Offal Offal

Coming Attractions

The Offalo — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 00:00:37 +0000

I know I haven’t updated this blog in nearly a month. I do have some offal-related meals I have yet to review, including a nearly-all offal meal at UMAMIcatessen, and my second visit to Old Country Cafe [Yelp link]. Real life’s just been busy, but I hope to crank those out by the end of the month. Just posting this brief update to keep myself accountable.

Seolleongtang at Han Bat Sul Lung Tang (HANBAT SHUL -LUNG-TANG)

The Offalo — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 04:00:10 +0000

[Sorry for the somewhat complicated title... I figure I'd cover all of my bases in regards to the spelling of the restaurant and the dish itself.]

I’ve been quite lax in updating this blog with my offal-related adventures, so here’s a quicky.

I had a particularly severe bout of insomnia one night. Fortuitously, I did not have to go into work the next day, and in searching for a suitable breakfast for my state of being, I came across a place in Koreatown called Han Bat Sul Lung Tang [Yelp; restaurant has no website] that was supposed to be good for curing hangovers (nine mentions on the first page of Yelp reviews), which was pretty close to how I was feeling.

It was half past nine when I dragged myself into the place. The sign on the storefront was strangely rendered in English, with the first two Korean words combined into one, and strange hyphens prepending the final two words. The middle word was spelled “Shul”, which is apparently wrong, as there is no “sh” or “h” sound in the word. Of course, none of this deterred me from entering the establishment.

Three tables were occupied, and the waitress greeted me in Korean. Unfortunately, I don’t speak it, which I made abundantly clear by shrugging my shoulders and looking confused. She switched to English, somewhat exasperatedly, perhaps assuming I was so Americanized as to not be able to speak my mother tongue. She was somewhat correct, except that I am not Korean, and the language I don’t speak (very well) is Mandarin. :-)

The place basically serves two dishes: sul lung tang (or seolleongtang), a soup made from boiling beef bones for many hours until all the flavors and nutrients are extracted ($8.22, or $9 with tax); soo yook, which is simply described on the menu as “boiled beef” ($16.56, or $18 with tax). You can specify the cuts of meat that is served with each dish. For the latter dish, it’s intestines, tripe, and spleen (all three is one choice), or flank, or mixed. For the former dish, it is the same three choices with the additional option of brisket or tongue. This being an offal-related blog, I went with the intestines, tripe, and spleen with my sul lung tang.

The soup came out pretty quick, all milky white and swimming with meat, scallions, and dangmyeon (clear noodles). It was served with bowls of white rice, kimchi, and kkakdugi (radish kimchi). I tried the soup straight up at first. I was expecting a dense, unctuous stock. Instead I was surprised to find it so mellow. No, it wasn’t delicate like dashi, but it was both mild and full of body. This wasn’t a hangover fighter; it was a hangover diplomat.

Next I tried the two kimchi vegetables. Since it’s supposed to be mixed with the soup, I was somewhat disappointed that the kimchi was not as spicy or tangy as I’d have liked, to help season the somewhat bland soup. Instead, it was rather sweet. I threw the cabbage into the soup, along with the rice, and finally went to work on the meat.

The tripe and intestines were, like the soup, rather mild, though the kimchi helped. The most flavorful of the organ meats was definitely the spleen. It had a spongy consistency that reminded me of a cross of cow lung and liver. Definitely an acquired taste, or, uh, texture, but as one might suspect of someone calling himself an “Offalo”, I had no problems with it. :-)

On the whole, I’m glad to have tried my first sul lung tang, and it did get me out of the sleep-deprived funk I was in, but it didn’t have the bold flavors I associate with Korean food. Even the relatively mild kimchi didn’t add too much to the dish. While I knew it wouldn’t be as hearty and flavorful as haejangguk (literally “soup for relieving hangovers”), at least based on ingredients and recipes (I haven’t had that hangover soup…yet!), I think sul lung tang would actually be better at filling a chicken-soup role. I’m not sure I’d seek the soup out unless I thought it was the cure for what ails me.

Han Bat Sul Lung Tang [Yelp; restaurant has no website]
4163 W 5th St
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 383-9499

Offal and Noffal at Lee’s Garden

The Offalo — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 05:00:57 +0000

I just realized that I hadn’t written an offal review in a while, so I’m here to rectify it. Actually, this post will review both an offal dish and a noffal dish. What is “noffal”? Just a silly neologism for non-offal foods.

I won’t generally review noffal foods on this blog—I prefer to do that on The Offalo—but since I’ll only be reviewing two dishes, I didn’t want to break them up into two micro-reviews on two separate sites. Plus one of the dishes is an acquired taste, just like offal often is.

So, a few weeks ago, I found myself in Pasadena visiting with my wife’s family. When my wife wanted to run to the Jo-ann Fabric in Alhambra, I dropped her off and took the opportunity to go to one of the oldest continuously running Taiwanese restaurants in SGV, Lee’s Garden [Yelp; restaurant has no website].

First thing I noticed about Lee’s Garden, when I drove up to the storefront, was that it had a B rating from the County of L.A.’s Health Department, but I figured I’d just be ordering blood and guts, so I should be fine. ;-) Second thing I noticed, when I stepped into the small space, was the distinct odor of chou dou fu (stinky bean curd).

The third and most striking thing I noticed, as I sat down after ordering said dish of chou dou fu and a bowl of da chang zhu xue tang (pig’s large intestine and blood soup) was that every other patron had a plate of chou dou fu in front of them. This really boded well, I hoped, as I was moderately disappointed with the dish at Old Country Cafe.

The chou dou fu arrived within minutes, straight from the fryer to the table, piping hot, with a plate of cold pao cai (picked vegetables). The dish gave off a most pleasant pungency that a good block of blue cheese might have.

The dou fu was prepared perfectly, crisp and hot, with a light, steaming, fluffy consistency inside. The tang and twang of the fermented bean curd shone through, and the sauce the golden cubes sat in were properly piquant.

The pao cai were not as pickle-y as I’ve had, but did temper both the heat (temperature) of the dou fu and the heat (spiciness) of the sauce.

The da chang zhu xue tang arrived just as I was finishing the chou dou fu (I did save a few pieces to have at the end), the “tofu” of the this dish (the congealed cubes of pig’s blood) floating to the top of the steaming hot soup.

After the bold flavors of the previous dish, the soup initially tasted bland. Believe it or not, neither pig’s blood nor intestines have that strong a flavor. I was also used to this dish containing more ginger and zha cai (pickled mustard plant), but as I continued to consume it, more and more of the natural sapor of the blood and intestines came through. It was quite refreshing having the main ingredients stand on their own, without heavy seasoning or other bold flavors, and a nice contrast to the deep flavors of the first dish.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed Lee’s Garden. I’ve had chou dou fu at maybe a half dozen restaurants in L.A., and this was definitely the best. I’ve had better da chang zhu xue tang, but I do like their take on it. I would definitely come back for the former dish, and I might try ordering a different second dish, just to see what else is good there.

Lee’s Garden [Yelp; restaurant has no website]
1428 S Atlantic Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91803
(626) 284-0320

Lengua Perfecta: FIG’s Braised Tongue

The Offalo — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 05:30:29 +0000

Growing up, I’d sometimes have duck tongue at the really authentic Chinese restaurants in New York or Boston. I’ll generally give the sliced tongue sandwich at a new-to-me Jewish deli at least one try. And of course, living in Los Angeles, I’ve taken to using a taqueria’s tacos de lengua as a measure of how much I like the place.

So when I went to FIG for the first time a little over a week ago for their FIG at Five promotion (nearly everything 50% off, including drinks, when ordered between 5 PM and 6 PM) and saw the Braised Tongue, Tomatillo, Breakfast Radish [$12, $6 for FIG at Five] on the menu, I knew I had to try it.

Chef Ray Garcia grew up in East L.A., I presume eating his mom’s Mexican home cooking, and I’ve got to imaging him scarfing down a dish of something similar to this back home. This is simply the best lengua I’ve had.

The slices of tongue are delicate yet robust. The tomatillo has a little bit of a kick, but it sneaks up behind you after the wave of tartness, which both enhances and tempers the beefy-fattiness of the tongue, hits you first. The small portion of diced tongue evokes the tacos de lengua I’m used to having around town.

This is a dish I would order every time at FIG. The only reason why I didn’t on my second visit to FIG was because I was on a foie-finding mission. Next time I go to FIG, I will likely order all new dishes with the goal of eventually tasting everything on the menu. But I will have one repeat: Chef Garcia’s braised tongue with tomatillo. Lengua Perfecta.

FIG
101 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 319-3111

Ad Hoc Farewell to Foie Gras at FIG

The Offalo — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 07:30:36 +0000

As I write this at 12:30 AM Saturday night/Sunday morning, I wonder if the people at Animal, which is open until 1 AM, have been able to order foie gras for the past half hour, since it’s now July 1st and the first day that the foie gras ban is in effect. I’m also trying to imagine just how much extra business restaurants serving foie have been doing this weekend. And I’m wondering how many restaurants will pay the $1,000/day fine to continue serving foie.

Mostly, though, I am hesitant in posting this post, wondering if it’s cruel to post a review of three dishes my readers won’t be able to order anymore. Well, I have to cut my teeth on this new food blogging thing I’m doing somehow, and who knows if the ban may someday be repealed, allowing these dishes to come back. So here goes.

I returned to FIG Friday night, less than a week after my first visit, and proceed to order everything on the menu that contains foie gras.

The first dish was one that apparently was on the menu when I was there last week, but I had somehow overlooked: Foie Gras with Stone Fruit [$21, $10.50 for FIG at Five].

In this case, the stone fruit was not peaches or nectarines, as I expected, but cherries. It was also served with crushed pistachios and accompanied by two mini-baguettes.

In general, I prefer foie gras seared rather than au torchon. I think it loses a little bit of its punch when cooked thoroughly. I felt this was the case here, that the torchon did not have as strong of a duck-ness that is inherent in a piece of foie gras gently poached or seared to medium-rare. Don’t get me wrong, it still tasted like foie gras and not liver from a chicken or pig, and the mixture of sweetness from the cherries and savoriness from the pistachio really played off each other and worked well with the foie gras.

Next was the Foie Gras and Chicken Liver Parfait [$16, $8 for FIG at Five]. Since I had already written about it last week, I’ll just quote what I said then:

The parfait came in a glass jar and was served with grilled baguettes and fig marmalade.

The parfait was smooth and fatty and salty and paired beautifully with the subtle sweetness of the fig marmalade and the buttery crunch of the baguette. The combination actually reminded me of buttered popcorn.

Last, but kinda least (foie gras-wise), was the Sturgeon, Celery, Apple, Prosciutto-Foie Gras Sauce [$29, $14.50 for FIG at Five].

The foie-ness of this dish was way lower than any of the other foie gras dishes I’ve had recently. Although I’m sure that the taste of the sauce would likely change dramatically without the foie, the foie was not all that apparent in the sauce.

However, the dish itself was excellent. The sturgeon was moist and tender but yet firm. It did not fall apart at the first sign of provocation. The sauce was indeed delicious, while the other accompaniments were quite light and refreshing. The little delicate discs of what I think were radishes, and dollops of whipped (probably) radishes as well, gave a creaminess to the dish, and the celery was perfectly cooked and infused with flavor.

As the conclusion of my ad hoc farewell to foie gras, the sturgeon didn’t really fit, but it did contribute well to another fantastic dinner. So once again I leave FIG (at Five) happy, but also sad that foie gras can no longer be (legally) served in California.

FIG
101 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 319-3111

More Tales of the Foie Gras (Providence, Petrossian, FIG)

The Offalo — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 06:00:53 +0000

This weekend I lunched at Providence on Friday, brunched at Petrossian this morning, and then dinnered dined at FIG earlier this evening. I was solo at Providence, but with my family otherwise, and therefore got to sample a multitude of dishes at the latter two restaurants. However, I will be focusing only on dishes that contained foie gras in this blog, since it is liver, which is offal (and awfully good).

With one week left to enjoy this delicacy in California (legally), I hope this post, as well as my previous post focused on foie gras, will help those of you in the Los Angeles area who want to get a last taste but are having trouble deciding where to go.

Starting at Providence, I had the foie gras ravioli as part of the five-course lunch tasting menu, and added on the foie gras sauté.

The foie gras ravioli, with aromatics, parmesan foam, and a few shavings of pickled truffle, is normally $35 as a main course on the lunch menu or $28 as a hot starter on the dinner menu (plus $30 to have fresh Italian summer truffles shaved directly onto the plate at your table); the portion that came with the tasting menu was a serving of 3-4 ravioli, each containing a thumbnail-sized sliver of foie gras.

The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, and I thought I could taste the egg that probably went into the dough. The parmesan foam added a lightness to the entire dish, while the drizzles of olive oil brought the dish back down to earth. The marinated or pickled truffles had a wood ear-like consistency and earthy taste that was lighter than I expected. Despite the diminutive amount in each raviolo, the foie was bold and unctuous, and carried the rest of the ingredients on its proverbial shoulders, or should I say metaphorical wings? It was easily the best dish of the tasting menu.

Before the dessert course, I ordered the foie gras sauté [$28], which was grilled and served with partially dehydrated strawberries, black sesame tuile, and green almonds. Unfortunately, this dish was a bit of a letdown after the ravioli, and even when compared to the other foie gras dishes I’ve had recently.

The foie was tender, and yet had a nice crunch to it. While the menu said it was grilled, to me the foie looked and tasted like it was lightly breaded or just dusted with flour and then deep-fried. It actually had a fried-fish taste to it, with a subtle but unmistakable “duck-ness” that someone who’s had Chinese salted duck eggs may have recognized.

Unfortunately, the downfall of the dish were the macerated strawberries, which were both a little too sweet and a little too tart, so that they almost completely overpowered the foie, which was more delicate in flavor, the fried-fish taste notwithstanding. Eaten without the strawberries, the foie paired really nicely with the green almonds; the nuttiness accentuated the natural flavors of the foie. The sesame tuile added a crunchy texture without contributing much flavor.

At Petrossian, I ordered the two foie gras dishes on their regular lunch menu: the summer berry gazpacho [$22] and the asparagus with foie gras ravioli [$16].

The gazpacho contained pieces of Armagnac poached foie gras, pickled beets, croutons, microgreens, and strawberries and blackberries. After being disappointed with the foie-plus-berries combination at Providence, I was curious if the other ingredients in the gazpacho would overpower the foie.

[To see the ingredients in the bowl pre-pour, check out My Last Bite.]

Fortunately that was not the case. While the gazpacho had a subtle bite in its aftertaste, the flavor of the soup and the fruit where all bright and clean and allowed the flavor of the foie gras to shine through. The individual pieces of foie were small, less than half an inch cubed, but the amount was more than sufficient so that I got a piece of foie in every spoonful of gazpacho.

If the foie-plus-berry dish as Petrossian was better than at Providence, the reverse was true of the ravioli dish. Of course, Providence’s were some of the best ravioli I’ve ever had, so I didn’t expect Petrossian’s to be as good, but it fell a little below my already lowered expectations.

Aside from the asparagus and ravioli, the dish also contained a few small squares of black summer truffles, some delicate leaves of little gem lettuce, and truffle jus vinaigrette. The pasta was undercooked, with the “gritty” texture of semi-cooked dough. The foie was very pungent and reminded me more of chicken liver. I did not get a great deal of truffle flavor either from the vinaigrette or from the truffles themselves. The highlight of the dish, and likely the reason it got top billing in the name, was the asparagus. It was cooked perfectly through, without a hint of crunch left, yet was not mushy at all, and it saved the dish from being a complete disappointment.

FIG‘s menu listed only one dish containing foie gras, the foie gras and chicken liver parfait, which is normally $16, but as we ordered it during “FIG at Five”, FIG’s generous 50% discount on nearly everything when ordered between 5 PM and 6 PM, it only cost us $8. And it was worth every penny.

The parfait came in a glass jar and was served with grilled baguettes and fig marmalade.

The parfait was smooth and fatty and salty and paired beautifully with the subtle sweetness of the fig marmalade and the buttery crunch of the baguette. The combination actually reminded me of buttered popcorn.

My wife had ordered the Rosie organic chicken, which is served with the chicken skin fried flat and crisp. Naturally, I broke a piece off and buttered it with a bit of the parfait.

The result was probably one of the most deliciously decadent bites of food I’ve ever had.

Providence
5955 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 460-4170

Petrossian
321 N Robertson Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 271-6300

FIG
101 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 319-3111

Three Tales of the Foie Gras (Shunji, Animal, Hatfield’s) [Bonus Tale: Waterloo & City]

The Offalo — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 08:00:26 +0000

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Californa is banning foie gras starting July 1, 2012. I’d link to articles discussing it, but nearly all of them are biased toward one viewpoint or the other. I will not get into a debate about it on my blog. Suffice it to say, I do eat foie gras, and I’ll leave it at that.

Anyway, I’ve been trying to hit restaurants that I haven’t been before to have their signature foie gras dishes. These visits have served double duty as I get to have a new experience at each of these places, and I get a few last tastes of foie gras before the ban. A week ago, I had three very different foie gras dishes at three very different restaurants.

The first restaurant, Shunji, is one that I have been to many times. It is one of my favorite restaurants, and I dropped in on a Friday evening and ordered the Foie Gras Saikyo-Yaki [$20] after they posted a photo of it on Facebook. Saikyo is a kind miso that is gold or yellow in color, is less salty and naturally sweeter than other varieties of miso. Saikyo-yaki is a traditional preparation method for meats and seafood, where the protein is marinated in the miso and then grilled.

Until Shunji, I’m not sure if I’ve ever had grilled foie gras. I’ve had it poached or in pate or terrine. And, of course, I’ve had it seared. I found grilled foie gras to be very different than seared, with the charcoal adding a smoky flavor, and with the char itself lending an interesting flavor and texture than the standard sear. The inside of the foie was barely cooked, and had a sweet and pungent fattiness to it.

At Animal, I had the choice of several foie gras dishes, including their famed foie gras loco moco. Not being in the mood for spam, I opted to try the seared foie gras, topping a biscuit that was drowned in maple sausage gravy [$25].

The piece of foie from Animal was bigger and denser than the one from Shunji, and lightly scored before being seared. The browning from the sear was perfect and added the lightest crispness to the outside of the foie. The biscuit and maple sausage gravy gave a sweetness that contrasted well with the savoriness of the foie, and were strong partners for the intensity of foie gras.

At Hatfield’s, I ordered the only foie gras dish on the menu, seared, served with apple-rosemary “butter”, caramelized cippolini, and molasses toast [$25].

[Pardon the darkness of the photograph; I was in low-light conditions and did not want to disturb the other patrons with a flash. You can see better photographs of this dish at Taste with the Eyes or at BunRab.com.]

This was the largest piece of foie of the three restaurants, and had a very caramelized sear but without really crisping the outside. The consistency was fatty like at Shunji, and like at Animal (and Shunji too, come to think of it), the dish combined sweet (apple butter, cippolini onions) and savory (foie) components.

Bonus: At Waterloo & City earlier this month, I had the smoked eel and foie gras terrine, with piccalilli, soy gastrique, and brioche.

This dish really surprised me. I was expecting it to pack a bolder punch, but it was milder than I expected, in a good way. The eel was lightly smoked and the soy gastrique was fortunately nothing like the thick, cloyingly sweet sauce that’s slathered on unagi in sushi restaurants everywhere. The foie was delicately pungent and very tender. The terrine was dotted with generous chunks of both, and the sweet-tartness of the piccalilli brought it all together.

Shunji Japanese Cuisine
12244 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 826-4737

Animal
435 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 782-9225

Hatfield’s
6703 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 935-2977

Waterloo & City
12517 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90066
(310) 391-4222

Welcome to Offal Offal

The Offalo — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 07:00:29 +0000

If you are new to this blog, please feel free to read the pages linked under the Info section on the left sidebar to get a better feel for what this site’s about. The first, “Offal Offal“, covers the genesis of this blog, while the second, “The Offalo“, gives you a little background on who I am. The third, “Coloffalon“, is just a message to all the nitpickers on the internets. :-)

[For reviews of non-offal foods, check out my other blog, The Offalo!]