kbbq: searching for the perfect trifecta +1

I would suggest the following: hwaro on 6th in the chapman plaza. Honey pig on 8th (b/w kingsley and hobart i think). And beul dae po on 6th and ardmore (although last time i went, it wasn't as good as before.)

piglet147 in Los Angeles Area

Which Koreatown bbq place has best-quality MEAT?

For AYCE, I recommend Hwaro in the Chapman plaza (used to be Intercrew). Its on 6th Street, b/w Alexandria and Kenmore (I think). I generally don't eat AYCE b/c of the quality but after being dragged to Hwaro by a friend, that is the only AYCE place I go to. I think they speak English. If anything, just point.

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Saffron? Fast Food Indian Downtown?

I completely agree with silverlakebodhisattva's review. Granted, I ate there the first it opened. Not only did my order take forever (I ordered the masala) but my coworker put it best when she saw my food: it looked like baby food. Looking at the previous posts, they seem to suggest that saffron is british-indian influenced; if that's true, then that explains why english food had that bad rep. I've never had such watery masala before, nor did I ever have masala with such small pieces of chicken. The peas outnumbered the chicken 5:1. Come to think of it, I don't remember masala having peas. Bottom line, if you like watery chicken masala with tiny pieces of chicken in a can and a gang of peas, then saffron is DELICIOUS. The garlic naan was actually quite good, although I wish the place had either that green sauce or yogurt sauce available.

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Shabu Shabu with Vegetarian Options

shabu shabu house is so overrated. to this day, i still don't know why so many people line up there.

If price isn't an issue, Kagaya in the Honda Plaza in Downtown is great. They have different types of shabu plates, including a seafood one. Although its pricey, its a set menu so in addition to the shabu itself, you get 2 appetizers (and they're really yummy and constantly changing), udon or rice (i'd recommend the rice b/c they make a risotto-like dish out of your shabu shabu soup), and dessert. Here's a review fr the LA Times (http://www.calendarlive.com/dining/80521,0,5896052.venue).

There's also a shabu shabu/jjingy-skan restaurant that opened up in Koreatown - I think it's called Kan. It's on Western, in between Beverly and 1st. It has a mushroom shabu shabu plate. Haven't tried that one in particular, but its shabu is pretty decent. It also gives you the option of udon or the rice thing in addition to Korean pan-chan. And afterwards, you get Pinkberry-esque frozen yogurt. Definitely cheaper than Kagaya.

piglet147 in Los Angeles Area

Lighthouse Korean BBQ - Garden Grove

Most likely the 2 types of galbi you had were yang-num (marinated) and saeng (unmarinated). The yang-num galbi does tend to be sweet there but out of all the korean restaurants in OC, I think Lighthouse is the best. Next time you go, don't order the shrimp - such a rip off b/c its brought to you frozen and its mad expensive. Stick with the meats.

piglet147 in Los Angeles Area

Need suggestions for LA dining (mid-Wilshire/Koreatown)

I agree with Opus and Park's Grill. There's also Seoul Garden on Olympic, b/w Hoover & Alvarado (I think). The place is best known for the Korean-style version of shabu shabu, Genghis-khan. In Korean, its pronounced as Jjing-ggi skan (not sure how to spell it). At dinner it's about $19.99 per person but I highly recommend you order 1 less than the number of people in your group b/c not only do you get the Genghis-khan, but it also comes with u-don noodles and then the best part - jjook, which is somewhat akin to risotto. I also recommend the ros gui (a type of Korean bbq - it's not marinated) because afterwards, they make fried rice on the grill. YUMMY.

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NYer looking for great Thai

I've never personally been here but my friend who was in Thailand recently raves about Tuk Tuk Thai on Pico. Here's a link to its Web site = http://www.tuktukla.com/.

incidentally have you ever tried Fake Orchid on the lower east side/east village? My favorite thai place in new york.

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little tokyo tonight?

i recommend takumi. it's in japanese village plaza, facing 2nd Street. Sushi is really fresh. I normally don't like kohada b/c it's so vinegar-y but my friend (who used to work at Morimoto's restaurant in Philly) made me order it and I was so pleased b/c it wasn't vinegar-y at all. She told me that that is a good sign of a great sushi restaurant.

piglet147 in Los Angeles Area

Where I can buy Truffles in LA?

I saw a sign at Surfas saying it had them.

piglet147 in Los Angeles Area

Compare and contrast: Sa Rit Gol vs. Seoul Garden

I know this is a horrible reply but both are great choices. Seoul Garden has a reputation of having great quality meat. I've had the ros gui before and it is yummy.

I haven't been to Sa Rit Gol in a long time but its cha-dol was good.

It bascially boils down to what type of korean food. Seoul Garden is known for its jin-gi-skan and ros gui. Sa Rit Gol has more of a variety.

If it's bbq you're looking for, Park's BBQ on Vermont near Olympic has great quality meat but it is a bit more pricey (but well worth it.)

piglet147 in Los Angeles Area

Korean BBQ in OC?

Best Korean BBQ --> Myung Ga (AKA Lighthouse). It's in Garden Grove, on Garden Grove Blvd., just east of Magnolia. It's on the plaza on your left hand side.

Cham Soot Gol has all you can eat Korean BBQ - the only place so far in OC. It's pretty decent. This is also on Garden Grove Blvd. and Casa Linda (I think - which is east of Magnolia).

Also, a lot of ppl in the Korean community have been going to Morangak which is just west of Shik Do Rak.

Shik Do Rak is pretty decent too - definitely better than it's orig. location in LA.

Don't go to Seoul Garden. Haven't tried Sagan but considering that my parents don't go there (who are Korean), I wouldn't bother.

piglet147 in Los Angeles Area

Best place for daeji bulgogi (spicy pork)

I agree with shabushabulove. HamJiBak has the best daejibulgogi. I don't know what the big deal is about Honey Pig. It's just ok. Never go to cho son gal bi unless you're non-Korean. DISCLAIMER: I'm Korean so I'm sure my palate is different from non-Koreans. For instance, I happen to like the noo-reung-ji (AKA dirty dishwather rice as so many ppl "fondly" refer to it on Chowhound) that resturants give you after you eat stuff like Soon-dubu so take my opinion with a grain of salt --> it's all a matter of taste, after all.

piglet147 in Los Angeles Area

North Korean specialties?

Being Korean, and having tried YongSuSan - this place is more suited for American tastes. It's gonna be super hard to find really truly North Korean style restaurants. However, if you're willing to trek down to Garden Grove, a new Moranggak opened up on Garden Grove Blvd., just east of Magnolia. It's as close as you're gonna get since my dad loves it - and his mother (and obviously my grandma) grew up in North Korea.

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