Gam Ja Gol - Koreatown Normandie and Olympic

This local K-Town strip mall men's joint has some of the best food in the world served at their humble tables. My family came from New Mexico where they worshiped chilie, pork and garlic just as much as our Korean brothers. My grandma, (may god have mercy on her soul) used to cook up a similar, but inferior pork and red chilie concoction. Her stew was top notch, five star stuff, and her family raised all of their own chilies and hogs. The mixture was served with hominy and called Pozole, or it would grace her perfect tamales. Sometimes she rolled it into a handmade, homemade flour tortilla for the perfect snack.

The Korean grandmother cooking at this place is making it happen! I brought my people from Lebanon, Greece, and Mexico here tonight, and they all compared it to their grandmother's food too. The panchan is good, nothing to write home to Dear Leader about, but respectable still. The Jap Chae was exemplary, and I wanted refill after refill of this great sesame flavored noodle dish fit for a chubby dictator in an army tunic and his favorite son.

The Pork Neck and Potato stew is the thing to get here, but I have never ordered anything else. The large for 4 people (enough for 6) is priced at a reasonable 34.99 and comes to your table in a bubbling cauldron with whole shiso leaves on top. It has some whole mustard seed in there too. There are pieces of pork backbone cooked so the meat be falling off the bone along with boiled potatoes in a deep rich red chilie broth. Wooooo Weeeee! That's what I'm talking about! It has the best chilie flavor that permeates everything, and leaves you licking your fingers. Just when you think that the meal is over, the waiter takes your leftovers and makes pan fried rice for your lunch tomorrow with sesame oil on top.

I think Korean food is the stuff my dreams are made of! The food of Korea is some of the most well thought out food of all mankind. This is some kick ass, filling homemade food that will warm your soul.