Differentiating the sheer number of restaurants and kbbq joints that line block after block in Koreatown can sometimes be a challenge. Sure, by now the network of food communications and blogging have allowed for a fair handful of established institutions to differentiate themselves as predominant de facto destinations — Bosam at Kobawoo, Korean blood sausage at Western Soon Dae, an icy bowl of arrowheat noodles at Yu Chun, or perhaps some nourishing abalone porridge at the hole-in-the-wall Mountain Cafe?
But really, despite this prevailing sense that everything to be found has already been unearthed, how many restaurants get lost in the shuffle and left waiting to be discovered?
It was with this thought and a tinge of anxious excitement that led us to Don Dae Gam, resting solely on a tip via the twitter of “The Belly of Los Angeles” and LA’s own intrepid food explorer, Mr. Jonathan Gold.
Don Dae Gam is the second KBBQ establishment for restauranteur Jenny Park of Park’s BBQ. Tucked between 11th and 12th street off Olympic boulevard, the restaurant sports a large and open interior space scattered with circular steel tables and stool-seating setup for parties of 3~5, and larger long-table seating arrangements in back for parties of 6+. With an aesthetic that’s noticeably modern and an atmosphere designed towards the casual, it becomes clear — this is an environment designed for conversation and consumption, with an emphasis on the latter in mass quantities of pork and soju.
We opted for the “Combo #3″ platter — pork neck, chop, belly, marinated pork rib, and pork intestine so good the experience could only be described as revelatory. As per custom, an array of banchan was laid out before us as we waited in anticipation for the meat. The grills are gas-powered but are of the newer hybrid variety lined with baskets of charcoal near the base. As we sipped our soju, the meat arrived in a tear-inducing platter of sheer beauty.
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