Finally, You Can Order in LA's Koreatown Like a Pro With Our Korean Food Glossary

We know you ’ve been to all - you - can - eat Korean BBQ . ( Wait … you ’ve been to all - you - can - eat Korean BBQ , right ! ? If not , stop understand instantly and go get some all - you - can - corrode Korean BBQ . ) And you in all likelihood recognise what bulgogi is . And what kalbi is ( it ’s short rib ) . Or perchance you just point at the movie and grunt ? Either way , what bechance when you ’re ready to move on from BBQ and savour all the other stuff Koreatown has to declare oneself ? You need a glossary , that ’s what … because there’smore to Korean food for thought than just grill nitty-gritty . Here ’s a quick piddling primer to help you out .

Naengmyeon (cold noodles)

nay - ng mee - unBest position to get it : Yu ChunCome summertime , there ’s nothing you ’ll require more than the wintry cold noodle sweetheart known as naengmyeon . ( gravely : there ’s crushed methamphetamine hydrochloride in it . ) The most distinctive version is mul naengmyeon , where the noodles are service in cold beef broth and usually top off with ball , cucumber , pickle radish plant , and Asiatic pear tree . Or you could get the bibim naengmyeon , a desiccant version tossed in a sauce made from Korean red pepper spread ( gochujang ) . You ’re eating buckwheat noodles in most versions of the dish , but at Yu Chun the noodles are pitch - black … like the heart of the person who say they do n’t wish this cup of tea .

Bibimbap (rice bowl)

Bee beem bahpBest place to get it : Jeon JuAhhh … remember when bibimbap was all you get laid of Korean solid food ? Neither do we . But there ’s no denying that after Korean BBQ , this is one of the well entry points into Korean food . Rice , meat , veggies , and a delicious sweet & spicy ruby sauce to stick it all together . Who would n’t care that ? Answer : nobody . And if dolsot bibimbap ( cooked in a hot Oliver Stone pot ) is an selection , get that , because crispy Elmer Leopold Rice is never not a good thing .

Sundubu (tofu stew)

Soon doo booBest billet to get it : BCD Tofu HouseorBeverly Soon Tofu RestaurantAfter you discovered bibimbap , you finally found yourself at BCD Tofu House ( or Beverly Soon Tofu Restaurant ) slurping down the red-hot caldron of boil red liquid know as sundubu . And even though you ’ve perchance propel on , it ’s still one of the best style to savour bean curd . Oh , and if you imagine , " dulcet ! gratis heavily - boiled bollock , " before crack it all over the table , do n’t worry – you ’re not the first , and wo n’t be the last . Wait until your soup arrives , crack the raw egg into the broth , and watch it ready right before your eyes , like magic . ( Just kidding . Magic is n’t literal … the egg cook because the soup is so hot . It ’s skill . )

Jjigae

g gayBest place to get it : POTThe cornerstone of every Korean meal is the thick , stew - like soup cognize as " jjigae . " Sundubu is one of them , but there are many others , some of which you ’ve likely been given for gratuitous at Korean BBQ restaurant . The two most common are kimchi jjigae , which is made with ( you guess it ) kimchi ; and doenjang jjigae , made with fermented soy sauce bean paste ( it tastes way skillful than it sound ) . But the craziest one by far is budae jjigae , a mishmash of raging dogs , spam , inst ramen , and anything else you could envisage ( we ’re looking at you , fade of American high mallow ! ) . It was invented in the ' 50s from leftover intellectual nourishment that was sent to fee American soldier during the Korean War , hence it ’s sobriquet , " Army base stew . " For a classic budae jjigae , Chunju Han - il Kwan is the spot . But to really get jiggae with it ( apologies , it had to be done ) , we commend the " Boot Knocker " at Roy Choi ’s POT .

Seolleongtang (ox bone soup)

Saul lung tahngBest place to get it : Han Bat Sul Lung TangorYoung DongThis cloudy noodle soup , made from boil ox bones and brisket , is infuriatingly flavourless … which makes all the condiments on the mesa implausibly important . Scallions and salt are the first two things you ’ll want to add , but there ’s also chili library paste ( if you like it savoury ) and a bowlful of rice , which is good for dipping in the broth one spoonful at a meter . Han Bat is the go - to Koreatown classic , but for a different take , you ’ll desire to hit up Young Dong . The broth is completely decipherable , and also it ’s call Young Dong .

Kalgooksoo (knife-cut noodle soup)

Kahl gook sooBest lieu to get it : Myung Dong KyojaWhen it comes to straight - up soup , the unquestioned king of the Korean soups is kalgooksoo – which literally think tongue - geld noodles . The broth can be made with dollar , chicken , or pretty much anything , but the result is the same no matter what : intense comfort . At Myung Dong Kyoja , where you’re able to see the bonce being made through the window into the kitchen , you ’ll get ground meat , scallions , and even dumplings in your soup – which lead incredibly well with its devilishly garlicky kimchee .

Hoedeopbap (sushi bowl over rice)

H - wheh duhp bahpBest space to get it : A - WonThink bibimbap , but with cubes of natural fish instead of bulgogi . Squeeze in some sweet red Madagascar pepper sauce , coalesce it around , and you ’ve father the honorable model of how Koreans do Nipponese food for thought . attend hard enough and you’re able to find luncheon special versions of this saucer in K - Town for $ 8 ( do n’t call for us how they do it , we do n’t want to know ) . But it ’s probably worth just heading to A - Won , which not only makes the best version , but whose do is huge , and worth every bit of the $ 15 it costs .

Galbitang (short rib soup)

Gahl bee tahngBest position to get it : Oo - KookShort ribs are n’t just for grilling ! They also make for a deliciously simple soup that is served at more than a few position around town . You ’ll usually find glass noodles in there , but not much else , to go along with the boil short rib that they ’ll ordinarily cut for you tableside . At our favorite place , Oo - Kook , the off-white sticks out the top of the bowlful , and costs under $ 10 during lunchtime .

Jjajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce)

Jah - jahng - mee - uhnBest position to get it : Lee ’s NoodlesEvery country in the Earth has its own variant of Chinese food ( we ’re looking at you , orange chicken ! ) , and Korea is no exception . It has its own version of sweet & sour chicken , spicy seafood attic soup , and dumpling . But nothing suppose Korean - Taiwanese food for thought like this dish of noodle covered in a dim bean sauce with onion ( unremarkably ) , courgette ( sometimes ) , and sum ( if you ’re lucky ) . At most places , the noodles are just OK , and the sauce is more like a ooze . But the eight - calendar month - old Lee ’s Noodles is wrick heads with its stellar version .

Mandoo (dumplings)

Man - dooBest place to get it : Myung In DumplingsSpeaking of dumplings , if you ever see the give-and-take mandoo , that ’s what you ’re stimulate . Whether they ’re in a soup ( mandooguk ) or served on their own , Koreatown ’s dumpling show warm . Myung Dong Kyoja ’s mandoo are great , and you ’ll always be able-bodied to find good versions at Korean Chinese food restaurants ( see Lee ’s Noodles , above ) . But for the best of the best , you require to go to a medical specialist , and in LA , that ’s Myung In Dumplings , aka " The Place Anthony Bourdain Went To . " arrange the Wang Mandoo , and you ’ll get these gargantuan steamed butt filled with a mix of drinking glass noodles , pork barrel , and vegetables .

Bossam (pork belly)

Boh - sahmBest property to get it : Kobawoo HouseThere are some pretty bang-up means to deplete Korean porc stomach , including grilled on a BBQ or put into tacos ( thanks Roy Choi ! ) . But the best , by far , is as bossam – the giant phonograph record of boil and chopped pork belly , served with a few kind of kimchee , sensitive oysters , tiny fermented shrimp , and giant pieces of shekels , which you expend to wrap everything up in a nice crocked bundle for eating . you may find it at a few different place around township , including mod versions at places like POT and Hanjip . But if you ’ve never had it before , there ’s only one place to go , and that ’s Kobawoo House . In fact , you should probably kibosh reading and go there right now .

Dongchimi guksu (cold noodles in radish kimchee broth)

Dawng chee mee gook sooBest shoes to get it : The Corner Place RestaurantI’m not sure about other versions of this cold-blooded bonce in a sweet pickled stock , but the one you get at The Corner Place Restaurant in LA ’s Koreatown is so fabled that they wo n’t let you take it to go . Some have suggested that the secret ingredient might be 7 Up , but in the end , who cares ? You ’re not making a dongchimi guksu well than the one you ’ll get at The Corner Place Restaurant . The only thing you do require to get it on is that it goes great with bulgogi .

Jokbal (sliced pig’s feet)

J - oh - k bah - lBest stead to get it : Jang Choong DongOnce you ’ve graduate from bossam , your next stop should be jokbal , a bone hog ’s foot that ’s been boiled and then roast . It ’s slit and service with a lot of the same side smasher you get with bossam . It might not go that great , but this is like Korean charcuterie at its finest . Unsurprisingly , there are some terribly rubbery version to be found all over Koreatown , but the variation found at Jang Choong Dong is something every pork fan should try at least once .

Galbijjim (braised short ribs)

Gahl - bee - jeemBest place to get it : SobanAfter bulgogi , galbi is probably one of the first Korean word you teach thanks to places like Chosun Galbee and our general lovemaking of poor ribs . We narrate you about galbitang up above . But if you have n’t had galbijjim , you do n’t live what you ’re missing . Instead of being cut into slices and grill , or boiled into a soup , the hunks of short costa are stewed in a sort of Korean reading of teriyaki sauce . There are some great Graeco-Roman reading ( we ’re looking at you , Seong Buk Dong ) , but our ducky is the gamey version at Soban .

Sundae (blood sausage)

Soon - dayBest place to get it : Oh Ma NiNot to be confused with a ice-cream sundae , this is something else entirely and does n’t require ice cream . It ’s a sausage balloon made with glass noodle and pig ’s blood that you ’ll often find serve à la bill of fare with salt and jalapeños , in soup , or sautéed with Allium cepa and gochujang ( sundae bokkeum ) . And even though it ’s clean balmy , and not at all offensive , you probably would n’t desire to eat it in a glass bowling ball with whipped ointment and a cherry on top .

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Naengmyeon (Cold noodles)