Pork, Glorious Pork at Korean Pork Belly and Stewed Pork Foot Specialist - Myung Ga Jokbal! [Review]

I remember the first time I was introduced to the concept of Bossam (Korean Steamed/Boiled Pork Belly) years ago, reading Jonathan Gold (back at L.A. Weekly) wax poetic about the Bossam at Kobawoo (which also made his current 101 List). It was pretty tasty stuff, thin slices of Pork Belly that you would wrap and season with additional Banchan, Garlic, Chili, Sauces to your liking.

Then we were introduced to Jokbal at Jang Choong Dong, Korean Stewed Pork Foot (and Leg), from a friend, and it was even better (in terms of taste, enjoyment).

We had some friends who enjoyed Bossam more than Jokbal, and vice versa, and I kept thinking about how neat it’d be if there was a restaurant that could just serve both. And then I saw an Eater LA news blurb about Myung Ga Jokbal, a new Korean restaurant that serves both Bossam and Jokbal, and I knew we had to visit. :wink:

It turns out Myung Ga has a simple menu, just 2 main courses and a few side dishes: You can order pure Jokbal (Stewed Pork Foot) or the reason to come here, their Bossam (Steamed Pork Belly) + Jokbal (Stewed Pork Foot) combination. We ordered the latter. :slight_smile:

Their complimentary Banchan arrives:

Their Napa Cabbage Kimchi is funky, fermented, wonderfully pickled stuff. Their Cucumber Kimchi was the spiciest of the bunch, but my favorite was their crunchy Radish Kimchi, slightly sweet, spicy, fermented and recommended by our server to add to each wrapping of the meat. :slight_smile:

We started things off with some Baekseju:

Lightly sweet, herbal, smooth with notes of Ginseng, it was floral enough to hide the alcohol.

Pork Bone Broth:

As part of the main course, they serve a Pork Bone Broth (with bits of Pork Offal (Pig Ears, Stomach, etc.), I think @theoffalo would love this). It’s only lightly seasoned, and they serve it with Salt and a briny Shrimp Sauce so you can season it yourself (sort of like Sul Lung Tang (Korean Ox Bone Soup)).

And then it arrives…

Bossam (Steamed Pork Belly) + Jokbal (Stewed Pork Foot) + Sundae (Korean Blood Sausage) + Beef Cheeks:

When you come face-to-face with this mountain of meat, you don’t know whether to laugh, or cry, or just dive in and eat (if you were starving yourself all day like we were). :wink: To say that the portions here are generous is an understatement.

I started with their Stewed Pork Knuckles:

The Pork Skin is soft (from the long-cooking), gelatinous with bits of soft cartilage, it’s tasty but some of our friends were weirded out by it. I would be, too, if not for an introduction to foods like the “Phoenix Claw” (Stewed Chicken Feet) at Dim Sum restaurants and various Stewed Pork Foot dishes from some adventurous friends years ago. :slight_smile: Suffice to say the Stewed Pork Knuckles were wonderful. :slight_smile:

They give you a variety of Dipping Sauces and condiments to season each wrapping / bite:

My favorite was the Fermented Shrimp Dipping Sauce, with some of the Pork + Romaine Lettuce Wrap. It’s got the crunch from the crisp Romaine Lettuce, the salt and light brininess from the Fermented Shrimp Sauce, and then the glorious soft, tender Pork! :slight_smile:

Steamed Beef Cheeks:

As a bonus to this combination plate, Myung Ga serves Steamed Beef Cheeks. I love a good French Beef Daube preparation, and while this isn’t as luxurious as that, they have a good beefy flavor, and are steamed to a very soft, fork-tender consistency.

Jokbal (Stewed Pork Foot):

There were nice cuts of leaner Stewed Pork Leg, Stewed Pork Skin, and more cuts closer to the Pork Foot. It was lightly seasoned, letting you customize to taste with the various Condiments, Dipping Sauces and Kimchi. Delicious! :slight_smile:

Stewed Pig Ears:

We just had some amazing Orejas Carnitas (Pig Ear Carnitas) at Villa Moreliana, so I couldn’t wait to try Myung Ga’s version (I’ve never had a Korean Pig Ears preparation before). Slightly crunchy, soft, tender, fatty, just awesome! :blush:

Bossam (Steamed Pork Belly):

And then we get to the Bossam. Taking the first bite of this Steamed Pork Belly (with a bit of the Fermented Shrimp Sauce + Romaine Lettuce), it is hot, luscious, tender, glorious Pork Belly. And it is delicious! :heart: (Paging @PorkyBelly!)

Everyone that went with us tonight agreed that this was much better than Kobawoo, mainly for the fact that the Bossam here was served warm (Kobawoo serves theirs at room temperature or cool (for the thin slicing perhaps)). We just enjoyed it more here, having the Bossam served nice and hot. This was SO GOOD! :blush:

Sundae (Blood Sausage):

I enjoy a good French Boudin Noir once in a while, although I never got into Great Britain’s Black Pudding. But overall I’m generally not a fan of blood. The Blood Sausage here is very mild, soft, tasting more of the Noodles inside the Sausage than any Blood. And it’s nowhere near as zesty as the last Spanish Morcilla I had. One of my friends loved the Sundae here and devoured most of the pieces.

There were six of us, and we ended up taking 2 full boxes of leftovers. The total bill (including alcohol, tax and tip) was only $23 per person(!). :open_mouth:

We had 2 orders for the table, and if we ordered slightly less, we could easily eat comfortably at Myung Ga for about ~$18 per person next time. Total. It’s an absurd bargain for the quality and quantity of food.

Myung Ga was an absolute delight to visit. While I like Kobawoo, Myung Ga’s Steamed Pork Belly is served hot (not room temperature / cool like at Kobawoo), and the ability to have Jokbal (Stewed Pork Foot & Leg), Stewed Pig Ears, Beef Cheeks and Blood Sausage makes this a more enjoyable choice, with fantastic prices to boot.

Myung Ga Jokbal
3063 West 8th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90005
Tel: (213) 352-1233

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Looks like a terrific spot

Thanks for the review. Looks like I am going to pay a visit in future.

I already know I am going to like this pork belly more than Kobawoo

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Thanks for the write up. I had never heard of this place before but it looks fantastic. Do the combos only come in one size? So if only two people went, it would be way too much food seems like.

My favorite jokbal is from OB Bear. So good with the green onion garnish they serve it with. And their portions are also very generous.

Thanks for the report @Chowseeker1999, i love the bo ssam at kobawoo so I’ll have to try this place out. Do they have an option to add raw oysters to the bo ssam?

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I adore the pig ears here. Just good good stuff.

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Hi @tailbacku,

Thanks. :slight_smile: The combos they have are:

  • Jokbal Only (1 Size): $29.99
  • Bossam + Jokbal (+ Beef Cheeks + Stewed Pig Ears + Blood Sausage, etc.): (Small) $39.99
  • Bossam + Jokbal (+ Beef Cheeks + Stewed Pig Ears + Blood Sausage, etc.): (Large) $54.99

We saw one couple at a neighboring table order the Bossam + Jokbal (Small) and get through 2/3 of it, and then they wrapped up the rest (I think it’d be awesome leftovers the next day! :slight_smile:). So roughly 3 portions or so for $39.99 isn’t too bad.

Thanks for the tip on OB Bear’s Jokbal. I’ll have to try it next time! :slight_smile:

Hi @PorkyBelly,

Thanks. No option for oysters unfortunately, but I really liked their preparation much more besides that point. I hope you like it. :slight_smile:

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went here last night thanks to this review. There were 4 adults and we ordered the large combo and it was still too much food. I think the large can easily feed 5 adults and for $55, it’s a steal.

Love that they serve so many different cuts from the pig. Everything from the ears to the belly. Meat is super tender and stays warm throughout the meal thanks to the steam tray that it sits on.

Didn’t love the romaine lettuce wraps. Prefer the traditional steamed cabbage that Kobawoo serves.

The restaurant stayed fairly empty throughout the night so should be able to walk in easily without a wait unlike Kobawoo.

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Hi @tailbacku,

Thanks for the report back! Glad you liked it. :slight_smile:

And thanks for the portion note. Agreed, lots of great food for a bargain price. :slight_smile:

We were tempted to order their Korean Seafood Pancake, but felt like we should try out just the different Pork cuts first (glad we waited, that would’ve been way too much food then :slight_smile:.

That was a great report. After all the places you’ve been visiting lately (hit and miss) I’m glad you thoroughly enjoyed Myung Ga Jokbal. @Xochitl would probably enjoy this place too.

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Thanks @TheCookie. :slight_smile: You’ll have to try this place one day (after trying Howlin’ Ray’s fresh outta the fryer!). :wink:

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:relaxed: Well, you know I’m not an adventurous eater, but your report was good enough to tempt me. Oh and haha… I knew you would nudge me about fresh H.R.'s.

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Update 1:

One of our friends overheard us talking about Myung Ga, the Korean Pork Belly and Stewed Pork Foot specialist and… off we went for another visit. :slight_smile:

Complimentary Banchan:

Their Kimchi was just the right amount of fermented funk, tart, salty and delicious. :slight_smile:

Their Complimentary Daikon Radish & Bean Sprouts Soup was also quite good, lightly spicy and delicious.

This time there were 4 of us, so we ordered the Small Size…

Bossam (Steamed Pork Belly) + Stewed Pig Ears + Jokbal (Stewed Pork Foot) + Sundae (Korean Blood Sausage) + Beef Cheeks:

Even the Small Portion was laughably massive! :smile: And it was nice and hot.

Don’t forget to season to your liking with their variety of Condiments and Dipping Sauces:

For this latest visit, I’ve really enjoyed using the very fresh large Romaine Lettuce leaves + a dab of the Fermented Shrimp Dipping Sauce and a few slivers of Garlic. :wink:

Steamed Beef Cheeks:

These were noticeably beefy, tender and delicious! :slight_smile:

Bossam (Steamed Pork Belly):

That tender, succulent layering of fat and lean meat in their Bossam (Steamed Pork Belly) was wonderful! This was made for @PorkyBelly. :slight_smile: Lightly seasoned, but perfect with some of the Kimchi, Romaine Lettuce, some Garlic and a dab of the Fermented Shrimp Dipping Sauce.

This was one of our friends’ favorite on this visit. :slight_smile:

Stewed Pig Ears & Stewed Pork Knuckles:

The Pig Ears were supple enough, with the slight crunch from the cartilage. The Stewed Pork Knuckles were even better! I love the soft cartilage and bits of Stewed Pork meat near the bones. :blush:

Jokbal (Stewed Pork Foot):

My favorite was their Stewed Pork Foot slices. More tender than their Bossam on this visit, it was luscious at times, and so crave-worthy! :slight_smile:

Sundae (Blood Sausage):

Again, I’m not usually a fan of Blood Sausage, but this was quite mild and very soft. Our other friend who joined us loves Blood Sausage and said this was “quite good.” :slight_smile:

Myung Ga continues to be a stunning value, and I think we’ve found the ideal “ordering size”: For 4 adults, we ordered 1 Small Combo (which was all the food above). We were stuffed and had leftovers, and this cost us only $12.50 per person total (including tax & tip)! :open_mouth: (paging @Ns1 :slight_smile:)

It’s a bit funny and sad that 2 Cocktails at the nearby Walker Inn would cost more than this entire meal that fed 4 people. :stuck_out_tongue: The QPR is pretty good at Myung Ga, and we’ll be back for more Stewed Pig Ears, Stewed Pork Foot and Pork Belly soon. :slight_smile:

Myung Ga Jokbal
3063 West 8th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90005
Tel: (213) 352-1233

7 Likes

Looks great @Chowseeker1999, I’m going to have to grab my fellow porkybellies and try it out.

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