LA Galbi at Korean Palace

This week on Kingdom Koreatown we venture outside of El Camino Real's main Koreatown San Jose. We head to the neighborhood that is home to San Jose's biggest shopping spots: Valley Fair and Santana Row. Both sell luxury goods. The latter has Hotel Valencia, where Britney Spears and her crew once stayed. 

Not too far away is the oldest Korean restaurant in San Jose. If you ever need an intermission from all that shopping, head on over to Korean Palace to refuel!  

What a Sunday evening dinner at Korean Palace looks like.

Opened in 1979, Korean Palace was almost the first Korean restaurant established in the area. There was another which opened up just two to three months before, but closed many years ago. Biwon (Secret Garden), featured on the first episode of Kingdom Koreatown, was the third in line to open, however closed its doors last month. 

Flexible seating and booths. 

Do not underestimate the interior of Korean Palace. Sure, it may not be as glossy and modern as newer eateries such as Chungdam. Do you know how much each wooden chair costs? $450 USD. That's quality treatment on the rear. The owner's mother bought these chairs ten years ago. Though Italian in style, they were handmade and imported from Korea. 

What $450 USD looks like up-close.  

$450 USD from head to toe. 

​Let's take a second look at the interior. Does it look fancier now that you know how much expensive wood is present? If you fart, try to be gentle. 

These chairs look pretty darn youthful considering they are at least a decade old!

It's not just your tush that'll be getting royal treatment; your mouth is also in for a pleasant surprise. Korean Palace has some of the best side dishes I've tried in San Jose. The Korean food around here tends to range on the sweet side, as businesses cater to the American taste bud. Those who know Korean food will savor Korean Palace's authentic flavors. They are not making compromises. 

The top five Napa Cabbage Kimchi in NorCal that I've tried thus far. Spicy. Not sweet. 

My mother patiently waiting for me to finish taking photos and filming. 

My mother and I order a boldly red bowl of Maeuntang (spicy fish soup). It contains cod, tofu, jalapeño, radish, gochujang, and other delights. It is spicy, but not as fiery as the Napa Cabbage Kimchi. 

Maeuntang. Spicy fish soup made with gochujang.

If you think the Maeuntang is tasty, wait until you try the L.A. Galbi! Soft... Each bite is a soothing experience. A lullaby to the mouth. Ah, the sweet songs you sing on my tongue, you Galbi! 

L.A. Galbi that is softer than a baby's butt. Maybe. Try it to find out for yourself. 

As my lips are coated with delicious marinade while biting around the bones of my dear L.A. Galbi, I notice a casual pot of cactus sitting on the wooden frame next to our booth.  

These cactus are scattered through the restaurant. Random and cute. 

Cactus are a succulent and the food at Korean Palace is super succulent! My mother and I agree we would happily feature it again on Kingdom Koreatown. 

Donezo. We ended up taking food to-go. High five for getting another meal out of leftovers! 

Where we heading to next? Korean Palace will be a hard act to follow, but that's not stopping us to explore! Tune in next Wednesday 12PM PST on my YouTube channel for more food adventures.

Korean Palace
(408) 947-8600
2297 Stevens Creek Blvd
San Jose, CA 95128

Spicy Squid Wraps at Choi's Korean Restaurant

Sizzle. Steam. Boil. You'll get plenty of this tasty triple threat at Choi's Korean Restaurant. Its Korean name? 최가네 쌈밥 (chwae ga ne ssam bap). 

Sizzle and steam. The source of all my happiness. 

Choi's is located across the street from Lawrence Plaza where Jang Su Jang and Paris Baguette reside (featured in previous Kingdom Koreatown episodes). Its exterior and interior is far from fancy, but once you get a bite of the steamy pork wrapped in assorted greens, the whole world starts changing colors and shapes!

The exterior appears gloomy and grey. The flavors waiting inside are colorful. Mostly red and green like Christmas.

1pm. It is Martin Luther King Day. The restaurant is a little over half full. My mother and I debate on getting the Woo Guhji Galbi Tang (cabbage and rib soup) on the $9.99 USD Lunch Special menu. 

The Dwenjang Jjigae arrives boiling. By the time I snapped out the hypnosis, the glorious boiling faded away. That's when I captured this shot.

After much inner battle, we order the Ssambap set for two people. Two bowls of Dwenjang Jjigae are included. You choose two types of meat. We go with the spicy pork and spicy squid. This restaurant is all about the spicy. Feisty fiesta in the mouth!

The spicy squid harmoniously sharing the table with other yummies.

The Ssambap set comes with a tall basket of various leaves: red cabbage, seaweed, kale, baby kale, escarole, steamed cabbage, and lettuce. Take one leaf or layer multiple leaves to wrap your feisty piece of meat inside. Typically you'd also add white rice, a raw piece of garlic, and a dab of dwenjang paste. Be conservative with the size of your garlic. I always underestimate its potency and end up with tears. Happy tears, but tears nonetheless.

We ate until we were past full and still had plenty of food to take home. Perhaps we'll make a nice fluffy salad with the leftover leaves.

Another shot of the Dwenjang Jjigae because why not. 

Let's not forget about the parade of banchan (Korean side dishes). The Ssambap will engross you with its sizzle and steam, but the group of eight side dishes next door cannot be ignored for too long. 

Peekaboo. Giving some attention to you! 

Your typical sweet and spicy Napa Cabbage kimchi.  

Japchae (Korean glass noodles) on the left. My preferred side dish at Choi's Korean Restaurant.  

As expected, the side dishes ranged on the sweet side. A common trait amongst the Korean restaurants in NorCal. However at Choi's, the side dishes have an additional layer of flavor: spicy! I break out in quality sweat from eating all this food. 

My mother taking the spicy meats to-go. She plans to create a Korean spaghetti using these ingredients.  

On Yelp I read that the service at Choi's was a huge turn-off. Here's a little advice: smile and be sweet regardless of how the waitresses act. They'll warm up to you soon enough. Spicy food, spicy waitresses!

The neutral-looking storefront. 

Choi's Korean Restaurant, we'll be back for your Woo Guhji Galbi Tang. You watch out. We'll be building up our tolerance for spice and eat up all your food! You have been warned. What a yummy threat. 

The signage looks like a spatula.

Candid moment as my mother decides what to have for lunch. 

Choi's Korean Restaurant
(408) 615-0200
3530 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95051

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Green Tea Bingsoo at Okrumong

Who eats bingsoo, Korean shaved ice, first thing in the morning? Someone who has a plane to catch within three hours. Yeah, me. I'm currently stationed in NorCal and there is no Korean shaved ice as legit as the ones in Los Angeles (aside from Seoul). So as my last "meal" before heading back home, I happily get a brain freeze at 11am. My flight departs at 1:45pm. I take my sweet time, savoring each icy bite.

If bingsoo was a skyscraper, then this is a bird's eye view of it.

My bestie Yoonah accompanies me. She's a trooper. Bingsoo is typically eaten as a dessert, not as breakfast. We may get stomach aches and that's a risk I'm willing to take.  

A handful of cafes in Koreatown LA offer bingsoo. We go to Okrumong (옥루몽), the location in the same plaza as the popular Korean BBQ joint Hae Jang Chon. Another Okrumong resides in Torrance about 25 miles south. Okrumong is a bingsoo chain created in South Korea and plans for world domination! I endorse. 

While waiting for our "meal" to be prepared, we have Patbbang as an appetizer. Patbbang is bread filled with red bean paste. 

Patbbang in shape of a donut with branding on top. 

Undressing the Patbbang from its transparent veil.  

Patbbang come in various shapes. Some do not have a hole in the middle. Others are sliced to resemble flowers. Some Patbbang contain very little red bean paste with thick white bread around it. Okrumong's Patbbang has the ideal bread-to-paste ratio. Their bread allows the red bean paste to show off its flavor. 

Yum yum in the tum tum. 

The restaurant page buzzes. My heart tingles. Legit bingsoo, how I have missed you! The Green Tea Bingsoo with a hat of thick red bean paste arrives in its golden bowl. Mister and Misses Mochi sing a duet on the cushiony paste. 

Green Tea Bingsoo. Lookin' proper and friendly as usual. 

The moment your spoon scoops a bite out of that shaved ice, notice how smoothly this simple action occurs. I've had bingsoo where you have to break down the ice with your spoon, otherwise all the clumped ice spins around the bowl in circles. Okrumong bingsoo takes out that extra step and gives you princess treatment.  

Eat all your red bean paste? Fear not. Dig deeper and there is more at the core.

Enough talk of the looks. What about its flavor? The green tea shaved ice tastes like, well, matcha. Earthy. The white layer of ice underneath is bland. For sugary goodness, you can depend on the red bean paste. This bingsoo is suitable for those with a semi-sweethtooth. 

I consume 80% of the bingsoo as Yoonah's teeth recover from the cold bites. With a smile, we have a chill ride to the airport. Sure, I may miss my flight if traffic awaits us on the 10 and 405, but having that Green Tea Bingsoo was worth every trouble. 

Interior of Okrumong in Koreatown LA. 

 Okrumong (Koreatown LA)

(855) 627-8012
3801 W. 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90020

Okrumong (Torrance)
(866) 722-1727
2814 Sepulveda Blvd, Unit C
Torrance, CA 90505

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