Lasung House is the place to experience Koreatown comfort.
Emily Ferretti Photography
Nostalgic comfort. An homage to first-generation immigrants. A new, value-driven place to eat in Los Angeles. A maximalist approach to food that represents prosperity. Lasung House, the newest Koreatown restaurant from the prolific On6thAvenue Hospitality (which also operates lively staple Quarters Korean BBQ and recently opened tteokgalbi speciality Origin Korean BBQ), is all of these and more.
That’s why you’ll find celebrities and grandparents waiting in line to sit down and devour a giant pork cutlet. Served with rice, macaroni salad, cabbage salad and cream soup, the deep-fried pork is large enough to share and can be drizzled with a tangy classic or spicy sauce that’s been simmering for hours, or you can share half and half. The pork cutlets are big, with enough surface area to enjoy a variety of flavors. Curry sauce is also available if you want to wrap the pork in a different way. Fish cutlets and giant shrimp cutlets are also available.
Equally hearty side dishes include spicy cold wheat noodles and spaghetti Bolognese, with a hearty meat sauce and big chunks of mirepoix that may recall the 24-hour Las Vegas cafes that once housed luxury casinos. (The Bellagio cafe, now home to major food group Sadelle’s, had the best 7am Bolognese in the world.) Enhance the flavors and textures of Lasung House’s pastas with diced radish kimchi, part of the banchan served at each table.
Korean. American. Korean-American. By the way, the cheese served with the cutlets is grilled tableside. To balance the richness and flavor of your lunch or dinner plate, try the sweet and refreshing Rice Sikgye Slushie, which aids digestion.
The food at Lasung House is hearty and flavorful, yet sophisticated — this is not cheesy food — and a fun, different place to dine in Los Angeles.
That includes KTeam BBQ, Koreatown’s hottest new restaurant from the legendary Park’s BBQ crew. Like Lasung House, pork is front and center at KTeam, who will grill thinly sliced pork belly, thickly sliced pork belly, pork collar steak, thinly sliced pork collar, pork jowl, and more, right at your table. (If beef is your thing, they also have brisket, tongue, and rib eye, but K-Team seems to cater for pork-or-nothing situations.) Tabletop grills sizzle right before your eyes as kimchi and the tastiest fries you’ll ever eat are cooked and toasted.
If you come to KTeam during peak dinner hours, the place will be packed with a fashionable crowd, the beers (including a mix of Parks BBQ, Father’s Office and The Hundreds light lager) and soju will add to the festive atmosphere, as will tables full of yakiniku along with kimchi ramen, kimchi stew and kimchi fried rice.
KTeam BBQ is a new restaurant that celebrates immigrant prosperity and freedom, with a distinctly Los Angeles vibe.