If you have heard Korean boy-band Super Junior's Eun Hyuk promoting japchae or Park Myeong-su and Jessica of the Korean girl group Girls' Generation sing "Naengmyeon," then you have a fairly good idea of how inspiring Korean food can be.
And so it was with me, recently, on a trip to LA's Koreatown that I was inspired (to eat as much of it as I could; not to sing about it). Even more so when I returned and heard there was a spot in the West Valley that not only served up crazy-good Korean cuisine but stayed open into the wee hours, as well.
Here's an excerpt from this week's review of Café Ga Hyang in Glendale:
"Welcoming, comfortable, and laced with the nose-tingling aromas of garlic, vinegar, and ginger, the restaurant draws a mostly Korean clientele. Packed into tables and booths, they engage in enthusiastic discussion over bites of banchan (little dishes of marinated vegetables, kimchi, and other delights that accompany meals), write down customized orders on a harried server's notepad, and, after 10 p.m., when the restaurant seems more like a Koreatown bar, egg each other on with glasses of soju (a slightly sweet, vodka-type beverage) during late-night karaoke marathons."
Find out more on this Valley anomaly in the full review.