Koreatown: Going for it at Pot Restaurant

 

Pot Restaurant is now open! After Pot Bar and Pot Cafe opened, all the pressure mounted up for Pot Restaurant. I was invited to check it out. The two of us were encouraged to order an individual pot and a small pot to share along with some appetizers. I loved how the three sections are named “Pot,” (the soup pot dishes) “Other Things,” (sides) and “Other Other Things” (extras like kimchi and snacks).

 

We started off with complimentary banchan. That day the selection included kimchi cucumbers, greens and bean sprouts.

 

We chose a few “other things” starting with the Korean caviar. Chef Roy Choi came over and said it was best eaten with rice.

 

Once I heard mackerel was very limited, we had to get an order. The fried fish was very traditional and also best with rice.

 

The Kat Man Doo, or spicy dumplings,  were another great appetizer. I can’t resist dumplings whenever I see them. This had an addicting sauce.

 

There were two of us and we wanted to try two individual sized pots but our server insisted we get one individual and one small pot. We chose the Dang, Son and the Fisherman’s Wharf. The Dang, Son had rice cakes, fish cakes, onions, chewy noodles, hard boiled eggs, scallion in an anchovy broth. I felt this was the perfect size for an individual.

 

The Fisherman’s Wharf comes with an incredible amount of seafood- rock cod, crab, sardine, lams, mussels, fish roe, shrimp as well as tofu, daikon, scallion, sesame, spicy paste and herbs.

I really see myself getting this all the time though there are so many other pots to try. I also wanted to try the Boot Knocker which sounds like a more “traditional” home cooked pot that featured stuff like Spam and other canned meats made popular during the time American soldiers were stationed in Korea.

Pot turned out to be a really traditional Korean meal. To quote a friend, “Roy cooked up food like a Korean grandma.” I might have to start calling him Ajuma (auntie) the next time I go.

Pot Restaurant

3515 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010  —  (213) 368-3030

 

© The Minty  2014