Reunited and it feels SOO GOOD!

Broke in college, I spent my lunch and dinners at the dorms or made a simple (ahem inexpensive) fake-spam fried rice at the apartment. All the meanwhile, I saved up money for occasional splurges at a local korean food stand called Gushi's near my college campus. It was some of the best bulgogi and japchae I had until some of my best girlfriends went shopping one day.

Ham Ji Park
So tell me how 3 girls with no daytime classes shopping in Los Angeles winds up in korea town where they find a gem sandwiched next to the best bingsoo shop and another japanese grill store? Impressingly so, these three little piggies put away a good portion of self-grilled, skillet beef, pork, ribs and stew. The girls came back raving about this place and in particular, the pork neck stew. Curious about this wonderland, I was on-board for the next ride.

Trying not to break my friend's heart, I admitted to my friend the stew was "not all that" (let's bring the 00 slang back!) However, when I woke up the next morning, I had pork neck on my brain. Odd--thought I was not a fan? Apparently it took a while to get deliciousness into my bloodstream since I have been hooked on fake korean food this whole time. I proceeded to text my friend to tell her I was crazy about the stew and was ready to go back.

Situation: From that text on, Hamjipark became our favorite reunion place. I now take all my special people here.

Food: It's not your champion-eating buffet style kbbq so there is no pressure to eat massive amounts. The key ingredient here is the quality of meat, either self-cooked or prepared by the kitchen. They have all the typical appetizers minus the rice or turnip paper. There are 5 types of meat, with my favorite being the marinated sirloin beef. With tongs to cook, you can control the doneness of the meat. Pair it with the sesame-salt-pepper dip they provide you, a bite of lettuce and you are having one of the simplest and best kbbq meals EVAR (misspelling intended).

Next must-have is the pork neck stew which is absolutely fabulous. It is hearty and savory with a lot of deep but non-overwhelming flavors. The stew has a dark red color but is not spicy at all. It's thick but not creamy nor pureed, which reflects the depth of flavor. The pork is stewed so tenderly, it easily falls off the bones. Even better, the potatoes are so soft yet wholesome until you sink your teeth into the stew-absorbed vegetable.

If you rather not cook, try the pork spare ribs. Meaty and smoky. It also comes really fast and does not require you to sit at one of the grill tables, which can be a bit of a wait around dinner time.

Verdict: Always a good meal and a good time. The family style atmosphere and the cheery pass of tongs or beer makes Hamjipark a fun interactive dinner. The meat does not disappoint and there is something for everybody, even the non-grillers. The staff is friendly, especially towards UCLA students. My favorite waiter, whom I have seen gone through at least 3 hair cuts, still asks if I graduated college. Keeping true to the gold and blue, he still manages to give me a college discount or free soup refill every encounter. Oh-yay-er!

Haaaaaaaam-Jiiiiiiiiiiiii-PARK!

3407 W 6th St
Los Angeles, CA 90020

Don't Believe Er'thang You See

I love TV more than the next kid. This past summer, Travel Channel and Food Network got me appreciating BBQ after all the countdowns they had across town. Top Chef got me fantasizing about quitting media and opening up my own mom 'n pop restaurant counter. OG Iron Chef still has me saying silly critiques at every chance I get.

My cravings change every so often and lately I have been all about the sandwich. Fried Egg Breakfast sandwich, Argentinian Caramelized Banana & Marscarpone sandwich, all of it! Call it my segue into Spring eats. Over the summer, Travel Channel aired a "Best of Sandwiches" show where a local mention made its way onto my radar: Philippe's Sandwiches, home of the apparent "original french dip sandwich."

Philippe's The Original Restaurant
Back when, Philippe's server accidentally dropped the french roll into the au jus sauce while making a beef sandwich. The sandwich was still served with the juiced-bread and won the love of the cop, who brought all his friends back the next day for more. And just like that, french dipped was born in Chinatown, Los Angeles. Nowadays, Philippe's gives you the option of Once Dipped, Twice Dipped or Wet sandwich style with the pairing of beef, ham, pork, turkey or lamb.

Situation: Loving sauce and soggy, I finally convinced a friend to venture out East with me in the congested town of Los Angeles. They had 2 parking lots=awesome! Despite the sizeable lots, there were so many people going in & out, it was a riot! The store was no different! With people emerging from both doorways, I was shuffling my way in with the rest of the herd. It had a barn-like atmosphere with hay dust on the floor and benches horizontally placed closely together which served more as a line separator rather than dining tables. There was one service counter where 7-8 lines formed right in front of it. I noticed a person next to me even brought her walkie-talkie to touch base with her friend in another line on the other side of the room in their race to the famous french dip.

Food: As many people as there were, the line moved relatively quickly. I managed to spend my 30-45 minutes productively thinking over which of the 5 sandwiches I wanted and with how many dips. Finally settling on the lamb with a double dip, I decided to not get any sides--potatoe salad, coleslaw, etc. As nice as it would have been, it did not really look that appetizing. They were piles of white creamy blobs without much to distinguish one side from another. They also had a selection of what looked like homemade pies, which were generously filled with fruit if you dig that. Fortunately for my favorite jeans, I am not. The bill? Under $7 for a sandwich, which is pretty cheap for this day and age!

Verdict: YESS! After the long trek across town and through loads of people, I have my own Philippe's original french dipped sandwich in front of me. Finally I was about to experience the history and flavors of what Travel Channel had described so delictably on both "Best of" and "Man vs. Food" most recently and... yea... You know how the camera adds 10 pounds? I guess it added deliciousness to this sandwich too. The lamb was ok. I got a decent serving of it. It was a little tough, as it should be since I would not take it the slightest rare from a barn (no offense! You wouldn't ask McD's to give you a medium Angus burger!) Most of the lamb was fat rather than meat. The french roll had a good crunch despite the double dip. The au jus, which is what should make the sandwich, was bland. It was there but it did not leave any sort of impression. The Lawry's $0.50 instant au jus or gravy packets in the supermarket tastes better, I swear!

So yeah, that was a little disappointing. Sitting on a stool in the back room with yellow painted walls and a heavy duty brown storage room door next to me, tray of food finished, my friend turns to me and says "I feel like I'm in prison eating prison food." And with that, we kicked the hay off our shoes, shed the smiles off our faces and made our way home. TV, why would you lie to me?

At this rate, maybe I should rename this blog to "little angry girl" but I promise I do enjoy good eats when I find them. It sounds like a trip to Milk is very necessary this week...

1001 N Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012