Say what? Ox Knee Soup. Yes my friends this will hit the spot, especially for those who enjoy tendons and ligaments, and if you like other Korean Beef Bone soup, this place is for you.
The kimchi is THE BEST I had in Koreatown. I could crush this every night with a bowl of rice. Damn, when the sweet waitress asked if I wanted more, of course I said Yes, more kimchi! And who eats that whole chile pepper with bean paste?
The Knee Soup with close ups of the good stuff and seasoned/unseasoned.
Salt and pepper at tableside, and green onions when the banchan arrives. I HATE those metal chopsticks that Korean places use. The broth comes alive with the seasonings. Very good. Lots of pieces of tendon and cartilage.
Would come again and try the other soups. Would come again with my future in-laws when I marry a Korean supermodel. Would come again just for that kimchi.
ive always wondered about those. anyone know why metal chopsticks seem exclusive to (l.a.) korean restaurants?
do they use them in korea?
or in any other cuisines/countries where chopsticks are used?
Tried this yesterday and it immediately earned favorite status in my book. The knee bone soup (“do ga ni tang”) isnt something you find on many menus as it takes many hours of simmering to break down and soften the collagen. It’s considered a health food. Like an advanced version of sullungtang. Was it just a coindence that my knees felt better for the rest of the day after eating this soup…? Hmmm…
If gelatinous collagen pieces isn’t your thing they also have the same soup with chadol (brisket) which the entire table of three next to me ordered.
The kimchi and kakdugi are indeed excellent but the rest of banchan wasn’t special. But with these milky bone soups, kakdugi is the thing to eat, to cut the richness. Btw that particular type of pepper has little to no heat unless you get lucky (or unlucky, depending on your preference) and get the occasional hot one–maybe one in 50 or so.
As for the metal chopsticks, it is a Korean thing. They can get heavy and slippery foods are really hard to grab (e.g. yam noodles) but I consider them more hygienic and less wasteful than wooden ones or disposable ones which are likely treated with chemicals. At least this place has the fat ones with ridges on the business end unlike the ones my mom has, which are about 2mm wide and get lost in my fingers.
The place is very clean and uncluttered, unlike many other mom and pop Korean joints. The folks running the place couldn’t have been nicer or more sincere. There must have been at least three ajumma and an older gentleman who all came by to make sure I was enjoying the food, without being overbearing or annoying.
I’m not entirely certain, but I saw an episode of some Food show (either Tony Bourdain’s or Andrew Zimmern), and Sang Yoon took the host to a place like this with a story about how he wasn’t allowed to have this soup growing up because he wasn’t old enough to appreciate how fantastic it is in it’s simplicity. It looked as fabulous as your pictures. I need to make a point to try this next I find myself in the City.
this is true of most ‘tangs’ (and a number of dishes across various asian cultures, a nuance that escapes many - which is admittedly confusing if you are aware that the opposite is true for stuff like sushi which you’re not supposed to season if it’s already served with a sauce, etc.). but do ga ni tang & sul long tang in particular since they’re so similar. i suspect sun nong dan uses the same broth for both and just adds the tendon to the sul long tang broth because the amount of tendon per serving is always exactly the same. both have been available as part of their breakfast special (through the price has nearly doubled since the inception).
Ox Tail, Knee and other parts specialist. Can’t wait to try it!