Chego Review : L'ego my Chego!

We have been huge fans of the food truck movement here in Los Angeles. Oddly enough, this movement has turned some food truck chefs into local celebrities(sometimes even national celebrities). We've spotted chef Roy Choi(aka Papi Chulo) a few times at art galleries and local dive bars in our neighborhood(without the Kogi Truck mind you, but always with the signature fitted flipped to the back). So we were very excited to hear that Papi Chulo, of the famous Kogi BBQ truck, was opening a brick and mortar restaurant near Culver City. Tucked into the corner of a nondescript strip mall on Overland, Chego offers Asian inspired comfort food by the bowlful. 

Chego's bowls are good as is, but adding a little something extra can really make it a whole new dish. We can never pass up ordering pork belly if we see it on a menu, even if we have to add it on. We ordered the Buttered Kimchi Chow with kurobuta pork belly added on. One look at the yolky topped rice bowl and we were ready to eat it up! The bold flavors and fresh ingredients that chef Roy Choi puts into his dishes are distinct and will have you lining up with bowl in hand, begging for a sliver of that scrumptious pork belly.

The Rock Yer Road at Chego may rock your world. Karen definitely has the sweeter tooth and could not resist this deconstructed Rocky Road dessert. Chocolate ice cream is topped with crushed smoked almonds, caramel, brownie chunks, melting marshmallow fluff and a Luxardo cherry(a fancy Maraschino).

Chego
3300 Overland Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90034

Kalbi Burger Review : As Seen On TV

We are a couple of good ol' Americans with red, white and blue (some purple and gold mixed in there too) running through our veins, so we are always on the look out for a good burger and fries. Imagine the buckets of drool when we came across Kalbi Burger near Koreatown. Their signature Kalbi Burger patty is made with half ground chuck and half Korean marinated short rib. Not to mention, all the burgers they cook are 100% Natural Angus Beef, which means cows raised with no hormones, or antibiotics. I may not be a vegetarian, but these cows are.

That is what chef/owner Hawk Lee spoke to us about during a taping of our friend’s upcoming public access food show “Eat LA”. He is proud of the product he has put out, as far as quality of ingredients and inspiration for his menu, and you can really taste the difference in these burgers. Did I mention you can customize your burger as well? One of our favorite burgers to get here is the Kalbi Burger but with a little kimchi added on. The pickled kimchi and marinated Kalbi patty just go together well. The Asian inspired burgers that Hawk has created are a refreshing twist on the American classic.

Karen's favorites are split between the Kalbi Burger with kimchi and the banh mi inspired Saigon Burger. The jalapeno and cucumber cut thin to give the burger a distinctive crunch like a banh mi sandwich. Hawk confessed he would drive all the way to San Gabriel for a good banh mi.

My vote is also split but between the Kalbi Burger and the LuLu Burger, which comes from da islands brah. The Lulu burger is topped with a grilled pineapple with bacon and a spread of Hawk's secret LuLu sauce.

Kalbi Burger topped with American cheese, standard salad (red onion, tomato, lettuce) with a Korean vinaigrette and Kalbi aioli sauce. Fries were tossed in two different types of sea salt and red wine vinegar.

Whether you are familiar with Korean/Asian flavors or just want to try a fresh, quality burger with a new taste, try a Kalbi Burger and eat it up!

Kalbi Burger
4001 Wilshire Blvd., Unit E
Los Angeles, CA 90010