The Jokbal Was No Joke at Jangchung-Dong Wong Jokbal

 

When it comes to planning where I'm going to take my dining group, Pleasure Palate, my bookmarks are chock full of links to dining possibilities.  Once or twice a week, I take a look and ask myself, "Which restaurant  is worth a visit in the next few weeks?"  When I make my decision, the meal pops up on the dining calendar.  After re-reading an LA Times article about a Koreantown restaurant called Jangchung-Dong Wong Jokbal, I knew this is where I wanted to go.

So what exactly is Jokbal? Basically, it's a braised pork foot and shank and apparently, one restaurant serves the best version.  Jangchung-Dong Wong Jokbal is a satellite of a renowned braised pork foot specialty restaurant in Seoul.  Several years ago, the owner of the Seoul restaurant came to Los Angeles, bringing with her a sample of the braising liquid she uses. She proceeded to train her nephew-in-law on how to make jokbal properly. With that knowledge, Jangchung-Dong Wong Jokbal came to be.

Now that you have a little background, let's talk about the food.  As is standard in many Korean restaurants, the meal starts with an array of panchan. The panchan was just okay, nothing to write home about.  Along with the panchan also came dipping sauces, lettuce, jalapeno and raw garlic for the jokbal itself.

More ...

 
 

After noshing on the panchan for awhile, the jokbal arrived in all its glory.  Its presentation almost reminded me of flower petals because of the way the meat was sliced and fanned out.

The jokbal could be dipped in the sauces and eaten on their own.  Another alternative is for the jokbal to be wrapped in lettuce along with the raw garlic, a jalapeno with a dollop of the sauce.  I did it both ways and both ways were delicious.  The pork was tender and I loved how the ribbons of fat around the pork slices had a soft, gelatinous texture. There was a definite soy sauce flavor that I tasted as well as a bit of sweetness that may have come from some type of sugar. Other than that, I don't know what other braising ingredients were used, but it simply didn't matter because this jokbal was amazing.

Not so amazing and unfortunately, not very good were the other dishes we ordered along with the Jokbal, which included Pan Fried Squid and Pan Fried Spicy Pork Hock.  The squid was way too chewy and the pork fried pork hock was overcooked.  Also, not only did both dishes look alike, the sauces they were cooked in tasted the same.  Unfortunately, the Pan Fried Spicy Pork Hock wasn't spicy at all, which made it even more difficult to differentiate it from the Pan Fried Squid.

Another disappointment was their Seafood Pancake. It looked promising when it came out, thick and hearty. I liked that the pancake's surface was nicely browned, but I think the seafood must have been invisible, because there was little to none to be seen or eaten.  There was a little bit of shrimp, but not enough to really merit calling this dish a Seafood Pancake.

The only dish other than the jokbal that tasted really good was their Buckwheat Yam Noodles with vegetables and topped with a chili sauce.  The noodles had a nice chewy texture and the chili sauce brought the heat that the Pan Fried Spicy Pork Hock was missing.

Suffice to say, the jokbal is truly the star of this restaurant. While you certainly can order other things from the menu, if all you had was the jokbal, that would be enough to make this meal one of the best you've ever had.

Jangchung-Dong Wong Jokbal

425 S. Western Avenue

Suite E

Los Angeles, CA 90020

(213) 386-3535

^

Seoul Soiree at the Seoul Sausage Company Fan Appreciation Party

 

Ever since I saw a tweet by @EmpressEricka who commented about having a Soul Soiree while eating homemade coffee ice cream, the words "Soul Soiree" stuck in my head and I knew I wanted to use it somewhere, but with a twist. So behold my post about the Seoul Soiree at the Seoul Sausage Company Fan Appreciation Party that I attended a few months back.
More ...

If you haven't heard of Seoul Sausage Company before and you are a lover of Korean food and sausage, than this is one young company you should get to know really fast. They take their sausage seriously.  Check out the shirt that one of the owners is wearing below to see what I mean.

What's unique about their sausages is that they are inspired by Korean flavors.  Currently, they have two sausages to choose from.  One is their Spicy Pork Sausage and the other is their Kalbi Sausage and both were on the menu for this party.  We were also asked to vote for which was our favorite.  Team Beef vs. Team Pork. Read on to see which team I batted for, although if you're a regular reader of my blog, you may already know the answer.

As the sausages were being grilled, the smell was so delicious, it made me giddy with meat joy and anticipation.

Pork lover that I am, I went for the Spicy Pork Sausage first. Their pork sausage is flavored with traditional Korean spices served on a bun with apple cabbage slaw and I have to tell you this sausage was substantial in size.  My first bite was heaven. This may sound a bit corny, but I actually thought I heard angels sing. The sausage was juicy, packed with flavor and definitely had a big kick of heat and spice.  Just a take a look at my picture to see what I mean by this sausage being blessed with a lot of meaty juices. I don't necessarily eat sausages very often, but this was one of the best I've ever had.

Second to the plate was their Kalbi Sausage made with 100% beef kalbi and it was served with kimchi sauerkraut and garlic jalapeno aioli.  While more subtle in flavor than its fiery counterpart, the Kalbi Sausage was also filled with meaty juices and was also quite delicious.

Before that day, I've never had Seoul Sausages before, but now that I have, I'm a big fan. I know I did a play on words when I talked about my "Seoul Soiree", but eating those sausages was really like having a "Soul Soiree".There are those foods that you eat to survive, but there are foods that you eat to feed your soul. When it comes to the sausages from the Seoul Sausage Company, they are definitely soul-satisfying.

Do you want to check out the Seoul Sausage Company for yourself? Right now, you can catch them at various events and festivals around town.  They are also available for catering.Check out all their contact information below.

Seoul Sausage Company

Website
Facebook
Twitter

^

Gourmet Cotton Candy from Tasty Clouds

When it comes to cotton candy, I'm a fan.  So whether at an amusement park, a fair, a sporting event, you're bound to see me manhandling my way through a big pink or blue ball of fluffy and puffy goodness. Whenever I thought about what cotton candy tasted like, all I could say was that it tasted like cotton candy.  I didn't think there was much else to it until I found out about a company called Tasty Clouds.

Tasty Clouds is a gourmet cotton candy company founded by Nina Rodecker, who was born in the Philippines.  Her company was inspired by "LIHI" (lee-Hee), a Filipino term for "pregnancy craving".  When Nina was pregnant, her main craving was cotton candy, but not just cotton candy that you can pick up from the store, but fresh cotton candy.  So she actually picked up a cotton candy machine and started creating her own recipes.  From there, Tasty Clouds was born and along with that came some unique cotton candy flavors. 

Wanting to experience this gourmet cotton candy for myself, I set up a cotton candy tasting for my dining group, Pleasure Palate.When we arrived, we were greeted by Nina and she gave us a quick run down on how cotton candy is made.
More ...

Basically, cotton candy is made from sugar and in this case, Nina has developed flavored sugar crystals. The sugar is poured into an electric heating element at the base of a funnel-shaped dish and melted.

Then the machine rapidly rotates and in the process, that sugar syrup is flung through the tiny holes in the funnel using centrifugal force. The outer bowl caught the threads as they cooled.

The final product was fine and fluffy and ready to eat.  Originally, it was referred to as "fairy floss".  The name "cotton candy" didn't actually become popular until the 1920s.  A rose by any other name is still pretty darn good cotton candy and Tasty Clouds is a wonderful description of what Nina's cotton candy was like.

We tried a variety of flavors and as you can see below, everyone was enjoying their fluffy, puffy treat. Traditional flavors we sampled included their True Blue and Pretty in Pink.  However, we also got to try Apple Verde, Wild Watermelon, Lima Lime and their Banana Cadabra. The Apple Verde actually reminded me of a Jolly Rancher.

Nina will also create custom flavors.  Some of which she talks about in the video below.

The sky's almost the limit when it comes the variety of flavors that can be created. In fact, I asked Nina if she could come up a Filipino-inspired flavor and she countered with a calamansi cotton candy which she sent to me at a later date to try.  I definitely tasted the sweet-sour-tart flavors of the calamansi and even my Mom gave the calamansi cotton candy a thumbs up.  Nina even included a bonus tub of strawberry-jalapeno cotton candy which I loved.  The sweet and spicy duet of flavors was a wonderful kick to my palate.

Just this year, Nina even developed a new Filipino flavor in the form of Philippine mango which was a big hit at the Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture which is where it debuted.

Want to know some fun cotton candy facts?

• A normal serving of cotton candy (about 1 oz.) has approximately 26 grams of carbs, about 100 calories, not salt and no fat.
• One serving contains less sugar than a can of soda.
• National Cotton Candy Day is celebrated on December 7.

 

Do you want to try Tasty Clouds Cotton Candy for yourself? You can visit the Tasty Clouds Showroom location or order their products online.  Just click the website links below to get more information.

Tasty Clouds

12325 Santa Monica Boulevard.

Los Angeles, CA 90025

310-990-2435

Website

Facebook

Twitter

^

A Non-Coffee Drinker's New Coffee Addiction Can Be Found at Dripp

 

In truth, I'm not much of a coffee person. Tea, yes. Hot chocolate, yes. Coffee, not so much. So when I got an invitation to attend a Media Event a Dripp, a new coffeehouse in Chino Hills, I wasn't sure at first that I wanted to go. However, my +1, who was my coffee loving niece finally sealed the deal, so off we went. At our arrival, I noticed there was a nice outdoor patio.
More ...

Inside, there was a showcase wall featuring old-fashioned coffee grinders from the 1800's that owner, Rabih Sater, has collected over the years.

There was also a second floor that allowed you to peek down at the action below.

Back downstairs is the Cream Bar, where you can find both a cookie and ice cream display. Eat separately or create your own Ice Cream Sandwich with your choice of 2 cookies and ice cream.

Need to catch up with what's happening in the world? Then take a seat in front of one of the iPads positioned around Dripp where you will have access to various news websites as well as well as the Dripp menu, if you still haven't decided what to order.

In the end, what Dripp is really all about is their coffee and the majority of their coffee comes from Intelligentsia and Espresso Republic.  At the Dripp Bar, coffee is prepared two different ways, iced or hot. Their cold coffee is prepared using Japanese Oji Coffee Drippers, which had to be exported from Japan.

What's unique about this machine is that the coffee it makes is so concentrated that it takes 8 to 10 hours to brew, approximately 42 drips per minute. This process literally removes all the acidity and bitterness in the coffee and what you're left with is a drink that is smooth, sweet and dark with an almost maple syrup consistency.

What I found amazing about this iced coffee drink was that I was able to drink it without adding sugar or cream, which on the off times I want coffee, I absolutely have to have both.  In fact, I have found myself a big fan of this Japanese Oji Iced Coffee.  I don't really make my out to Chino Hills, but anytime my niece goes out that way for school, she always knows to bring me one of those iced coffees back (or she'll never hear the end of it).

When it comes to their hot coffee, each one is ground and dripped to order. First, you choose from 4 to 5 coffee beans that are available that day, then the beans are ground just for your specific coffee. Afterwards, the coffee is placed in a Hario V60 pourover cone.  Hot water is added and slowly drips from the cone into the coffee cup below. From start to finish, the process takes 3 to 5 minutes.  Take a look a the photos below to see how it works.

Just like the iced coffee, what you get is a coffee that is also really smooth. While not as sweet as the Japanese Oji Iced Coffee, this particular coffee, which is their Celebration blend, still didn't need the addition of any sugar.  As I said, I'm rarely a coffee drinker and taking my coffee black would normally be out of the question, but not in this scenario.

At the Steam Bar, there's also a large Strada machine to take care of the espresso drinkers. One espresso drink that you might want to check out is their Dolci Fini, which is a drink layered with espresso, heavy cream and topped with vanilla syrup in a sugar rimmed flute shot glass. Drink it as is to savor each layer or mix it all up.

What's also unique to Dripp is their Turkish Coffee, which was developed by owner, Rabih Sater. It took 6 months and a lot of caffeine, but finally, he found a blend that satisfied him.  The Turkish coffee is made from a special blend of Espresso Republic beans, specifically from Ethiopia.  He felt that the chocolate and tart-fruity flavors of those beans would be a perfect complement to the cardamom, a spice that is also included in the blend.

I'm a big cardamom fan, so I definitely wanted to try their Bozo, which was a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream topped with a shot of their hot Turkish Coffee. This was a total home run. I just love that the Turkish Coffee has such a fine grind that some of the grounds are even on the ice cream. If it was possible, I'd ask my niece to bring me both a Japanese Oji Ice Coffee and a Bozo every time she happened to stop by at Dripp.

If coffee is not your thing, you can also get a Hot Chocolate with a Toasted Marshmallow Skewer like the one below or choose rom an assortment of teas and other drinks and with pastries coming from  Bread Bar, I'd definitely say that there's something for everyone.

So if you happen to be in Chino Hills, stop by Dripp for some awesome coffee and if you are at all inclined to pick up a Japanese Oji Ice Coffee and drop it off my house on your way home, I wouldn't mind that all.

P.S. Hey Dripp, I know that the Chino Hills is your flagship store, but I'd love it if you could open a store closer to me, that way, my niece can stop going broke bringing me back coffee.  How about a Pasadena location?  :)

Dripp
13855 City Center Dr
Ste 3015
Chino Hills, CA 91709
(909) 628-6384
Facebook
Twitter ^