Thanks for posting about Nikuman-Ya, @Dommy . I’ve been wondering about them, but figured I couldn’t eat anything there because nikuman translates to meat bun in English. Your pictures looked so intriguing that I checked them out online. They do have a veggie bun and a vegetarian spring roll, so I’ll definitely try them. Perhaps I need to do a comparison between the veggie buns at Nikuman-Ya and Myung In Dumplings. Sounds like a worthy assignment to me!
@paranoidgarliclover, cheese with buns don’t sound completely heretical to me in the Japanese sense since cheese is often added to okonomiyaki and monjayaki. It sort of fits into the whole yoshoku aesthetic (Japanese-style Western food). However, if they added mayo or ketchup to the buns, that would be one step too far for me. I do agree the dumplings in Dommy’s pictures look enticing.
What is TKF?
Missing even a second of the Bruce show is hard for me to chance, and made it all but impossible to do anything more than tailgate in a Science Center parking lot. I told friends - less paranoid (or Bruce-enthralled) than me - to try Revolutionario Tacos pre-show. They loved it AND made it in on time, LOL.
Went to Myung Dong Kyoja after a confusing back&forth with my wife. I preface this with the fact that my wife is from Malaysia. Her family would disown her knowing that she would not want to eat anything with at least some spice. We were picking up our son at LACMA which put us in range of Koreatown so, “Let’s eat Korean food!” says my wife.
“Okay,” says me.
“I don’t want to eat spicy food.”
“But you do understand that so much of Korean food is based around chile, right?”
“Why don’t we go to Jun Won?”
“Been there done that.”
This went on for a number of blocks driven and we finally agreed on Myung Dong Kyoja.Their menu has a fair number of mild items. Their soups are mild, substantial and comforting. Dumplings can be added or ordered separately and some requisite items like bibimbap and bulgogi are available.
As for dumplings, we ordered two types. Pork and shrimp mandoo and pan-fried prk dumplings.
Good flavor and nice piece of shrimp inside. If you are used to the bright clean flavor of fresh shrimp at places like Sea Harbor or Elite, you may frown a bit, but all in all a very good dumpling, especially with a bit of vinegar and Kimchi.
Koreatown is a huge, relatively unexplored part of LA for me. I’ve mentioned before how I kinda avoid this general part of LA due to it being difficult to get to, extremely heavy on traffic and almost nonexistent parking. But I am being more patient with those issues and the rewards are exposing myself and our family to some wonderful aspects of a culture that happens to also embrace wonderful food.
I was about to write that the wrapper on the fried ones looked a little thin until I noticed you mentioned it later. For me, a fried dumpling just has to have some chew.
Also agree w/ you about K-town being intriguing, overwhelming, alluring, and frustrating (esp if you live west of the 405…).
Just about every table had at least one order of mandoo - nice size and good flavors. Kids seemed to gravitate more to the pan-fried ones. Service is friendly and prompt. Like most Chinese eateries, the dishes come out relatively quick as well.
My son is 16 1/2 years old, yet he is in no rush to get his CDL. I was biting at the proverbial bit to get my learner’s permit while growing up. With Uber/Lyft apps on his phone (and our credit cards to them), he can get to/from most places between ride-sharing, the bus lines, riding his bike and us. I have to build that mindset as well. Taking Lyft or Uber to/from dense areas like Koreatown seems the way to go. So many Koreatown eateries offer alcohol as well, and so much of the food goes so well with beer or soju that leaving the driving to someone else can lead to a more “fulfilling” experience.
I hear that so much these days (kids these days opting to wait 'til later to get their licenses, whereas Gen X/Yers were fanatical about getting behind the wheel ASAP). Wonder what’s the cause?
IMHO, millenials don’t see driving as freedom; it’s seen as another chore and another expense (and, truth be told, in urban areas, they’re right). They can stay in contant contact w/ their friends via text, Snapchat, etc., so what’s the point in driving, aside from a means to get to work?
I wouldn’t drive either if all the rage is a Toyota Prius. My first car was smog exempt and had 350 hp. Why my parents gave an adolescent hitting puberty that much muscle is beyond me.
Who else’s drivers licenses expires on their birthday?
I’m with you! My first car was a '67 Mustang with a 289 and driven with an extremely heavy left foot. I couldn’t wait to get my license. There’s nothing like that sense of freedom.
Our 16-y/o is chomping at the bit, but our 13-y/o is not in any hurry. Go figure. We’re not pushing any of the kids. The insurance is insane.
Yeah, pretty much what PGL says. Kids nowadays have more ways of socializing and getting around. One of his buddies lives off MLK Blvd around Crenshaw. He gets around the same way plus the light rail.
The younger generations also seem to have very short attention spans. If my son is being honest, he says he doesn’t want to study for the driver’s written test because it is way too boring and not worth his time right now (again, options outweighing the CDL). He said he fell asleep every time he tried getting through the online tutorial.
Lucky you. As I turned 16, I lusted after any set of wheels I could get my paws on (the most accessible of which financially was Dad’s old beat-up Honda Civic with 142000 miles on it) - Salivated just thinking about driving myself away from the chains of dependence on others getting me from point A to point B, like it was the Lamborghini Countach (oh lord I just dated myself).
. It was another great show!
