rossejat, a Noodly Alternative to Paella

2011-08-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

I love paella but I must say, I have yet to make what I consider to be the perfect paella, so when I ran across this paella alternative, rossejat de fideos, a Catalonian dish that uses angel hair pasta noodles instead of rice, I decided to try it. I was surprised at how easy it was to make (especially compared with ric paella) and how good it tasted.

I used a recipe in Jose Andres' Tapas cookbook but this one I found online is basically the same except it uses lobster and carrots while mine used monkfish and shrimp.

The recipe in the book I used also called for fish stock and used sofrito, that onion and tomato mix that you stew forever as a base for paellas and such.

I'm sure you could substitute fish stock for water in this recipe too, if you'd like the noodles to have more flavor.

It's fantastic with some refreshing white wine and some green beans with jamon serrano (then again, hard to go wrong with jamon serrano). Buen provecho!

Sherman's Deli & Bakery in Palm Springs: A Pastrami Oasis

2011-08-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

When I headed to Palm Springs, the last kind of food I expected to have was juicy, piping hot pastrami on rye with pickles at this local institution, Sherman's Deli & Bakery. The sun was so hot that there were few people walking on the streets so the place looked somewhat deserted from the outside. But once inside, it was hopping. Pastrami is my litmus test for delis, ever since I fell in love with the meat at Katz's in New York City way back when.

The pastrami meat was good with just the right amount of saltiness but while the first half of my sandwich was pretty good albeit having some difficulty biting into the massive heap of pastrami. This sandwich was taller than any other pastrami sandwich I've had, perhaps with the exception of the one in Carnegie Deli in New York, although if you've ever seen that place's cheesecakes on display, that place seems to pride itself in ridiculously large portions.

One thing I didn't like once I bit into my second half was that the pastrami suddenly got super fatty. I hate biting into stringy fat because it doesn't taste good to me. So I had to deconstruct the sandwich and try to eat only the lean parts. The pickles were good too, complementing the meatiness with its tanginess.

Hence the mess you see to the left. I did have a beef with the rye bread though, which I thought wasn't as fresh on the edges (that's what happens to days-old bread). That's why I left those on my plate.

There were several options for mustard and I had the grainy one, which was good. The potato salad that came with it was mayonnaise-y with just the right amount of tartness from the vinegar. It was good.

My companions got a roast beef sandwich and a french dip sandwich with fries and while I didn't taste the sandwiches (the fries were fine but nothing special), they looked decent. I wouldn't really order those anyway because I'm a loyal pastrami-ite. While decent, Langer's remains my favorite deli in LA.

Cooking: Easy Chicken Roast with Baked Potatoes and Arugula Salad

2011-08-04T18:17:00.000-07:00

I like to make a pit stop at Mitsuwa Market every once in a while to stock up on their excellent seafood and meat selection. Just for shabu shabu beef, it has like five different kinds. It has sushi grade sashimi that's much better than what's sold at fancy markets in the ready-to-eat sections. Anyway, I had bought a full leg and thigh with skin on and wondered how best to eat it.

I had a hankering for a western-style meal so I seasoned the chicken leg with salt, pepper and thyme on both sides, got the pan really hot (it's important not to use a non-stick pan here because it will not brown your chicken nicely) and when it begins to smoke, place the chicken leg in the pan. There should be smoke coming out of the pan and a sizzling sound. Otherwise, the pan isn't hot enough.

Sear and brown the chicken in olive oil for about 7 minutes without moving it and flip it and cook for about the same time.

Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to about 425-450 degrees. If you want to have baked potato chips, check out the recipe here. Toss a salad of baby arugula with some tomatoes and light vinaigrette.

Once the oven is hot enough, stick the pan with chicken in the oven and cook for about 15-20 minutes.

When done, the skin should be super crispy and go swimmingly well with the potato fries and salad.

Son of a Gun: Excellent Lobster Roll + Fried Chicken Sandwich = Happy Camper

2011-07-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

I've always been a big fan of Animal, a veritable shrine for hard-core carnivores like me. When I heard the dudes behind Animal had opened a seafood-centric restaurant called Son of a Gun, I knew 1) I had to go, and 2) I would like it. I finally made my way there and I was not disappointed.

I mean, behold this cutest little lobster roll that has the perfect amount of lemon aioli and celery with the super soft bread toasted on the sides just so. Ok, I admit I was taken by the way it looked (adorable) but it also tasted great. The little chip it came with played the role of salt as the lobster was seasoned mildly. They were meant to be eaten in concert to marvelous harmony in your mouth.

Everything was very good but one semi-revelation (because a full-blown revelation would be jamon iberico de bellota at the Bazaar) was the octopus confit salad with chick peas, radicchio and fennel. I've had duck confit but who knew one could make confit out of octopus? The octopus was soft and had a thin crust on the outside with slightly charred edges, as if it were straight off the grill. Combined with the chick peas and other vegetables in a light tangy vinaigrette, it was the perfectly refreshing summer salad.

The oysters on half the shell were good but perhaps because it was raw, I wasn't as wowed. It came with freshly grated horseradish, a red sauce and a vinegar-y sauce but I only used lemon. I'm a purist when it comes to oysters. If it's fresh enough, it shouldn't need any embellishments, so to speak.

I had read that the fried chicken sandwich is good and while a bit puzzled at this menu item at a supposed seafood specializing joint, we ordered it.

When it came to the table in all its imposing glory, my dinner companion and I were at first a tad intimidated at how we would attack this scary looking concoction.

The fried chicken wasn't immediately visible, buried underneath a heap of spicy cole slaw dotted with thin slices of jalapeno and what tasted like picked red onions.

Once we found it and took a bite out of that sandwich, wow, that was one excellent fried chicken. It was probably smothered in buttermilk and then fried in lard or something to have it be that crunchy and delicious.

The interesting thing was that it didn't feel too heavy because of all the slaw with the light dressing and the kick in the slaw gave it another fantastic edge that I loved. The bread, oh, the bread -- a perfectly toasted brioche bun that looked and tasted great.

I was so tempted to try other dishes other message boards and reviewers raved about like shrimp toast, but I decided to reserve that and other goodies for my next visit, when I'll bring an army of friends so we can try every single dish on that menu. Really.

The dessert menu was just meh so we were going to skip dessert when our server suggested the sugar plum sorbet. I think it was one of the best sorbets I've ever had in LA. The first bite tasted just like a really sweet and juicy plum except it was in sorbet form and really refreshing.

The communal tables were a bit tight quarters but it was also nice seeing what others were getting and we influenced each others' choices and, in some instances, even shared food. Our neighbors were having some benton's country ham with honey butter and cornbread and offered us the cornbread since neither of them could eat it. After they insisted, we couldn't resist, and that cornbread was pretty awesome. It hardly needed the butter, although the buttah certainly didn't hurt.

I'm impressed. I'm returning. Thumbs up to the dudes.

Cooking: Attention Spice Lovers -- This Thai Sauce is For You

2011-07-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite past times is to wander around for hours at markets of cuisines I'm not as familiar with. Ok, I'm actually into any kind of market but there's something exciting about exploring everything an unknown market has to offer. Is that too geeky?

Anyway, as a proud food geek, I recently ventured to a Thai market in Thai Town (we are so blessed in LA) and found a really cool sauce in the ready-made food/condiment section by the entrance.

It was labeled as "curry" but the cashier lady told me it's not really curry. It was a mix of roasted chili (you know how much I like that charred flavor), garlic, salt and sugar. It was pretty spicy but the lady advised that I have "with rice and vegetables" so I tried that first.

I first tried it with some brown rice and baby broccoli stir fried with some garlic and salt. It gave this healthy meal some serious flavor and kick.

I also tried it with some pan fried pork tenderloin that I sliced thinly over rice to great effect. It has since become a great rice bowl condiment to veggies or meat.

On a separate note, I also bought some lemongrass and need to figure out the best way to cook with that. Any ideas?

Kafe Neo in Long Beach: Good Calamari, Great Chicken Kebab and Interesting Falafel

2011-07-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of Greek food, but have always found it hard to find good Greek food in LA. I first found Cafe Santorini in Pasadena that had very good grilled squid. Now I found a pretty good place in Long Beach called Kafe Neo. Behold the perfectly fried calamari!

I liked the lightly battered calamari and the only beef was that it wasn't as seasoned as it could be. In a way, this is good because everybody under the sun tends to over-salt things. And I'm assuming it was to dip it one of two sauces it came with, a aioli-like sauce and red marinara sauce that were a bit on the bland side. I also wished they had a grilled version available but still, it was good.

We also had the appetizer sampler that included dips like kalamata olive tapenade, roasted red peppers, hummus, tzatziki and an interesting addition of spicy feta in dip form.

I had hoped the feta would be spicier but it was pretty mild for a "spicy" label albeit different.

The spicy feta made another appearance, this time with none other than french fries. It was interesting but not sure I'd get it again. I mean, it's hard to go wrong with french fries, but it wasn't an ideal match. Plus, the feta could be spicier, but now I'm repeating myself...

I got the Horta, which is a hot salad of dandelion green sauteed with a motherload of garlic, lemon and topped with some crumbled feta cheese. I got chicken kebab on the side. The garlicky greens were really refreshing thanks to the tanginess from the citrus. I also liked that the feta wasn't the super salty kind most Greek restaurants here use. The chicken was also very juicy and charred just right on the edges from the flame-broil or grill. But I didn't get to eat much of my main meal because I had munched on the following starters.

Yes, spanakopitas galore! I had one but these weren't my favorite thing we had. Again, it's hard to go wrong with fried phyllo dough filled with spinach and feta. They were crispy but maybe it was their oddly large size that we had to cut into pieces to share that threw us off. They weren't bad but I've definitely had better.

I also had a falafel shared by a lunch companion that was very interesting. The flavor was good but what fascinated me was that when cut in half, I could see the whole chickpeas that hadn't been ground. What I liked was that it tasted freshly assembled and fried, as if it were made to order. I'm guessing the beautiful green color comes from parsley. I really enjoyed this what to me tasted like an unusual falafel. I'm not sure it went best with tzatziki sauce but I could always ask for a spicy sauce next time I go.

I got the fresh lemonade that I thought was too sweet. It would be good diluted with some spritz or plain water.

I also liked the space -- bright and airy, with a great outdoor patio. Perfect for breezy and sunny SoCal weather.

Cooking: Homeboy Industries' Morita Salsa for your Breakfast Quesadilla

2011-07-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

I have always loved the food at Homegirl Cafe so when I heard Homeboy Industries was coming out with a new line of salsas and chips, I had to try all of them.

I ventured out to my local Ralph's and got all the featured items, including a red and spicy morita, a sweet and tangy mango, a mild salsa verde, a refreshing pico de gallo and mole. I also tried the chips.

The verdict: my favorite is the morita, which is the spiciest and in my opinion, has the most flavor. The mango is my close second. Sweet but also with just a bit of heat. I didn't care much for the salsa verde or pico de gallo but I usually like the red salsas with charred pieces of chile than the fresh ones or ones using tomatillo.

I wasn't a big fan of the chips, so I took corn tortillas I got at a local Latino market and made quesadillas. I never understood why breakfast burritos took off but breakfast quesadillas had not, at least as far as I knew. I sprinkled a mix of shredded Monterrey Jack and cheddar cheese and threw in some chopped zucchini (or whatever vegetables clamoring to be eaten in your fridge) and a fried egg. I added a dollop of the morita salsa and some chopped avocado and listo! I had a great breakfast quesadilla in my hands.

An added benefit is that when you buy these Homeboy products, you're also helping former gang members start a new life. If you're in LA, check out the fantastic food at Homegirl Cafe near Union Station.

Who Makes a Good, Messy Burger and Mean Potato Chips? Biergarten Does.

2011-07-17T20:47:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: I returned several times after my first visit and I must say, I've been consistently impressed with the food. Except for the short rib poutine whose meat wasn't up to par one time, the German Fried Rice, the Korean Burger, Short Rib Poutine and Fig Salad were all excellent. Check out the images and captions below.

I had my reservations about Biergarten because it initially reminded me of those grungy beer "hofs" in Korea's college towns where the Hites and OBs are watered down, food is a greasy mess and everything comes with an unappetizing green cabbage salad with a big old squirt of mayo or thousand island dressing. But I was pleasantly surprised.

I had read good reviews on Biergarten so decided to give it a try. That it allegedly had a good burger certainly nudged me further.

The first thing we got, freshly fried ultra thin potato chips, was pretty solid. They came with a ranch dressing-like dip that was not entirely necessary. The chips were salted just right and crispy to perfection.

Let's talk burger. I had the regular burger with bacon, lettuce and tomato. The first one was overcooked so I took it back. The second one was a lot better -- cooked medium rare. The flavor of the patty was good. While I rarely met a bacon strip I didn't like, I thought the layers and layers of super thick bacon were a bit much. I liked that they weren't too fatty but 3-4 layers of bacon took away from my enjoying the patty. Then I have a major beef about the bun. The first bun was good but the second bun was cold, dense and at complete odds with the decent patty. It was almost an afterthought that someone remembered to take the buns out of a fridge. The bun needs work. Brioche buns are the way to go.

Another surprise was the roasted chicken, which is usually pre-cooked and therefore dry. But this one was juicy and roasted just enough so the skin was browned and crispy. I didn't care much for the accompanying cabbage salad with some mayo squirted over it (yes, it reminded me of my hof experiences). I should say that I don't just hold negative feelings about my hof experiences in Korea. It's part of the nostalgia one feels when walking around college towns like Shinchon. But the food and drinks weren't really what I remember them for. I remember the gigantic 500cc glasses we did one-shots with and the French fries being the only remotely edible thing on the menu.

Biergarten is a vast improvement from those joints. I'm not crazy about the sports-bar-wannabe ambiance but I will head over there if Korea plays at the next World Cup (I'm not a big fan of women's soccer, sorry).

The beer selection was impressive and I was offered an IPA flight when I couldn't decide which IPA to get with my burger. In typical Korean fashion, when asked what were the differences among the various IPAs, the server pointed to one and said, "this one is the most popular everyone orders." Come ON. If you purport to be a true gastropub or microbrewery or whatever the moniker for good food and beer is, you need to train your staff so they know and are as passionate about beer as you. Otherwise, you lose credibility.

I probably will return to try some other dishes and beers but this place needs work in terms of having servers familiarize themselves with the menu and beer, and the ambiance is not as quaint as one would like, perhaps due to the larger size of the space than, say, Village Idiot.

German Fried Rice: Rice stir-fried with some serious German sausages and veggies, all topped with a super decadent gravy that bordered on curry (did we order curry rice?) and a runny fried egg. This one didn't last very long on our table.

Short Rib Poutine: Need I say more? This was insane the first time we had it -- perfect fries sprinkled with some blue cheese (or really stinky aged brie of some kind) and smothered with short rib gravy on top. OMG! I'm proud to say my dinner companion and I one time managed to finish this off. But the second time around, unfortunately, the short rib wasn't as good. It was smelly and I didn't have a lot of it (just the fries). Great concept. It reminded me of the barbecued pork poutine from Animal, another great institution.

The Chosun One: I liked the stir-fried kimchi and spicy aoili, as well as the pickled daikon radish (I've actually used this radish pairing for my braised oxtail sliders for a Bowl outing once to pretty delicious effect if I may say so myself). I didn't love the spam (I know. Spam is big in Korea. But I couldn't get myself to have the burger with it). Otherwise, a pretty decent if not overcooked burger -- maybe at the level of the Village Idiot.

Fig Salad: Refreshing and lightly dressed, with thin slices of persimmons at the bottom of the plate and a mix of arugula and frisee, sprinkled with walnuts, figs and Parmesan shavings. Highly recommended, especially effective as a way to balance out the high fat and cholesterol content of the other menu items.

Cooking: Pan-Fried Tofu and Grilled Zucchini for a Healthy and Satisfying Meal

2011-07-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

Whenever I'm feeling kind of bloated and want to have a light meal (especially dinner), I whip out tofu from my fridge. I always like to stock up on tofu because they last at least 1-2 weeks if unopened and they always make for a quick, healthy and satisfying meal.

Take it out of its container and dry the block of tofu with a paper towel to get the liquid out. Even though it's already cooked, I like to fry it in a pan for more flavor. If you don't dry it completely, it will splatter as the water will react when it hits hot oil so be careful. I like to slice them just under 1/2-inch thick, heat a pan to medium-high with vegetable oil and place the fat squares on the pan. You should hear a sizzling sound. Sprinkle some salt. When the squares have browned (about 3 minutes), flip them and salt them again.

One vegetable I don't mind eating over and over again is zucchini. It's so sweet and flavorful I don't get sick of it and it's good for you.

A very simple way to prepare these is to slice them lengthwise about 1/4-inch thick and grilling them.

I don't use my real grill but I do love my Le Creuset cast iron grill that I just place over my stove and it does the trick perfectly. Check out the grill marks on those babies!

I preheat the grill on medium-low heat for a few minutes, brush some oil on the grill, place the zucchini slices, add salt and pepper. When you see grill marks using thongs, lift the zucchini, brush some oil on, and grill the other side. Then add salt and pepper. They'll be done in about 3-5 minutes. The zucchini don't have to be completely translucent for it to be fully cooked. They're a great pairing.

Wait. Did I really just sing the praises of a meat-less meal?! I hardly recognize myself anymore. But seriously, this was good and good for you.

Chego: Really Good Kochujang-Lacquered Pork Belly Cubes But Not Much Else

2011-07-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

My review of Roy Choi's A-Frame was harsh and I must say I wasn't a big fan of his first casual joint post-Kogi truck, Chego, either.
http://eatchego.com/
The one and only thing I would return for was the wonderfully glistening cubes of pork belly that were in the rice bowls. The problem was there were too many things going on in the bowl. I liked the fried egg, since anything tastes better with an oozing fried egg, but the radishes, water spinach, cilantro, cotija cheese and peanuts was just too much. Combining all these elements made it hard to discern any taste.

The chicken bowl dubbed the Hen House, wasn't much better. I couldn't taste the grilled part, for one. Still loved the fried egg, but the other stuff, like Chinese broccoli, sour cream sambal, Thai basil, sesame and red jalapeño, again just got lumped into this big old mesh that didn't taste like anything.

I mean I love the concept of rice bowls. I have them all the time. But these didn't work for me.

I felt the same way about the fries, which also had the sour cream sambal, and came with melted monterey jack and cheddar cheese, cotija, chillies, cilantro and pickled garlic.

The five-kimchi sampler was nothing special either.

Cooking: You'll Become Addicted to This All-Purpose Dressing (Like Yours Truly)

2011-07-06T19:32:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd like something that has an ingredient called nutritional flake yeast in it. Sure, I was skeptical from the beginning when a friend extolled the virtues of this amazing salad dressing that she had at a health spa. I now swear by it.

She agreed to make some for a recent dinner party I hosted. She brought some deliciously grilled green beans mixed with cauliflower and peas. They were good by themselves but when drizzled with this magic dressing-cum-sauce, those veggies became excellent.

She was nice enough to bring me a big batch, so it has lasted me a while as I pretty much have poured it on anything and everything from arugula salad to pan-fried tofu.

What I like most about this dressing is that its flavor packs a punch. The cider vinegar and garlic give it tanginess and tons of garlic goodness, and it's hard to go wrong with tamari, which tastes similar to soy sauce.

The only drawback may be finding some of the ingredients but I'm sure health stores would have it if you can't find them in the usual suspects.

Thanks to DS for introducing me to this gem.

It turns out this dressing is also good for you (rich in vitamin B) and is versatile (can be made with less fluid and a little corn flour to spread on toast or as a topping for many meats or vegetables). In short, the sky's the limit!

Without further ado, here's the recipe courtesy of Hollyhocks Cooks.

Ingredients

1/2 cup nutritional flake yeast (not brewers yeast, this kind of yeast grows on molasses. Look for yeast flakes such as "Red Star" brand)
1/3 cup of water
1/3 cup of tamari (read label to make sure it is gluten free. Try to find tamari since regular soy sauce or Bragg's doesn't taste quite the same)
1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 1/2 cups of canola or sunflower oil (less for thicker consistency. Don't use extra virgin olive oil as the flavor is too strong)

1. In a blender add the yeast, water, tamari, cider vinegar and garlic. Blend for a minute or so until everything comes together.
2. With the blender running, remove the lid and slowly add the oil (in a thin, steady stream).

This will taste better if allowed to sit in the fridge for a while. Shake well before each use.

Enjoy!

Red O: Great Drinks and Crab Tostaditas, Hold the Guac

2011-07-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

There was no way my expectations wouldn't be high for Red O by superstar chef Rick Bayless, although he isn't the chef per se but apparently a "consultant," whatever that means (flies in once a week, it turns out). I watched his PBS show and own his cookbook. He cooked for Mexico's president. Thankfully, it wasn't very hard to book a table, on a Saturday, at that. We got a table in the nice outdoor terrace, which was perfect for the toasty evening weather.

The place was packed, much to my surprise, and service was good. I had a list of dishes to get and avoid from my diligent perusal of message boards and reviews. I was ecstatic when I learned that my friend VM now ate a lot more seafood and even red meat and pork. She used to be Ms. Chicken Everything and Occasionally Calamari. I definitely have Mr. F to thank for that!

The first thing I had to have was one of those exotic-sounding cocktails. They all sounded amazing, but I got La Dama, which included Tres Agaves Reposado Tequila, serrano chile, mango grenadine (syrup), lime juice and syrup, with pomegranate liqueur and pomegranate seeds. It was far too sweet for my taste, so I exchanged it for Alacrn, the scorpion, which included Sauza Conmemorativo tequila, Veev Acai spirit, orange liqueur, lemonade and serrano infused syrup. This was a winner. I liked the chili pepper on the glass rim with slices or serrano chiles floating in the drink. Very refreshing albeit pretty strong.

For appetizers, we got the crab tostaditas, goat cheese tamales and guacamole. The meaty crab atop crunchy slices of deep fried plantains was very good. The grilled pineapple cubes and tomatillo-avocado salsa brought it all together -- some smokiness, some sweetness and all with varied textures.

We found that the guacamole had been hopelessly overrated. This guac was seriously nothing special. It was actually pretty bland. Some reviewers raved about the chips but I couldn't really agree there that they were anything to write home about. They were ok but nothing exceptionally excellent. I found them on the heavy side.

The accompanying red and green salsas salvaged the guac. My dinner companion correctly assumed that they likely made the guac mild for the masses and one could adjust the heat level by mixing and matching with these salsas. I liked the red one more. Still, good but nothing special.

The goat cheese tamale wasn't my favorite either. It was a corn, roasted poblano chiles and goat cheese tamale but I didn't detect too much flavor.

I got the Tinga Poblana, which was pork shoulder and belly braised to uber tenderness, chorizo, roasted tomatoes, smoked chipotle, potatoes and avocado, with a sprinkling of queso fresco on top.

I liked the idea of it more than the actual dish, I think. I was also pretty full by the time the entrees arrived. So I nibbled on a few bites, which tasted pretty good, especially when I scooped up the meat with some avocado and other sides.

To tell you the truth, while good, I was concocting all sorts of ways I would repurpose the meat at home. Wouldn't it be nice as a breakfast quesadilla with a fried egg on top? Or just plain tacos? My friend liked her adobado shrimp tacos.

I was devastated when I later found myself home without the meat! What a loss! Hate it when that happens.

I had read a lot about the delectable desserts, and was poised to get the buñuelos, which are like donuts only better. I was momentarily disappointed the menu didn't have that, but alas, the replacement was even better -- churros!

Yes, it is hard to go wrong with churros -- deep-fried beauties sprinkled with some sugar and cinnamon powder, and drizzled with some gooey chocolate sauce that had just the right amount of sweetness. 'Nuff said. They were delicious -- crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. They were a bit heavy on the sugar coating, literally, but they were easily dusted off.

Behold, those babies...

It isn't cheap but while I wasn't blown away, I am curious about his take on other classic Mexican fare, like cochinita pibil, short-rib sopes or the chorizo queso fundido.

Going Picnicking? Try These Delish Tuna Kimbab

2011-07-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

I have been a sad witness to not one but two of my favorite kimbab (Korean seaweed rolls) joints move their locations. First it was Jongno Kimbab in the Koreatown Plaza food court, which had great tuna and perilla leaves kimbab that made many a fellow picnicker happy back in the day. Then it was the one in the food court of California (or Kaju in Korean) Market on Western, which recently moved locations to a fancier place.

I was ecstatic when I found that the food court in Hankuk Market on Western and First has great tuna kimbab too! I suspect it's actually the same vendor as the one in California Market because the kimbab look, taste and cost exactly the same! It's not cheap at $6 but it stretches to 3-4 meals.

It's like a seaweed roll, but has pickled daikon radish, spinach, carrots, egg and the two ingredients that takes it over the edge to fantastic -- canned tuna and perilla leaves!

Perilla leaves often get confused for shisho but they're very different, both in origin and flavor. I myself am partial to perilla leaves because it enhances the whole package with its nuttiness and adds great texture with its crunchiness. You've read my extolling the virtues of this leaf before.

Adding a bit of mayo to the tuna makes it softer and delicious but you can skip it if you make it at home.

One of the best things about these babies is the aromatic scent of sesame oil on the seaweed (You're supposed to lubricate the knife with sesame oil when cutting the rolls. It's a good tip!). One word of caution is that it doesn't keep well in the fridge because the rice gets hard. And you're best off eating it fairly quickly because of the perishable mayo. That said, you could also make it without mayo, which still tastes pretty good. But that's another post on cooking...These are great for picnics, Bowl outings, etc. Kimbab away!

Cooking with Jose Andres: Beef Sirloin with a confit of Piquillo Peppers

2011-06-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Jose Andres owns one of my favorite restaurants in LA, the Bazaar. But long before he landed here, I'd already been enamored of his DC restaurants, Cafe Atlantico and Zaytinya, with a little less love for Jaleo. I've wanted to try Minibar for some time but it's on my list for a future visit.

The man knows how to cook good, creative and beautiful food. And I confess I've probably watched most if not all of his PBS Made in Spain travel and cooking shows. Astonishing (to quote the man himself)! Heck, I've even downloaded music from the Spanish bands featured on the show!

Anyway, I have his tapas cookbook, which I cherish and have used many times to great results. It is, however, a bit weak on the meat side, so I enlisted the help of his online recipes from the show. This beef dish was simple and delicious, particularly the piquillo peppers. I know I say this a lot, but truly, it's hard to go wrong with these babies. Add a bit of garlic and olive oil and you've got a great combination of meat and smoky, garlicky peppers softened by long hours in the oven under low heat. I also used leftover peppers to great effect in my turkey sandwiches to give them a flavor boost.

Flat iron steaks weren't as easy to find as I would have thought so I substituted with skirt steak, which was good but a bit fatty. I used a heavy cast iron grill over the stove that worked very well to grill the meat (fantastic grill marks). I could go on and on about the virtues of this tool, but that's another post. Enjoy.

Tacos in Riverside: Good to Great, and then Inedible

2011-06-26T17:19:00.000-07:00

The strangest thing happened on my way back from Riverside. I stopped by a very promising looking fish taco joint called Tacos Los Compadres (don't ask why I went for fish tacos in an inland city) and for like two bucks, I got the best and crispiest fish taco I've had in a long time. The fish was just out of the fryer, piping hot, whose temperature was tempered by the cold tomatoes, crunchy lettuce and white sauce on top.

I relished that taco so much I returned a few months later and ordered two fish tacos. The first one was just as good as I remembered it. But then it happened. As I bit enthusiastically into the second taco, I had a serious case of cognitive dissonance. Naturally, I first rationalized the seemingly inedible fish that tasted like lead and not at all fresh and fleshy like the one I had had exactly one second ago was just a bad first bite.

But then the second bite was just as bad. The fish tasted so bad I had to spit it out and couldn't eat the rest. So sad. I told the friendly guy at the counter but not sure I'll ever return. There are simply too many taquerias to be lax in quality control.

On another trip to Riverside, I went to Mr. Taco after some message boards raved about its namesake goodies. I had the carne asada and al pastor tacos with rice and refried beans. The carne asada was nothing special and the al pastor was definitely better than average but not mind-blowing.

I liked that the pork pieces were nicely charred and flavorful. Did you know that al pastor came from shawarma that Lebanese immigrants brought to Mexico? Cool random factoid of the day.

The salsas were also deep in flavor and spice, which I liked.

The rice was far too dry but the refried beans were fine. It's hard to go wrong with refried beans with a gooey layer of cheese on top, after all.

I probably won't return since Riverside is so vast and I'd prefer to try other new places in search of that perfect taco, whether it'd be one filled with fish, carne asada or al pastor.

I was disappointed that Mr. Taco didn't have any jamaica, which is usually my drink of choice when I down tacos. It did have a watermelon agua fresca that was refreshing and probably a bit better for me, but I love me a tall glass of bright red jamaica any day.

I dedicate this post to my dear friends who are living in places where getting decent Mexican food is like a hunt for the Holy Grail. Believe me, as someone who's been there, I feel your pain. This is incentive for you to come visit!

Cooking: What's Not to Like About This Chorizo Appetizer?

2011-06-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

These parsnip, chorizo and manchego cheese bites are super easy to make and taste like a million dollars. My dinner party guests couldn't get enough of them. If you have leftovers, they could be like breakfast on a stick. You could easily serve these for brunch as a side to a sunny side-up although I didn't get there because there were none left! Parsnips look like carrots but are beige in color and have a nuttier taste than potatoes. Shout-out to Martha Stewart for this recipe. Buen provecho!

Roasted Parsnip and Chorizo Bites

* 2 parsnips
* 2 tsp olive oil
* Pinch of coarse salt and ground pepper
* 8 slices (1/4-inch thick) spicy chorizo (Spanish kind, not the raw Mexican kind)
* 1 oz Manchego cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Peel parsnips and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices on the diagonal; toss slices with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Roast until lightly browned (12-13 minutes) in a single layer on a baking sheet; flip slices halfway through.

Push parsnips to one side of the sheet and add chorizo; roast just enough to heat chorizo through (about two minutes); let cool five minutes.

Break cheese into 1/2-inch chunks.

Layer parsnip, chorizo, Manchego, and parsnip; spear with a toothpick and serve warm.