Real Comfort Food and Pork Belly in Garlic Leaf

I've been busy gorging myself with incredible Korean food and learning, seeing and tasting all that Korea has to offer. It's been an amazing adventure so far.

It all started with the best of the best -- a home-cooked meal by none other than my Mom. It was comforting and just like I remembered it. A block of chunky, silvery kalchi fish seasoned only with salt and broiled; some boiled radish namul that's neutrally seasoned with salt, sesame seeds and sesame oil and of course, beef soup with radish squares.





Then on to one of my favorite restaurants in Seoul, the newly artsy Samchongdong near the Blue House, to be exact -- Sosonjae. Sosonjae loosely translates to "a place that serves simple food." It serves multi-course lunches with various price ranges. The greens salad had a refreshing dressing that was slightly citrusy and spicy (mustardy) at the same time. It's traditional Korean with a modern twist but not in a bad "fusion" kind of way. My personal favorite dish was the steamed pork belly slices that came with something I've never had before -- garlic leaves that had been pickled in a soy sauce-based liquid. Also accompanied was a stack of nappa cabbage pickled only with salt. The pickled garlic leaves were incredibly flavorful and perfect to wrap morsels of pork belly in -- topped with the nappa cabbage.





The jeon were good, except the seaweed pancake was a bit strange (also a first). Gujulpan, the mini-make-it-yourself burrito with a bunch of veggies was ok but I'm not a huge fan of the dish anyway. The kyejang, or raw crab marinated in soy sauce and garlic, was fresh and salty as it should be. The deep fried tofu pockets filled with minced mushrooms was not as flavorful as I've had it in other places. Still, this place is a winner, if nothing else for that garlic leaf-wrapped pork. It's a match made in heaven. It helped that the decor was serene and very conducive to shameless consumption.







For dessert, we headed to a place specializing in red bean porridge that calls itself "the place that serves the second best porridge" because the best must be your mom's. The porridge had been through a mixer so didn't have any grains, which I prefer (with grains, that is). And a bit too much cinnamon for my taste, but I liked the chestnut touch.



Sosonjae
Chongno-gu Samchong-dong 113-3, Seoul
(02) 730-7002

Place serving the second-best red bean porridge
Down the street from Sosonjae toward Kwanghwamoon

Like Water for Mole

Here's a report on our semi-quarterly culinary trip around the world courtesy of Y and NJ's excellent adventures in the kitchen. We started off with Persian, then moved on to Italian with the Silver Spoon cookbook and ventured to Mexico this time. We both love to eat and cook, but we like to explore new ingredients and flavors as well. So we usually like to make things that get us out of our comfort zones (read: elaborate recipes with lots of ingredients we've never used before).

Enough of the foreword. Let's get to the meat of things -- the menu.



We started off with ripe plaintain turnovers with crab filling, made by my fearless partner in crime Y, which were good but her best dishes were definitely yet to come. I tend to go a bit crazy when it comes to offering "the whole package" to our guests so I made a huge pitcher of jamaica -- hibiscus flower water -- and horchata that can be made from a mix of almonds, sesame seeds, rice and/or barley (I used powder and water for both). And margaritas, of course, which I started off by measuring things and later just eyeballed to the delight of my guests.



The shrimp seviche served on beautiful lettuce leaves hugging the refreshing morsels of citrusy shrimp with crunchy red onions and creamy avocado chunks sprinkled with cilantro bits was the perfect starter to get the appetite going. We also had a decidedly non-Mexican salad (except for the crumbly Mexican queso fresco on top) inspired by a trip to South Carolina that was made even more delicious by the addition of watermelon cubes to the greens. Then came one of my favorite dishes of the evening -- chorizo-stuffed ancho chiles with sweet-sour escabeche. I'm usually not a huge chile relleno (stuffed chile) fan because I find the usual filling of cheese to be too, well, cheesy and heavy. So it was with much excitement we decided to try this recipe and boy, did Y nail it! The chiles were soft and smoky but retained their crunch at the same time. The best part was cutting into them to find a hearty mix of chorizo and potatoes. The icing on the cake was the refreshing escabeche, a sort of pickled topping, that balanced out the potential heaviness of the chorizo mix. This escabeche had sliced carrots and red onions cooked with garlic, vinegar and other spices -- the perfect accompaniment to the stuffed chile.



The onslaught of main dishes started pouring in, including ancho-marinated Oaxacan-style whole roast fish, Oaxacan black mole with chicken, braised pumpkin with pork, roasted vegetables in green sesame pipian, with the starch of choice being white rice and tomato rice. If these sound like unnecessarily long and complicated descriptions found at fancy restaurant menus, they are not meant to be (I trimmed a few down).

The black mole was one of the most labor intensive dishes I have ever made in my entire life. I'm glad it came out well in the end but I vowed this would be the first and last time I would make this dish from scratch. Not to mention the fact that I'm concerned about its less-than-healthy tendencies from all that charring and burning (notwithstanding its deliciousness).



The fish was tender, juicy and had just the right amount of kick in its sauce. The pumpkin dish was sweet from the pumpkin and spicy from the tomatillo-chipotle sauce. I wish I would have added more pork. It left me wanting more meat. Making the sesame seed-based pipian was a lot of fun. I got to cook with a funky green vegetable resembling a cucumber, chayote, cactus paddles (nopales) and the herb, epazote, for the first time and learned that Mexican cooking used a lot of sesame seeds. The sauce had a very unique taste that blended all these new flavors with a familiar one for me, that of sesame seeds. I would recommend it for anyone but especially for vegetarians looking for something different.



I made two kinds of rice as I wanted to make sure they would complement the dishes properly. I thought white would go better with mole and other heavily sauced dishes and tomato rice might go well with cleaner dishes such as the fish. The tomato rice was also spiced with jalapenos so it was important to have a neutral-tasting rice to balance out the strong flavors.



Overall, it was a success and we thank Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen cookbook. I had some reservations about going with a cookbook by a non-Mexican but who's to say a non-Mexican can't appreciate or make authentic Mexican food? And judging by his passion-filled PBS shows on the subject, I believe he is more than sincere in his quest to explore, promote and honor all things Mexican cuisine.



It was also fun eating leftovers the next morning -- transformed into the most comforting breakfast ever. Corn tortilla topped with a sunny side up, chorizo, tomato rice and a dab of home-made guacamole. Buen provecho!

Samba BBQ Fest at its Best

I've had many barbecues in my lifetime, but none come even close to the mother of all barbecues that I look forward to every year -- the annual Brazilian meat fest extravaganza presided by grill maestro Almir and hosted by our dear friends the Y-W's. The meats on metal skewers don't stop coming off the rotating grill and Almir doesn't stop sliding the sausages, filet mignon, tri-tip, lamb chops, etc. off of the skewers and chopping them on the eucalyptus tree trunk he uses as a serving board.

No sooner does he chop the meat do the crowds form around the board with toothpick in hand to grab the meat morsels. It's hands-down the best eating event of the year.



Most of the meats are seasoned lightly only with rock salt to bring out the natural flavors. Almir says he uses chunky rock salt because it seasons the meat just right as it melts on the grill. He cooks them just medium-rare to medium and when he slices them on the tree trunk for us to attack, the meat has a red blush in the center, is succulent, juicy and oh-so flavorful. It helps that he uses the best ingredients to begin with, including prime and choice beef, free-range chicken and gourmet sausages like sweet basil, smoked Polish and artichoke/parmesan/chicken.



Then there are marinades, sauces and the bacon-wrapped varieties. This salsa that looks like any old pico de gallo is actually an Almir concoction that's a lot spicier than your garden variety salsa. It not only has tomatoes, onions and cilantro but also habanero chile -- pretty much the spiciest chile I've ever had -- olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The result: tangy pico de gallo with a kick that pairs perfectly with the onslaught of meats that can get a bit heavy on the stomach -- the light balancing out the meatiness.



The other sauce is a beautiful green sauce made from mustard, cilantro, garlic, plain yogurt, among other ingredients, that he smothers on the charred chicken fresh off the grill. Once again, the flavors of the chicken with the sauce marry perfectly. He has other sauces for certain cuts of meat that he created, but sometimes, a slab of bacon is all one needs. As with his jumbo shrimp, filet mignon or chicken breast, the thick slice of bacon it uses to wrap these lovelies give that delightful saltiness that comes with every bacon bite as well as its slightly crunchy texture. After all, doesn't anything taste better with bacon? It raised the decadence and carnivorousness to another level.



There are options for non-meat eaters but really, what's the point? I had some good salmon, asparagus and killer beans. But that would be like foolishly filling your stomach with distractions at a really good buffet. What better beverage to accompany all this than the quintessential Brazilian cocktail, caipirihna? Almir gives it another twist by adding passionfruit juice to make passionfruit caipirihna. Refreshing, citrusy and takes you back to those crazy Rio days. Not that I would know what those days were like, since the only time I've been to Brazil was Iguazu as a teenager.



Let's talk about the man behind the rotating grill, frighteningly sharp skewers and eucalyptus tree trunk -- Mr. Almir Santre. A sports (mostly soccer) journalist by day, the Brazilian-born Almir started barbecuing more than 17 years ago when a friend showed him how to grill tri-tip at a party. “In Brazil, everyone throws a piece of meat on a charcoal grill,” he says. He hadn’t seen rock salt being used on meat before and observed his friend in action. Almir later hosted a party where a prominent Brazilian soccer commentator tasted his barbecue and liked it so much he asked him to cook for him next time he came to Rio de Janeiro. The rest is Churrasco history.



Now in his fifties, he has since cooked for the likes of soccer superstar, Pele, and “some soap opera stars.” He charges about $1,200, or about $35 a head, for a party of 35 to 40. He brought in the rotating grill straight from Brazil because he couldn’t find one in the U.S. that cooked the meat to his liking. He is the nicest man and makes it look all too easy. He says it takes a few days of advanced preparation for this party of at least 60. This year, Brazilian music and dance added to the festive mood.



He surprises me every year with what appear to be new sauces, marinades or cuts of different meats, but the constants are supreme yumminess and shameless gorging. I've always loved his rock salt-tinged tri-tip and pork ribs. This year, my favorites were the grilled chicken dabbed with the green cilantro sauce and his New York steak topped with a little of the habanero sauce for some kick. Then again, it's hard to decide given the incredible wealth of options. I saw pork loin stuffed with sage leaves, lamb chops, lamb shoulder, skirt steak -- the list goes on.



This tree trunk, the empty glass of caipirinha, toothpicks and some sauces are all you need to enjoy this truly once-in-a-lifetime experience (unless you're lucky enough to be invited to this annual fiesta like us!). I highly recommend it for anyone interested in hosting an amazing barbecue party. Almir has cooked for wedding banquets as well and I think that would be a fantastic idea. Enjoy.



Almir Santre
Brazilian Churrasco Extraordinaire
(310) 497-9154

A Tortilla Sandwich Called Mulita

So I discovered mulitas in La Taquiza near USC last week, first described to me as "a quesadilla on steroids." Well, I went, I tried and I'm officially hooked. I know it's been around forever so it isn't earth-shattering news, but it was exciting to learn more about Mexican cuisine (anyone know whether it's a regional thing?). I couldn't find much information on it online so I can't tell you much about where it comes from. Even some of my Chicana friends didn't know what they were.

Suffice it to say that they were crispy on the outside, warm and hearty on the inside and a bite combining both, well, divine. I got the carne asada mulita with guacamole inside. The piping hot concoction comes with cheese, little chunks of grilled meat and a spread of guacamole -- all sandwiched in two delightfully toasted corn tortillas.

It's only $2.25 but hearty enough for a meal. I washed it down with some jamaica, my favorite Mexican drink. My only regret is that I didn't get the al pastor mulita. The shrimp and fish mulitas -- the latter coming batter-fried (yum) -- also looked like winners.

I'll definitely be going back for more. It serves all the other stuff one may look for, burritos, tacos, etc. For now, I'm going to sample all the mulitas I can get my hands on. The roasted something salsa was nice and spicy, adding a balanced kick to my mulita.

La Taquiza
3009 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(213) 741-9795

Filipino Comfort Food

I don't know much about Filipino food, but the few times that I have had it, I didn't love it. I know now that it was probably because the restaurants weren't great. I found one that I liked -- Barrio Fiesta in Eagle Rock -- and I'm told Cerritos has even better ones.

Eagle Rock has a sizable Filipino population but I wouldn't have known about Barrio had it not been for a fellow foodie and Eagle Rock resident. From the outside, Barrio looks like a Mexican restaurant but step in and you will be treated to a veritable Filipino feast (like its name that means Party Town), complete with fresh lumpias and the most comforting chicken adobo.



My favorite was the chicken adobo, bone-in pieces of chicken slow-cooked to perfection in a marinade of dark cane vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and black peppercorn, among other goodies. The meat was tender with just the right acidity to balance out the saltiness. I liked the hard-boiled quail egg touch, although some of my fellow diners were grossed out by the mini eggs (their loss!). There were little treats that popped out as you lifted a chicken leg or wing from the hearty marinade/sauce. Fluffy white rice was the perfect accompaniment to neutralize this dish. It helped that the rice came in the cutest steel containers and tasted freshly made.



Just like the Sariwang lumpia. While I never shy away from deep fried foods, I liked this fresh version of lumpia better. The word, "fresh," may be a misnomer here, since it's not exactly raw like with the fresh Vietnamese rolls. Rather, it's like a thicker crepe stuffed with pork strips, minced heart of palm and other things that are all wrapped in a lettuce leaf. The crepe is then doused with a slightly sweet and caramel-like sauce made from garlic, starch and stock and sprinkled with crushed peanuts.

Another excellent dish was the chicken soup, called Tinolang manok. The stock had an exquisitely deep flavor and had an interesting mix of spinach and green papaya in it, which probably contributed to the fresh after-taste of the heart-warming soup. I can tell when good quality, fresh chicken was used from the lack of an unpleasant gamey taste or freezer smell.



The Guisadong Betchuelas (first photo), or sauteed green beans with pork and shrimp, was good - almost like a curry dish for its spice-tinged juices and melded together very well with the vegetables. My least favorite was Sotanghon guisado, a glass noodle dish with chicken, cabbage and other vegetables. I found it a tad bland and the noodles were dry and tangled.

I washed it all down with a refreshing Kalamansi, a Filipino lime drink made from a citrus fruit (I predict a summer cocktail using Kalamansi may well become the next drink du jour - maybe it already has). I was worried it'd be too sweet (from my previous Filipino dessert encounters) but the drink was just right.



All in all, a good meal (and learning experience for this Filipino food novice). Good service. Easy parking. What more could you ask for? Barrio was formerly in Glendale and moved to this location about a year and a half ago. Live music/performances on weekends. Not sure if this is for everybody, but karaoke is also available.

Barrio Fiesta
4420 Eagle Rock Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 259-5826

Not All Fish Sandwiches Are Created Equal

I don't like to admit that I could like a restaurant located in a mall, but Gulfstream is an exception. For one, it's affiliated with Houston's, which serves my favorite burger in LA so far. The menu is similar to Houston's, and food just as good. I'm not a big fan of the dark interior and old school decor, but who cares when the food is this solid? It is pricey, so it isn't somewhere I would go regularly. If you're in the Westfield mall, at the movies or near Century City, it's worth stopping by.

The crab cake salad was exceptional. It came with a mix of greens including frisee and watercress, silky avocado and refreshing grapefruit. The light, creamy dressing was right on, complementing the crab cake well without feeling like it was tartar sauce disguised as dressing. The crab cakes were perfectly crispy on the outside and was creamy and moist on the inside. I could actually taste crab that wasn't at all fishy and appreciated the generous chunks of crab since it's hard to real, chunky crab (especially in a cake patty). On a hot summer day, it was the perfect starter.



I resisted the temptation to get a burger. If Houston's burger is so good, I could only assume Gulfstream's would be just as good. But I got the fish sandwich instead and it was excellent. It was as good as the fish sandwich I've had at Houston's. It's what a filet-o-fish sandwich (I can't believe I'm quoting an item from the much disdained fast food chain that will remain unnamed) would taste like if an ironchef made it. The fish, while fried, was airy, fluffy, not too salty and definitely not fishy. The works included shredded cabbage, dill pickles and red onions. But what brought it all together was the fantastic pink sauce (tasted of mayo, some kick, maybe capers and parsley?) that bound everything into a soft, warm bun that was perfectly toasted.

Who knew I could be so wowed by a humble fish filet sandwich? The restaurant's site boasts that all the fish it serves were caught in the last 24 hours. Not sure if that's humanely possible given the fish probably comes from all over the world, but nevertheless I'm sold. The side of wild rice, corn and almond was interesting, but nothing spectacular.

There's one in Newport Beach that I haven't tried.

Gulfstream
10250 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 553-3636

Spicy Pork in a (Green) Blanket

The Korean food kick continues. The great thing about living in LA is having the luxury to indulge in the various kinds of Korean barbecue and hopping on to different restaurants that do one specific thing very well.

For Sigol Ssambab on Western in Koreatown, it's the delightfully spicy barbecued pork sliced super thin, cooked tableside and wrapped in a mound of greens with a dab of spicy and salty fermented soy bean paste.

The marinade is just right -- not too sweet or spicy -- and the meat has the right amount of fat that renders upon contact with the grill. The sizzling sound can't be beat and the aromas of garlicky reddish pork that glistens will have you downing these babies pretty quickly.



The kicker is that you feel like you're eating healthy because besides being the other white meat, the pork is wrapped in at least five different kinds of greens. Take your pick from red leaf lettuce, napa cabbage, bok choy, sesame leaf, chicory, steamed white cabbage, herbs, among others. You can even have a sheet of seaweed to wrap your meat in if that's your thing. My favorites are the sesame leaf known as kennip and the steamed cabbage.

I also love this restaurant's version of the fermented soy bean paste, ssamjang (below), that accompanies every barbecued meat and green wrap. It's usually mixed with spicy chili paste called kochujang, but this place offers a milder-flavored paste in its more raw form -- not mushed into a paste so the fermented soy bean grains are barely ground.



It's also a great deal if you go in groups of at least two because portions are big and the greens come in unlimited supply. After the meat fest is over, you get another full meal of rice and fermented soy bean stew (yes, Koreans love all things fermented) with vegetables and tofu. I like the rice that's mixed with black rice, which has a much smokier flavor and is healthier.

The word, "ssam," meaning wrap, has recently become more recognized (at least in NY) with the popularity of Korean American superstar chef David Chang's Momofuku enterprise. From the readings and television appearances I've seen of him, he is best known for a steamed pork in greens version known as bossam. Sure, he does a lot more with the pork and the accouterments are different, but essentially the same concept. I have yet to find a good bossam place in the US, but maybe I should venture to his explosively overbooked joint next time I'm in NY.



(323) 467-0100
480 N. Western Avenue (between Melrose & Beverly)
Los Angeles, CA 90004