2.26 Ondal 2
Posted on August 2, 2008
Filed Under Best of the Best, Extra Hard Core, Korean | Leave a Comment
I’ll just start by saying this: I LOVE Korean food. These Asian brothers and sisters know how to eat! And the selection of Korean food here in LA is just spectacular, just take a quick drive over to Korea Town and see for yourself.
Well, Ondal 2 isn’t quite in K-Town, it’s more like mid city, on Washington between La Brea and Crenshaw. That makes it nice and close to where I live in West LA, but while it’s away from the traffic and bustle, the neighborhood is deserted at night and I felt a slight tinge of danger as I drove through the area.
Here’s a shot of the cute menu. The spicy crab hotpot is the name of the game here, it’s #2 on the menu and you should NOT hesitate to order it. Three crabs come in the medium pot (It starts off at medium $55 and goes to large $63 and extra large $75) You’re provided a cloth bib that looks like a full-on apron, it would be wise to put it on.
But first, the family that runs the restaurant will bring you a parade of panchan. I counted 9 dishes: Tripe, broccoli, potato salad, steamed egg, sliced potato, pickled radishes, squid, and two kinds of seaweed.
Then they also bring you a medium sized plate of marinaded raw crab (delicious) and a potato pancake (so good). Oh, and then there’s a small salad and a grilled smelt, which the waitress broke down at the table. Don’t get me wrong, all of this is very good and taste, but can we get to the star of our show?
Soon enough, a big bubbling red pot of crabs lands on our stove built into the table. The photo doesn’t really do this dish justice, ’cause it is FIERCE, filled to the brim with sprouts, mushrooms, cilantro, all bubbling in this hellish red brew. The waitress takes out a crab and breaks it down, scooping out some of the crab meat from the top shell and refilling it with sprouts, rice, and the delicious soup before serving it to you.
If you’re used to eating alaskan king crabs, this is a little different. The bulk of the meat in the crab is found in the body, not the legs. I’ve felt that the emphasis of this dish is not so much on the meat of the crab but the flavors released into the soup as it simmers at your table. As the soup reduces, the flavor intensifies and becomes richer. You can also request more soup and sprouts to be added to your pot.
Never mind that one pot is plenty because you can have them add noodles or make fried rice when you’re done, but we ordered a second beef pot. (I don’t know how you roll, dear reader, but this is how WE roll.) Again, the pot comes loaded. This time with a huge chunk of beef, mushrooms, rice cakes, potatoes, bell peppers, onions, carrots, and dates. Same with the crab pot, the waitress will help you by breaking down the beef for you.
The beef pot is spectacular. The soup is spicy and flavorful, the meat sweet and extraordinarily tender. Adding rice to the soup completes the picture since you get to enjoy the amazing flavor of the soup without overloading your taste buds with both the heat and spiciness of the broth.
The complimentary dessert is a sweet rice drink. It’s very refreshing and will also help soothe the spicy flavors left in your mouth.
Interestingly enough, the waitresses seemed to only speak Korean. We started speaking in English, and then she switched over to a very accurate Mandarin Chinese. No matter, the menu is in English, and you can always point to the menu to order or your cup if you need water. Beer is called Hite. There, all your bases are covered, go forth and feast.
Ondal 2
4566 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90016
(323) 933-3228