2.40 Gu Jip
Posted on November 24, 2008
Filed Under Extra Hard Core, Korean | 3 Comments
Gu Jip is a hidden gem of sorts. It’s not tucked away in a dark alley somewhere, but I sure had enough trouble finding it — there’s no English signage at all except a blue lit sign that says “Tofu House.” Not. Helpful. Good thing the suite number is also on top of the door and that matched up with the Gardena address we had in hand.
We timidly shuffle in, hoping that the staff will be friendly to a party of three that speaks absolutely no Korean other than “Hello.” We’re seated immediately, there’s a pictured menu on the wall for the larger items and a menu on the table for more low key home style items.
We order two of their more famous dishes — a pork neck and potato soup (#2 on the small menu) and the pork and oyster wrap (#10 on the wall.)
Within minutes our table is stocked with 5 dishes of panchan — small plates of appetizers that is standard with every korean meal. There is kimchi, soy bean sprouts, marinaded turnip, a seaweed and squid “salad” with a sweet and spicy sauce, and lastly, a plate of soy bean paste and whole jalapeno peppers. I must mention that the kimchi here tastes a bit different from kimchi from other Korean restaurants — and even the larger plate of kimchi that is served later with the pork and oyster wrap — the small plate of kimchi has a hint of papaya that is quite unexpected, sweet, and pleasant.
The pork neck and potato soup comes first, bubbling fiercely in a stone pot. The pork neck contains large pieces of bone and some extremely flavorful and tender pieces of meat that you must coax out from between the bones.
The potatoes serve to mellow out the hot and spicy soup, which is red not just from the spicy chilies and oils, but also from the tomato that it contains. The soup is hot, spicy, incredibly flavorful and hearty.
Served with rice, this is exactly what you would need on a cold day to warm you up and get the blood pumping.
The star of our show is the lavish pork and oyster wraps. The oysters were extremely fresh and they do give you quite a hefty serving of them. There is also sliced braised pork, kimchi, spicy marinaded radish, sliced garlic and jalapenos, along with the sauce and salted napa cabbage to wrap it all up with.
So I build my wrap. Big leaf of cabbage, two oysters, one slice of fatty pork, a spoonful of radish, a leaf of kimchi, a couple slices of garlic and a dash of the sauce. It all comes out to be a thick messy pile. A carefully calculated big bite is required and the results are mesmerizing. The extravagant variety of textures in this wrap is overwhelming. The salty crisp cabbage, the soft and slippery oyster with their sweet and metallic taste, the tender, fatty and smooth pork, the slightly crunchy kimchi and radish, and finally the slow burn of the garlic and jalapeno. It’s so complex, so layered, that every bite and chew is a journey taken by mouth, and you are forced to take one over and over to really understand and appreciate everything that’s in this wrap.
Service is quick and efficient, not overly friendly because of the language barrier, but our waitress was very helpful when we fumbled ordering the dishes. The restaurant has a family-owned feel that is comfortable if a little sparse. I’d love to come back — I would love to get the pork neck and potato soup again, it’s fantastic, and maybe try something else from the large item menu. The stuffed Korean pork sausage casserole is calling my name.
Gu Jip (Tofu house)
15435 S Western Ave #112
Gardena, CA 90249