LINK: hometown cooking
My non-Korean friends frequently ask me about Korean food. I tell them there’s more than just K-BBQ. Growing up, Korean food was literally all I knew. Breakfast, lunch, dinner —always Korean. I got sick of it as a kid because I didn’t have a choice, but over the last few years, I’ve started craving it for some weird reason. I think it hits different when I’m eating it voluntarily.
So when my friends asked where to go for “real Korean food,” I told them… K-town. There’s no beating it. People say that the food in Los Angeles Koreatown rivals the food in the motherland and I have to agree since it’s rumored that the famous chefs in Korea have moved to LA to set up shop. The five of us ended up at Hangari Kalguksu. The line was already out the door, which is standard but it moves fast because they take our order while we’re waiting outside.
Parking sucks balls. It’s super annoying. I usually end up parking a block away because the parking lot is so tiny and it shares space with many other stores in the strip mall.
Rice and soybean paste for starters. It pairs well with kimchi. There’s also different types of side dishes.
만두 (mandu) – steamed beef dumplings with veggies
돌솥비빔밥 (dohl soht bi bim bap) – minced beef, gochujang sauce, rice, egg, and sautéed veggies in a stone pot. This is my favorite and I like it when the rice gets crispy.
닭죽 (dak jook) – chicken porridge with sesame seed, sesame oil, vegetables, rice, and seaweed.
들깨 수제비 (deulkkae sujaebi) – perilla seed hand torn dough, creamy anchovy soup, mushrooms, green onions, and seaweed. This is my second fav out of the bunch.
바지락 칼국수 (bajirak kalguksu) – clam with handmade knife cut noodles in anchovy and veggie broth with Manila clams and vegetables. I’m not a fan of clams so I didn’t partake in this dish but my friends enjoyed it.
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