Bret McKenzie's Best of L.A.
Picks by Bret-McKenzie
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Going to Dong Il Jang is like stepping back in history. When it opened more than 22 years ago in what is now Koreatown, it was a pioneer, not just one among the present flood of Korean barbecue and noodle places. Roy Kim, who runs the daily operation, says it was the first Korean restaurant to put in a sushi bar, now a common practice. The inspiration for that was Kim's grandfather, who studied in Japan and opened a sukiyaki restaurant in Seoul in 1945. That too was named Dong Il Jang ("No. 1 in the East"). Sung Kim, Roy's father, opened a Dong Il Jang here and added sushi to honor his father. And this serene place with a koi pond still serves sukiyaki, tempura, teriyaki and sushi along with a full Korean menu, full of the usual barbecued meats, roast kui (rib-eye steak sliced quite thin and cooked with an onion slice), and seafood, including succulent shellfish. There's a minimum of two orders, which is enough food for three people. When the beef is finished, the waitress greases the grill with any leftover butter, dumps on a pile of kimchi and slivered beef, and stirs in a generous spoonful of hot chile paste. Then she upends two bowls of rice into the mixture and stirs this until blended. It's spicy stuff, and filling.
Picks by Liam-Gowing
(3)
The bulgogi was good, the other beef was okay. My end of the table was predominately eating cow tongue, and I'm not the biggest fan. The banchan was...
I've eaten here several times with family and friends. The reason why this is unique compared to other korean bbq places is that you have the option of...
We ate here on Sunday with some friends. We eat here occasionally, and I was surprised I hadn't reviewed it already. We like it a lot. The menu is pretty...
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