School Food Blooming Roll - Los Angeles, California

Address: 621 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90005

Items Ordered:

• Squid ink kimbap with teriyaki squid
• Special Roll III: anchovies, teriyaki beef, radish
• Mandu (dumplings) spicy ramen
• Spicy rice cakes with ramen (tobokki on the menu)

Visiting Koreatown in Los Angeles is very reminiscent of walking the streets of Korea--the only difference, you probably shouldn't literally walk the streets cuz you'll get mugged...Other than that, whenever I have a craving for spicy dishes, kbbq, soju, noraebang and then hangover soup after too much soju, I visit K-town for my fix. School Food, a chain restaurant in Seoul, transported to Ktown in L.A. back in 2010, and it usually has a line out the door. Obviously, the prices are inflated, but the tobokki (spicy rice cakes) are indeed quite spicy, and taste just like they would on the streets of Seoul. The kimbap (rice rolls) don't taste particularly spectacular, but the fact that they are shareable and offered in so many varieties makes this restaurant a fun place to visit. To fend off boredom while you wait for your food, there are entertaining KPop videos displayed on the wall that my boyfriend probably has TOO much fun watching. I'd revisit School Food; it's a fun place to catch up with friends over shared dishes.

--y

Seoul Sausage Company - Los Angeles, California

Address: 11313 Mississippi Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90005

Items Ordered:

• Galbi Sausage - 100% All beef kalbi flavored sausage served with kimchi-relish and garlic jalapeno aioli
• Lil' Osaka Ball - Deep fried Japanese curry rice ball
• DA KFC - Korean Fried Chicken

The winner of The Great Food Truck Race (Season 3) in store form? Well, my co-blogger and I decided we must try it! Overall, I had a great experience. I'm not sure if I think it is the most amazing thing ever, but it's definitely a good meal. Let's start with the sausage. We got the Galbi sausage and while it had a good mix of flavors and overall I liked it, we both think it didn't have the kick to put it over the top. The sausage didn't seem "meaty" enough. Moving on to the balls... This was my favorite item we ordered! It is a fried ball of goodness with rice, curry spices, potato, and (I think) some type of meat. It came with a garlic mayo sauce that complimented each piece of the ball well. In addition, we ordered the KFC (Korean Fried Chicken), not to be confused with that fast food place. These came with cornbread on top. I enjoyed this dish, especially the spices and crispiness of the chicken. Lastly, I must talk about the water by the box that YJ loved. Water, in a box...strange, but it works (and is better for the environment). Go there and try it for yourself! :)

-V

Alibi Room - Culver City, California

Address: 12236 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066

Items Ordered:

• 3 taco combo: corn tortilla, slaw, cilantro, onions, salsa roja with short rib, bbq chicken, and spicy pork (1 each)
• Sliders with cheese, sesame mayo,onions, slaw, salsa roja, and short rib
• Breakfast burrito with hash browns, eggs, cheese, onions, salsa roja, and short rib
• Korean spiced fries with sriracha, ketchup and sesame mayo dipping sauce

I'm a busy lady. When I'm not busy taking naps or sitting around, I'm watching cute animal videos on YouTube. With that said, I don't have time to stalk the Kogi truck whenever I get a craving for Korean or Mexican food. The next best thing is to eat at the Alibi room where other upsides include free parking and good drinks at the bar. The most outstanding dish I tried was the spiced fries, which were deliciously spicy and maintained a crispy texture. Runner-up might be the flavorful bbq chicken taco. Overall, the dishes were repetitive (skip the mushy breakfast burrito) and the slaw too tangy. However, I would re-visit because the bar had a lively atmosphere, and Alibi Room seems like a fun place to have drinks and a snack with friends.

--y

Chego - Culver City, California

Address: 3300 Overland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034

Items Ordered:

• Prime Rib Bowl: chili-rubbed, w/fried egg, water spinach, creamed horseradish, roasted garlic serrano paste, and shallots
• Chubby Pork Belly Bowl: kochujang-lacquered kurobuta, w/fried egg, pickled watermelon radishes, water spinach, cilantro, cotija, and peanuts
• Zucchini appetizer
  

Go to Chego if you want to try the saltier version of Kogi Truck or Alibi Room. The haphazard combination of ingredients takes away from any outstanding flavors that might have existed. Sometimes simpler really is better.

--y

Tofu Ya - West Los Angeles, California

Address: 2021 Sawtelle Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Items Ordered:

• Dumplings Soon Tofu
• Various Side Dishes (fishcake, noodles, kimchi)

Tofuya is one of those restaurants that I come back to time and time again. Yum! Even though it's in West LA and not Ktown, it is authentic Korean tofu soup, with all the side dishes. I actually prefer these side dishes over other tofu houses. This time around, I got the dumplings soon tofu soup and it was great. That, coupled with rice, fish cake, and noodles, were a medley of so many delicious flavors. They are nice enough to refill all the side dishes as we clean out each little tray. Love it!

--v

Road to Seoul BBQ - Los Angeles, California

Address: 1230 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90006

Items Ordered (All You Can Eat):

• Meats: pork belly (bacon style), kalbi (beef rib meat), chicken, bulgogi, beef sirloin, octopus, squid
  
• Side dishes: potato salad, kimchi, rice paper, salad, etc
• Larger side dishes: steamed egg, kimchi pancake

Road to Seoul, how do I love thee, let me count the ways. One, your meats are so flavorful and tender that my stomach is able to expand 10x beyond its normal capacity whenever I visit. Two, the steamed egg is probably the best food invention ever, and three, $16.99 for some of the best all-you-can-eat BBQ is just amazing.

If you can't tell, Road to Seoul is my absolute favorite Korean BBQ restaurant in SoCal. I've been to Tahoe Galbi, Chosun Galbee, Soot Bull Jeep, etc. and there's just no beating the fatty, crispy pork belly and tender, sweet/salty marinade of the kalbi at Road to Seoul. If you're going to fill up on something, skip the bulgogi and stick with the kalbi and pork belly. However, in a large group, I would expand with the chicken, which is super tender and flavorful and the beef sirloin. Oh yeah, don't forget to dip the pork belly in some salt otherwise it will still be crispy but flavorless.

Another of my favorites, which always seems to run out too fast, is the steamed egg. It's just steamed egg, but I could eat 2 whole bowls of it myself b/c it has this silky texture and great eggy flavor that is like soup but more substantial. Sometimes, I imagine going to Road to Seoul by myself so I don't have to share the steamed egg :(. But no worries, if you ask for more steamed egg, 20-30 minutes later they will bring you another steaming hot bowl. Why so long? Because Road to Seoul is the best, and that's the price you have to pay and line you have to wait in to experience exceptional Korean BBQ.

--y

Myung Don Kyo Ja - Los Angeles, California

Address: 3630 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90010

Items Ordered:

• Steamed pork dumplings
• Dumpling noodles
• Kim chi

Please excuse me for not having actual names of the dishes...I can't remember what they were called and I wasn't able to find a menu online! Anyway, I visited this place on my lunch break because it is only a couple minutes walk away. How could I have been working in Koreatown for a couple years now and not know about this place?? When you walk into the place, the aroma of garlic hits you immediately and once you taste the dishes, you understand why. Great flavorings in each dish. We eagerly devoured the dumplings and noodles and they were delicious! I can't wait to go back again! Oh, and did I mention its open 24 hours a day?? Move over 24 hour BCD Tofu House across the street (I still like you though)!

--v