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Tag Archives: Banchan

Yank San Park

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by yummcha in Food, Korean Food

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Banchan, Barbecue, Bibimbap, Home, Korean cuisine, Rice, Side dish, Torrance California

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Some friends from my badminton group told me about this restaurant a while ago, and mentioned that the Banchan (side dishes) are very fresh there, as well as the food being quite good.

So I asked a Korean friend to join me in exploring this place. It was Thursday, around noon time, there were not a lot of people, which was good in the sense that it was less smoky, being that it is a BBQ restaurant.

I picked the Spicy Kim-chi Pork and Tofu Stew since it sounded hearty and I was really hungry. My friend ordered her usual Bi Bim Bap, which is a vegetable and beef egg rice bowl.

My meal started with a plain salad in a slightly sweet dressing. The banchan were indeed fresh and had a couple of items that I had not tried before, such as one that was this long, thin strips of what seemed to be burdock root in a piquant red sauce. I sampled each of the side dishes and ordered more of my favorites which included the bean sprouts, the eggplant and small slices of chives pancake.

The pork slices in the stew were not too big and were half fat and half meat. I took out the fatty part, the rest was tender and juicy. The kimchi had a deep aged flavor that was exquisite. The tofu was in long rectangular chunks and medium firmness which absorbed the essence of the soup. I only wish they had the option of brown rice instead of  just white rice.

The Bi Bim Bap looked enticingly fresh and appealing with all the different colors of shredded vegetables arranged neatly inside the big metallic bowl. I would like to try the Spicy Cold Buckwheat Noodle and the Sliced Rice Cake Soup next time I come back.

Yang San Park: 22757 Hawthrone Blvd. Torrance, CA 90505  Phone: 310-373-8340

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Hot Bubbly Tofu at Cho Dang

14 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by yummcha in Food, Korean Food

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

Banchan, Cook, Fruits and Vegetables, Home, Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, Rice, Soy, Tofu

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There are quite a few places in the South Bay area that serve this soul warming, tongue burning tofu stew called Soondubu jjigae.

The one we prefer to go to is Cho Dang Tofu. The wonderfully velvety texture of the tofu and the substantial amount that are served are reasons enough to eat there, but the more decisive element here is the banchan (side dishes).

The fact that the tofu is silky, smooth, soft should be expected from these tofu houses, but I like that the tofu here comes in bigger blocks, and the amount served seems to be a bit more than other tofu places. I prefer my tofu in larger chunks rather than in small broken pieces.

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banchan

As I mentioned earlier, the key reason why we come here is the banchan. The well-balanced and distinct flavors and consistencies of the side dishes make up for the not-so-plentiful varieties. My son just loves the rectangular nori (dry lavar seaweed), and the mildly marinated bean sprouts. I enjoy the spicy pickled cucumber, and the slightly acidic pickled wakame. We always ask for seconds or thirds of these particular ones, despite the waitresses looking solemn and stoic at times.

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On this occasion, I ordered the Mushroom Tofu – White (no spiciness whatsoever), while my son had the Beef Tofu – Medium spicy. I enjoy the pleasantly soft crunch of the Enoki mushroom floating on top of the tofu. My son, who used to order his tofu white, said that he much prefers the overall taste of the tofu with some spiciness.

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The white rice here is served also in a stone pot like the one with the tofu, so it comes out burning hot. One definitely needs to wait a bit before digging into the piping hot rice. While most of the patrons here scoop the rice out from the hot stone pot to another bowl,  I, however, actually prefer to put some of the tofu directly onto the rice in the pot, and eat the rice straight out from the hot pot (very carefully of course). With this method, the hard, crunchy rice next to the metal eventually gets soften up, and I can then scrape it off easily and eat it all without having to put liquid into it at the end.

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Cho Dang Tofu: 22549 Hawthrone Blvd. Torrance, CA 90505  Phone: 310-373-7055

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Jun Won – Bold Flavors

15 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by yummcha in Food, Korean Food

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Tags

Banchan, Braising, Cook, Kimchi, Korean cuisine, Los Angeles, Pork

Destination: Eun Daegu Jorim (Braised Black Cod). Rumor has it that Jun Won offers one of the best of this beloved dish of mine, surely I cannot bypass this temptation to try.

If I had not done my research and looked up a photo of the restaurant, it would have be easy to miss the place, since the sign is only in Korean. Rarely had I encountered so much available parking spaces for a Korean restaurant in that area, I was thankfully relieved not to have to deal with valet.

The place is small, intimate and felt very welcoming and homey. The waiting staff were exceptionally jovial. Famished from having played for over 2 1/2 hours of badminton, I hurriedly ordered the two dishes I came here for: Spicy Pork with Kimchee, Brasied Black Cod.

spicy pork

After a few bites of the pork with kimchee, I realized that I  have just found my all time 2nd favorite Korean dish after the Braised Black Cod. The flavors of this pork dish were outrageously deep, robust, pungent. The Kimchee was nothing less than remarkable – reminiscent somehow of a full bodied, well-aged wine. One could almost taste the amount of time that the fermentation took to achieve such an unparalleled depth of richness in flavor.

Almost every table had ordered the braised cod. I would say that the dish had met my expectation. Actually, the black cod itself is such a succulent, luscious fish that it would be difficult to mess it up. The velvety, buttery texture of the fish, went well with the mildly piquant, savory sauce – wish there were more than just the three pieces on the plate.

While the presentation of both of the dishes looked similar, piles of nondescript goodness under an abundance of green onions and covered with a dark orangey, brownish sauce, the tastes were distinct from each other.

A small bowl of cold seaweed soup was suddenly presented in front of me. While I had plenty of warm seaweed soup before, this was the first time having a cold one. The faintly vinegary coolness of the broth along with heaps of soft silky seaweed was incredibly refreshing after the aggressive, bold flavors – it was like that of a sea breeze on a humid, muggy afternoon.

Beyond stuffed, after finishing off the outstanding assortment of banchan, and everything else from the plates, with two bowls of rice,  I was ready for my next conquest.

Jun Won: 3100 W. 8th St. Ste 101, Los Angeles, CA 90005  Phone: 213-383-8833

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Kobawoo – Always good

02 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by yummcha in Food, Korean Food

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Tags

Banchan, Bossam, Bulgogi, Kalbi, Korean cuisine, Los Angeles, Pork, Vermont

bossam

I was looking for a pork dish that I had tried at another Korean restaurant that had gone out of business, so I searched the handy internet trying to locate a place that might serve that particular dish. After much efforts, it was to no avail. I did, however, found another dish that sounded somewhat remotely similar, so I decided to give that a try.

Located inside a small strip mall at the corner of Vermont and 7th, Kobawoo was easy to find. There is valet parking for about $1.50 or so, though not too expensive, but if one gets there early enough before the restaurant opens for lunch, sometimes the valet people are not there yet.

The specialty here is Bossam –  steamed pork belly slices that are served with fermented shrimp paste, pickled jalapeños peppers, marinated radishes, and can be wrapped either with the slightly pinkish pickled radish or napa cabbage leaves. The meat, fatty, rich and moist, is cooked to a perfect state of tenderness. Though the pork is not especially flavorful by itself, when wrapped and devoured with all the pungent accompaniments, it transforms into a symphony of spicy, salty, vinegary, and crunchy goodness, and becomes surprisingly and pleasurably addicting.

As good as the bossam is, my favorite here is the Eun dae gu jorim, a braised black cod with daikon. There are about four fillets of fish with big rounds of white radishes. The price for this dish is probably the lowest compared to others in town. The fish has a distinct delicate flavor, and is exceptionally tender and flaky. The daikon can be a tad salty after having soaked up the sauce.

The Kalbi (marinated short ribs) and Bulgogi (marinated beef) are grilled in the kitchen and brought out to the table. For this restaurant, I actually prefer the Kalbi over the bulgogi of which I found to be uncommonly sweet.

Jangban Guksu is a huge platter of  buckwheat noodles with assorted shredded vegetables such as cucumber, lettuce, carrots, onions, red bell peppers. After all the ingredients were mixed together with the reddish sauce, the result is a crisp, refreshing mix of zestiness and chewiness that I would happily slurped down with a cup of tea.

Banchan (small side sides) here is usually limited to about four assortments, but always looked and tasted fresh. There would be a little button at the table to push for service when needed, and the waiters would always respond right away. I really appreciate the attention to details at this restaurant, there would always be a fresh and different pot of miniature orchid on each table every time I go. The beautifully crafted heavy dark wooden tables and benches evoke in me almost a sense of regalness, a sense of tradition, and quality.

Kobawoo House: 698 S. Vermont Ave. Ste 109, Los Angeles, CA 90005  Phone: 213-389-7300

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