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Looking for a place to eat at 11:30 pm on the Westside during a week night is no easy task. There are of course the usual diners and the Brazilian place that over cooks nearly everything on their menu, but my friend Mika was starving and wanted something good. We were willing to try something new before resorting to the old mediocre standbys.
We saw the neon “Open” sign at Asian-Ya as we were driving to the mediocre places and Mika did a U-Turn, saying, “I hope they are good” as she turned into their parking lot. We were willing to chance it and we grew hopeful as we saw half the tables filled with young students, and the posted hours said open until 00:00 (Mika translated and told me it means midnight).
They are a bit of a sake bar, with a menu devoted to flavors ranging from dry to sweet, made from sweet potato, barley, and rice. Prices ranged from $5 to $15 a glass and a “glass” is a ceramic cup that is big enough to hold about 8 oz. For some strange reason when I asked for my sake cold, they put ice IN the sake. I didn’t mind since I had not chosen a $15 sake, but be forewarned if you do want your sake cold and order a premium sake.
Since I was along mainly for company, not because I was hungry, I chose the clams in sake for $7. They were very flavorful and tender. The broth was so delicious that I could have drunk it as a soup.
Mika ordered the Miso Eggplant which had a slightly sweet paste and the toasted sesame seeds added a nice smoky crunch to the soft eggplant.
Mika also chose the shrimp fried rice which was she liked so much she kept eating spoonfuls even after she declared, “I’m full” . It was also a very generous serving, easily enough for two.
Mika’s eyes were bigger than her stomach, so she only finish about half of everything she ordered, including the grilled mackerel, which was done classically and well; not too dry, and not too oily.
The mackerel dish also came with miso soup and the grand total for everything we ate (and all the food that Mika took home) and drank (Mika had a hot tea) was only $36!
It was a steal considering the quality of the food and the wide selection (there are some Korean choices on the menu as well as ramen, curry, and exotic grilled meats like beef tongue and gizzards). Even with these prices, they have a happy hour from 5-7pm with drinks priced below the already reasonable menu prices.
I think we may have found our late night spot on the Westside open and serving with a smile at 00:00:-)
It’s been about 2 years since I have reviewed Shik Do Rak (read my previous post here) and although many of the good points remain, some things have changed. As I noted in my previous post, it is very rare to find any Korean restaurant which serves non Koreans (especially non Asians) well; I have literally been told “No, we are not serving” when entering with a Caucasian and seeing that the restaurant is obviously open and serving.
Shik Do Rak still does well when greeting all customers, they still smile and open their doors to all who enter. Since none of us was Korean (they spoke to me in Korean and I said “What?”, and one of us was Caucasian, we were happy to be welcomed.
The portions are still huge and very reasonably priced, with huge portions of Kalbi (marinated or not) for under $28; the grill was about 15 inches in diameter and what is on the grill was only about half of one order. Before any meat arrives they toss the onions and mushrooms on while the grill heats. The Kalbi is very well marbled and they provide scissors and tongs so you can cut up the meat safely so you can maneuver it on the grill.
You have the option of cooking your food yourself, or having them cook it for you and bring it out, as they did for this pork dish. The ventilation is fairly good, with huge hoods over the grilling tables (one side of the restaurant has no grills so they cook your order in the kitchen and bring it out to you if you are seated in the non-grilling section). Your hair will probably still smell of BBQ, but not to the point where dogs will follow you home. The pork was tender, slightly spicy, and crispy on the more grilled pieces; watch out for bits of bone clinging to some of the cartilage.
Numerous side dishes arrived before the main courses to be eaten as condiments and although all of us love heat, but the grated radish was too hot to eat more than a few bites at a time, and the gelatinous green dish was tasted and left alone after my friend Mika said that “It tasted like nothing” and had a strange texture. The burdock root, tofu skins, and bean sprouts were all good, as was a slightly too sauced bowl of green salad. Mika had to have rice so she ordered that as a side (all Korean restaurants only serve rice on the side because they feel that if you have meat,fish, and sides rice is merely filler).
With three of us, we ordered three dishes, so besides the two meat dishes, we had Jap Chae (glass noodles with vegetables and beef). Once again the portion was huge, served on a 15″ plate and piled high. It was well seasoned and loaded with fresh vegetables, but I found it a bit oily.
We were the only non Koreans in the entire restaurant, and it was packed so two years later, what changed? The portions are still huge (we took a third of the food home) and the food is still fresh and well seasoned; I still think that this is the best Korean BBQ restaurant outside of Koreatown. But on the negative side, the one disturbing change was that tables which arrived after we were seated got served (ate and left) before we did and we were ignored after our dishes were served, even after trying several times to flag down a waitress to refill our kimchee dish. Their service is still miles above many places for their treatment of non Koreans, but I am disappointed that they are becoming a more segregationist restaurant rather than standing out as a place were everyone is served without regard to their national origin.
My friend was driving to my house when she saw the elusive Kogi BBQ truck parked a few blocks away, so she called and said, “Come downstairs, the Kogi truck is here and there is almost no line!” After waiting for over an hour to get a taste of this hot commodity the last time the truck was nearby, I was not going to allow this opportunity to go to waste. We got to the line at 12:45pm and had our food by 1:15pm.
Since we wanted to try several items, we opted for a Korean BBQ Beef Burrito ($5).
When the burrito was cut open, it revealed this interior of sweet chunks of BBQ’d Korean beef with egg, some cheese and a little lettuce. The over all flavor was sweet and meaty. The fresh tortilla was nice and thin while strong enough it all without falling apart. This is definitely the item to order if you are hungry because I would have been perfectly satisfied with half of this as my lunch.
The sliders ($5) were my favorite of the three Korean BBQ Beef choices. There were the nice soft buns, the spicy kimchee dressed BBQ Beef, and a light mayo that combined for a perfectly spicy, tangy, salty balance to the richly BBQ’d beef chunks.
And lastly we ordered a Beef Tacos ($2) which was our least favorite choice simply because it had no ahhh factor after we had tasted the burrito and sliders. It was decent, but not remarkable.
If only I always had someone at their locations telling me if the lines were horrible, I would go again without hesitation. Maybe we can get a Kogi food line cam, just like the traffic cams for the freeways.
Galbi BiBimBopThere is a sign in the window of Hodori that says, “Ring bell, then run away really fast. Hodori (baby tiger) needs exercise.” A sense of humor at a Korean restaurant? Yes, and on top of that, they are open 24 hours a day everyday; this is one of those options after clubbing or partying that actually serves decent food.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, many Korean places give non-Koreans a hostile attitude or very bad service, but Hodori is a fair and equal treatment kind of place no matter your heritage or nationality (this means that they are slow to everyone, not just non-Asians). Another plus is the bright pictures of food above the counter to help you decide what you want, and they even have an abbreviated English description below the Korean menu descriptions to let you know what your dish will include.
As in all Korean restaurants, there are sides that come with every dish, and here that means a nice seaweed soup, slightly sweet kim chee, spicy pickled radish, gelatinous rice flour, bean sprouts, potato salad, and steamed rice. Most dishes are between $7-14, and very generous, so you won’t have to break your piggy bank to feed yourself here.
We had the thinly pounded and nicely crunchy fried pork cutlet, served with a shredded cabbage salad, the tender and medium rare Galbi, served over raw onions, and the pictured, sizzling hot, vegetable laden, Galbi BiBimBop. Everything was good, (nothing was great) but the place was clean, the choices varied, and although the service was very slow and a bit lackadaisical, it was nice and never rude.
Rather than a 3am early morning breakfast at one of those chains that serve greasy eggs, why not try Hodori for some good Korean food instead?
Galbi BiBimBopThere is a sign in the window of Hodori that says, “Ring bell, then run away really fast. Hodori (baby tiger) needs exercise.” A sense of humor at a Korean restaurant? Yes, and on top of that, they are open 24 hours a day everyday; this is one of those options after clubbing or partying that actually serves decent food.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, many Korean places give non-Koreans a hostile attitude or very bad service, but Hodori is a fair and equal treatment kind of place no matter your heritage or nationality (this means that they are slow to everyone, not just non-Asians). Another plus is the bright pictures of food above the counter to help you decide what you want, and they even have an abbreviated English description below the Korean menu descriptions to let you know what your dish will include.
As in all Korean restaurants, there are sides that come with every dish, and here that means a nice seaweed soup, slightly sweet kim chee, spicy pickled radish, gelatinous rice flour, bean sprouts, potato salad, and steamed rice. Most dishes are between $7-14, and very generous, so you won’t have to break your piggy bank to feed yourself here.
We had the thinly pounded and nicely crunchy fried pork cutlet, served with a shredded cabbage salad, the tender and medium rare Galbi, served over raw onions, and the pictured, sizzling hot, vegetable laden, Galbi BiBimBop. Everything was good, (nothing was great) but the place was clean, the choices varied, and although the service was very slow and a bit lackadaisical, it was nice and never rude.
Rather than a 3am early morning breakfast at one of those chains that serve greasy eggs, why not try Hodori for some good Korean food instead?
Galbi BiBimBopThere is a sign in the window of Hodori that says, “Ring bell, then run away really fast. Hodori (baby tiger) needs exercise.” A sense of humor at a Korean restaurant? Yes, and on top of that, they are open 24 hours a day everyday; this is one of those options after clubbing or partying that actually serves decent food.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, many Korean places give non-Koreans a hostile attitude or very bad service, but Hodori is a fair and equal treatment kind of place no matter your heritage or nationality (this means that they are slow to everyone, not just non-Asians). Another plus is the bright pictures of food above the counter to help you decide what you want, and they even have an abbreviated English description below the Korean menu descriptions to let you know what your dish will include.
As in all Korean restaurants, there are sides that come with every dish, and here that means a nice seaweed soup, slightly sweet kim chee, spicy pickled radish, gelatinous rice flour, bean sprouts, potato salad, and steamed rice. Most dishes are between $7-14, and very generous, so you won’t have to break your piggy bank to feed yourself here.
We had the thinly pounded and nicely crunchy fried pork cutlet, served with a shredded cabbage salad, the tender and medium rare Galbi, served over raw onions, and the pictured, sizzling hot, vegetable laden, Galbi BiBimBop. Everything was good, (nothing was great) but the place was clean, the choices varied, and although the service was very slow and a bit lackadaisical, it was nice and never rude.
Rather than a 3am early morning breakfast at one of those chains that serve greasy eggs, why not try Hodori for some good Korean food instead?
I think I may have found the perfect Korean restaurant; the only problem is it is in Northridge, so you may have to drive a bit to get to it, but after the first bite, you will want to move nearby.
Shik Do Rak does not have a website, but it is located at 18434 Devonshire St., Northridge, Ca 91325 Tel # 818-832-7080. Besides the wonderful food, which I will get to in a minute, the best thing here is the SMILING people who work here (and yes, they are Korean). Menus are in Korean and English with good descriptions, so you will actually be able to say what you want in English or Korean. The service here was fantastic, especially since we were a table of four non-Koreans. We got kimchee refills twice and they brought us to go containers at the end of our meals without us asking.
The food was delicious, as good or better than the restaurants in Korea Town. The portions are large, so plan on splitting an order if you are not starving or a linebacker; the numerous sides are all fresh, from the two types of kimchee, salad and bean sprouts, to the winter melon soup. Aside from the kimchee, all of the sides are very lightly seasoned, but there is a tray of condiments on every table to spicy things up. One nice touch is a spicy bean paste and seasoned salt oil dipping tray comess with the meal, and rice is automatically served with every dish (usually it must be ordered separately); they even give you an extra plate for your food. I would recommend the marinated Galbi and Bulgogi ($15 lunch), but they also have a whole mackerel ($12 lunch) that is tender, crispy, and slightly salty for non meat eaters, as well as an array of everything from soon tofu to fatty pork.
This is a bit out of the way, but if you are ever even remotely in the area, give it a try; some of the best things in life are hidden gems.
I think I may have found the perfect Korean restaurant; the only problem is it is in Northridge, so you may have to drive a bit to get to it, but after the first bite, you will want to move nearby.
Shik Do Rak does not have a website, but it is located at 18434 Devonshire St., Northridge, Ca 91325 Tel # 818-832-7080. Besides the wonderful food, which I will get to in a minute, the best thing here is the SMILING people who work here (and yes, they are Korean). Menus are in Korean and English with good descriptions, so you will actually be able to say what you want in English or Korean. The service here was fantastic, especially since we were a table of four non-Koreans. We got kimchee refills twice and they brought us to go containers at the end of our meals without us asking.
The food was delicious, as good or better than the restaurants in Korea Town. The portions are large, so plan on splitting an order if you are not starving or a linebacker; the numerous sides are all fresh, from the two types of kimchee, salad and bean sprouts, to the winter melon soup. Aside from the kimchee, all of the sides are very lightly seasoned, but there is a tray of condiments on every table to spicy things up. One nice touch is a spicy bean paste and seasoned salt oil dipping tray comess with the meal, and rice is automatically served with every dish (usually it must be ordered separately); they even give you an extra plate for your food. I would recommend the marinated Galbi and Bulgogi ($15 lunch), but they also have a whole mackerel ($12 lunch) that is tender, crispy, and slightly salty for non meat eaters, as well as an array of everything from soon tofu to fatty pork.
This is a bit out of the way, but if you are ever even remotely in the area, give it a try; some of the best things in life are hidden gems.
>I think I may have found the perfect Korean restaurant; the only problem is it is in Northridge, so you may have to drive a bit to get to it, but after the first bite, you will want to move nearby.
Shik Do Rak does not have a website, but it is located at 18434 Devonshire St., Northridge, Ca 91325 Tel # 818-832-7080. Besides the wonderful food, which I will get to in a minute, the best thing here is the SMILING people who work here (and yes, they are Korean). Menus are in Korean and English with good descriptions, so you will actually be able to say what you want in English or Korean. The service here was fantastic, especially since we were a table of four non-Koreans. We got kimchee refills twice and they brought us to go containers at the end of our meals without us asking.
The food was delicious, as good or better than the restaurants in Korea Town. The portions are large, so plan on splitting an order if you are not starving or a linebacker; the numerous sides are all fresh, from the two types of kimchee, salad and bean sprouts, to the winter melon soup. Aside from the kimchee, all of the sides are very lightly seasoned, but there is a tray of condiments on every table to spicy things up. One nice touch is a spicy bean paste and seasoned salt oil dipping tray comess with the meal, and rice is automatically served with every dish (usually it must be ordered separately); they even give you an extra plate for your food. I would recommend the marinated Galbi and Bulgogi ($15 lunch), but they also have a whole mackerel ($12 lunch) that is tender, crispy, and slightly salty for non meat eaters, as well as an array of everything from soon tofu to fatty pork.
This is a bit out of the way, but if you are ever even remotely in the area, give it a try; some of the best things in life are hidden gems.
Trying to find a good Asian restaurant open all afternoon is one of those challenges that tests both my compassion (the restaurant workers should get a break) and my low blood sugar (I must eat regularly or I begin to shake).
Thankfully, there is Tofu Ya on Sawtelle, open all day and evening from Monday through Thursday (they are closed Friday to Sunday). As their name implies, they have plenty of options for vegetarians with various versions of Soon Tofu, a literally boiling hot bowl of soft tofu with a mild to spicy sauce, into which a raw egg (which cooks immediately in the hot broth) can be added. All the tofu dishes are served with typically Korean side dishes like kimchee, bean sprouts, clear rice noodles, rice, spicy cucumbers, and a tofu skin salad. The Seafood Soon Tofu, with shrimp, clams, and oysters, in a satisfying spicy soup, was perfect for a cold rainy day. For meat eaters, they offer Korean BBQ (cooked for you and brought out to your table), from the tender and tasty Galbi, to the boneless Bulgogi, all served with the same side dishes and a hearty accompaniment of sliced raw onions.
The service was very friendly and efficient, even though they only had 2 people serving and clearing dishes for the entire restauran (and they were full). The waitress said it is even busier at night so come by for lunch (they have discounted lunch specials if you get there by 1pm) and enjoy some of the best Korean food on the Westside.
