Category Archives: Koreatown

February 12, 2014 · 4:00 pm

A Good Place to Get Crabs

Scallop Carpaccio
Hipper and more mainstream than most K-town eateries, EMC Seafood & Raw Bar is a fun place for cocktails and iced shellfish of all sorts. It’s located in the City Center mall, home of the awesome Zion Korean supermarket, as well as one of the best Korean spas in the city. The atmosphere is boisterous and party-like, especially during happy hour, which features $1 oysters and $5 draft beers.

Despite its location in the heart of Koreatown, the food at EMC isn’t actually Korean, although it does have a strong pan-Asian influence. My favorite menu item is the velvety Uni Pasta with Cream, Fish Roe and Dried Seawood. I’ve ordered this dish at many Japanese restaurants and the version at EMC is one of the best I’ve ever had. I also love the tasty Congee (rice porridge) with Abalone and the super-fresh Hokkaido Scallop Carpaccio with Yuzu Kosho, Ponzu, EVOO and Smoked Salt (pictured above). I am less enamored of the Crispy Garlic Clams and recommend avoiding the overly-battered and fried Crispy Soft Shell Crab.

EMC Seafood & Raw Bar is located at 3500 W 6th St, Los Angeles (in Koreatown).

Uni Pasta with Cream, Fish Roe, Chives, Dried Seaweed

Uni Pasta with Cream, Fish Roe, Chives, Dried Seaweed


Crispy Garlic Clams with Manila Clams, Green Onions, Jalapeños, Pepper

Crispy Garlic Clams with Manila Clams, Green Onions, Jalapeños, Pepper


Congee with Abalone

Congee with Abalone


Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Ponzu

Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Ponzu


A fun place

A fun place for cocktails and oysters



EMC Seafood & Raw Bar on Urbanspoon

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August 22, 2013 · 7:21 am

A Hot Mess

The Boiling Crab
The Boiling Crab feels like a guilty pleasure, not because it’s unhealthy, but because it’s insanely messy. Here’s how it works: You drive to Koreatown, Alhambra or Rowland Heights and wait for an hour or two because this is a popular restaurant chain that doesn’t take reservations. When you’re finally seated, you’re given a bib along with your menu.

Order a cold beer and a couple appetizers. The spicy gumbo and the fried oysters are a good call. But the main attraction here is the peel ’em and eat ’em shrimp, four different kinds of crab, crawfish and lobster, all of which are ordered by the pound and placed in clear plastic bags with your choice of seasoning (Rajun Cajun, Garlic Butter and my favorite — Lemon Pepper), and boiled to perfection along with corn on the cob and spicy sausage.

When the bags arrive at your table, the real fun begins. Hands get sullied, propriety is abandoned and chaos ensues in a whirlwind of twisting, cracking, digging and consuming. At the end you’re left with a glorious mess of discarded shells, dekerneled cobs and a mountain of crumpled, sauce-drenched napkins. Give everyone at your table a high five and never speak of this experience again, especially to uptight friends or significant others who frown upon such gluttonous depravity. What happens at The Boiling Crab should stay at The Boiling Crab.

The Boiling Crab is located at 742 W. Valley Blvd. and 33 W. Main Street in Alhambra, 18902 E. Gale Ave. in Rowland Heights and 3377 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles (in Koreatown). UPDATE: The Boiling Crab has expanded quite a bit. There are now additional locations in Westwood, Albhambra, Rosemead, Woodland Hills and Burbank for you to make a mess in. Plus there’s a “Boiling Crab To Go” wing at its Koreatown location so you can make a mess at home.

Fried Oysters

Fried Oysters


Gumbo

Gumbo


Cajun Fries

Cajun Fries


Shrimp with Rajun Cajun Seasoning

Shrimp with Rajun Cajun Seasoning


Snow Crab Leg with Lemon Pepper Seasoning, Corn and Sausage

Snow Crab Legs with Lemon Pepper Seasoning, Corn and Sausage


Worth the wait

Bibs are the new must-have fashion accessory.


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Filed under Alhambra, Burbank, Koreatown, Rosemead, Rowland Heights, Westwood, Woodland Hills

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August 1, 2012 · 11:20 am

The Food Was Still Moving On My Plate

Here’s a video of the wriggling “live” octopus I consumed in Koreatown. The octopus is not giving up without a fight, its little suction cups clamping on to the plate, making it difficult to pickup with my chopsticks. Sesame oil has been poured over its cut pieces and this appears to anger the octopus and causes it to squirm even more. Finally getting a piece into my mouth, I find it chewy but fresh — extremely fresh. I think to myself: I am a culinary thrill seeker, a badass food adventurer!

This “live” octopus dish (aka Sannakji) was the highlight of a live seafood dinner I enjoyed with eight intrepid friends at Chung Hae Jin a couple weeks ago. The dinner also featured live abalone, sea snails and a lot of raw fish. There were a couple cooked dishes including Hong Hap Tang (mussel soup) and tempura, and of course a lot of soju (which is similar to vodka) and Korean beer. Aside from the octopus, my favorite dish was raw lobster, which tasted very similar to the raw sweet shrimp they have at higher end sushi bars. But, sad to say, on the whole, I didn’t love the food at Chung Hae Jin. I’ve had much better sashimi elsewhere and despite my love of Korean food and anything unusual, I didn’t care for many of the dishes. Also, the service was exceptionally bad. Nevertheless, it was a fun dinner because of the exotic nature of the meal and the wiggling, wriggling food.

Chung Hae Jin is located at 3470 W. 6th Street, Los Angeles (in Koreatown).

NOTE TO MY READERS CONCERNED ABOUT THE OCTOPUS: Although widely referred to as “live” octopus, it was actually dead when served to us. It moves because its nerves remain active after death.

See warning at bottom: eat at your own risk!


Raw Lobster


Sea Snails


Live Abalone


Sashimi Salad


Hand Rolls


Sashimi Boat


Appetizing?


Should I be worried that they only have a “B”?

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July 13, 2011 · 11:00 am

Finger-Lickin’ Korean Goodness

WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS POST IF YOU WANT TO AVOID DEVELOPING AN ADDICTION TO ONE OF THE TASTIEST THINGS IN L.A.

KyoChon serves Korean fried chicken and it is insanely good! This is not your run of the mill fried chicken and it is certainly nothing like the KFC variety. There are many different kinds of chicken at KyoChon. However, the most popular item is their chicken wings, which are very much like Buffalo wings, but with an incredibly delicious Korean-style sauce.  You have your choice of three different flavors of wings including Spicy & Sweet Wings and Honey Wings but, by far, my favorite is the Original Soy Garlic Wings. I recommend the Soy Garlic even if, like me, you usually go for the spicy option; trust me on this one. The Soy Garlic sauce is so finger-licking-good and the fried chicken is so crispy and tasty. It’s the perfect mix of saltiness, tangy sweetness, crunchiness and juiciness. You can also get bigger drumsticks and a whole fried chicken. Another option is the healthier (and less tastier) grilled wings, but really what’s the point?

A new offering at KyoChon are the Sal Sal Strips, which are battered strips of white meat lightly fried and then coated with puffed rice crumbs and cooked to a golden crisp. They are served with your choice of dipping sauces and can also be included in a salad. The Sal Sal Strips are good, but I much prefer the wings. If you want to try all of the wings, they offer a sampler platter. I’m big on sampler platters, so if that’s the way you want to go, I won’t hold it against you. Side dishes include rice, potato wedges and my favorites, broccoli salad and sweet radish pickles. The broccoli salad is made with fresh broccoli, bits of bacon, green onions and raisins in a homemade sauce; it’s really great.

KyoChon is a very popular chain in Korea with with over a 1,000 locations, only a few of which are in the United States. They opened their first Los Angeles branch in Koreatown, but there are three additional LA locations; in the Glendale Galleria, Westfield Culver City and Los Cerritos Center. It’s surprising that one of the most delectable things in LA can be found in mall food courts. I often go to the Glendale Galleria location and it’s every bit as good as the Koreatown location, although if you’re looking for a whole fried chicken, you can only get that in K-town. KyoChon proudly advertises that their chickens are always fresh and hormone-free, so that makes it kind of heathy even it you don’t go for the grilled option, right??

KyoChon is located at 3833 W 6th St., Los Angeles (in Koreatown) and in the Glendale Galleria, Westfield Culver City (formerly Fox Hill Mall) and Los Cerritos Center.

Soy Garlic Fried Chicken Wings


Baked Wings in Hot & Sweet Sauce


Original Sal Sal Strips


I love the Broccoli Salad!


It's surprising to find such good food in the Glendale Galleria!


KyoChon Chicken on Urbanspoon

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May 5, 2011 · 11:00 am

Cemitas are Muy Buenas


I first heard about Cemitas from a foodie friend in New York. They’re a yummy kind of Mexican sandwich which originated in the city of Puebla and have recently gained some popularity in the U.S. They are distinguished from Mexican tortas by the fluffy sesame-seeded egg roll and typically include a combination of fresh avocado, Mexican white cheese, onions and red salsa, in addition to a meat filling. The most popular meat filling is Beef Milanesa, a piece of beef that has been pounded thin, breaded and then fried to a golden crisp. My favorite cemitas joint in town is Cemitas y Clayudas Pal Cabron (which I simply refer to as Pal Cabron) in Koreatown. Pal Cabron serves many delicious varities of cemitas including Beef Milanesa, seasoned lamb, chorizo, ham, black mole with shredded chicken breast, spicy shredded pork loin and a vegetarian cemita. The bread used by Pal Cabron, as well as the vegetables in their cemitas, are very fresh and the cheese they use, a Oaxacan string cheese, is unbelievably good.

As you can tell from the full name of the restaurant, they also specialize here in clayudas (or tlayudas), crispy flat breads which are a very popular street food in Oaxaca. Pal Cabron makes their Clayudas with tortillas imported from Oaxaca and covers them with a pork and black bean paste, Oaxacan cheese and other toppings of your choice before baking them into a hot crispy treat; they’re essentially Oaxacan pizzas. The Clayudas are good and if you’re hungry I recommend getting one as an appetizer, but the real star of the show here is the cemita. Pal Cabron is next door to a Oaxacan juice bar where you can buy a fresh mango or pineapple blossom juice to wash down your cemita and clayuda. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Cemitas y Clayudas Pal Cabron is located at 3337 1/2 W 8th St, Los Angeles (in Koreatown).

UPDATE: SAD TO SAY, PAL CABRON IS NOW CLOSED. I WILL BE ON THE HUNT FOR A NEW PLACE TO GET CEMITAS. PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH ANY SUGGESTIONS.

Clayuda (flatbread) with chorizo

Here's where you order...

...and here's where you eat.



Pal Cabron on Urbanspoon

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