Dan Sung Sa: Pojangmacha

Don’t let this place scare you. It’s not hard to find just look for the Kim Jon IL poster whose face is plastered on the restaurant sign. Inside it's kind of eerie with dim lighting, slightly dirty and crowded. I guess they're re going for a North Korean vibe. There is graffiti all over the walls making you wonder if you've arrived in a third world country. If you’re not a smoker beware because this place has no regard for the no-smoking law as it seems like you're encouraged to light up. So why am I telling you this? Because if you can look past all that then you might like the overall experience. I've been here several times as I was introduced by a friend who's as passionate about food as I am. The food is inexpensive as it's only on menu to encourage you drink as much as you can. It's a restaurant of hit-or-miss bar food that's loud, grimy and sometimes smokey but I always seem to have good time when I'm there.


Here is their menu on a wooden tablet.


The first thing that comes out is complimetary
barley tea and vegetable soup.


One of my favorite dishes is something I call the dumbbells. Stuffed with rice noodles, tempura battered and fried,wrapped in seaweed.


Pig blood sausage It's mild and can be ordered steamed or fried.It had a nice mild buttery flavor


Raw tofu topped with kimchee This was another one of my favorites. the tofu was nice and creamy the kimchee added a crunchy texture and spiciness, it all complimented each other well.


Rabbokki with fish cakes (spicy) it's the same as tokkbokki but with ramen noodles added.

Frog legs and anchovies grilled.

Tender fried sliced egg rolls nice texture. Tasted like a rolled up omelete.

Mackerel grilled needed some seasoning.

Skewers ,shrimp, chicken, scallops, beef and mushrooms and the sauces.


BBQ pork or should I say BBQ cartilage? I couldn't find the meat.

Squid this was nice and spicy.

Soju after about two of these I can’t remember what else I ate.



Neighborhood: Koreatown
3317 W 6th St
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 487-9100

Dogzilla

Not Your Typical Wiener



The wieners themselves are very good. They’re meaty in texture and not salty, however, in this case the toppings make the hot dog. Various Japanese toppings are used to create a truly distinctive and delicious flavor. Their best-selling dog is the Dogzilla so that’s what I had. It consists of an all-beef frank, grilled onions, teri-mayo sauce, avocado and bacon topped with furikake.






These hotdogs are not cheap but are well worth it. The combination of the ingredients work really well together as you can't help but get a burst of flavor in every bite. The teri-mayo adds a sweet, smooth flavor that along with the caramelized onions worked perfectly. The furikake added a Japanese aroma.



Yakisoba dog: Spicy sausage link yakisoba, okonomi sauce, red ginger and nori. I did not try this one but I did take a picture to intice you. I will be going back tomorrow review to follow.

Okaki dog-Bratwurst: melted monterrey jack cheese, wasabi mayo teriyaki sauce, okaki ( rice flakes) and nori flakes.

Furikaki- All beef frank grilled onions, teri- mayo sauce topped with furikake.

What's on my stove top?

On Top of Spaghetti..

Spaghetti is comfort food. It's so fast and easy to prepare plus it's a great way to clean out your refrigerator. What better way to utilize all your vegetables? One way to put a smile on everyone face is to mention that spaghetti is cooking.

While everyone has their own way of eating spaghetti I believe I have discovered the perfect vessel for consuming this kind of pasta. I've seen some pile the spaghetti and meat sauce on a dish and attack it with no regard for the mess factor. If you're spinning the spaghetti with a fork and spoon you need the high sides of a deep bowl to catch the red specks that will otherwise wind up on the table or worse your clothes. Plus, when you get to the end, the sides of the bowl make it easy to catch the last and shorter pieces of spaghetti that can not be controlled by the fork. Clean, fool-proof and time-tested a bowl of spaghetti is the only way to go.

What's in my oven?

I admit I think about food all day. Things like what am I going to make or where am I going to eat? Today, I so wanted it to feel like Autumn. It's been hot and I just wanted to trick my mind into believing that it was a cooler time of year. I decided what better way than to make something with cinnamon, ginger, anise, cloves, and nutmeg? Remember, you don't have to go out and buy each spice. Just pick up some Chinese five-spice powder as it has everything you'll need and it will save you money. When I make this chicken the whole house smells like pumpkin and cinnamon, things that your senses tell you it's autumn. When someone walks into my house the first thing they ask is "Are you making a pumpkin pie?" I'll admit that this recipe is not my own but I have tweaked it a bit.

Here is the star of the show.



Turn the chicken over and cut it straight down the spine. Make sure you have a sharp knife.





Open the chicken then rinse and pat dry.


Rub the chicken with the Chinese 5-spice mixture.

Massage the chicken well making sure you've spread rub all over it.

Make the glaze.


Bake the chicken in an oven @ 375 degrees breast side up for 15 minutes. Then glaze the chicken and turn it breast side down baking it for 15 minutes. Glaze it again and turn chicken over breast side up. Finish cooking while basting every 15 minutes until the chicken's internal temperature reads 165 degrees on the thermometer.




Viola! The chicken is done, the house smells good and I can't wait to eat.




5-Spice Rub

1/2 cup of five spice powder
1 tablespoon of ground ginger
Combine both ingredients and mix well


Glaze
1 cup of Hoisin sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 tsp red pepper flakes ( optional)

Combine all ingredients and cook for 5 minutes

Phong Dinh

Where the Wild Things Are.

Here is a place to sneak off to if mother sends you to bed without supper. Phong Dinh is the "King of all Wild Things". Everything is cooked to order so make sure if you want the catfish that you call one hour prior to arriving. All manners go out the window as it's nice to just dig in with your hands. I went with a group of people which made for a nice experience. Each dish came in its own sauce.

We were greeted immediately upon arrival and seated right away as the staff was friendly. You could tell by the atmosphere that people were here for the experience as much as the food

Baked Catfish -The catfish was fresh and I was expecting some crispy skin however it was nice and tender. The dish is made to be eaten as a wrap because It comes with vermicelli noodles, wraps,bean sprouts, cucumbers, a nice tangy sweet sauce and a plate of nice herbs. At first, eating the catfish alone it was bland but when wrapped and adding all the accompaniments everything seemed to work well.




Quail Eggs Wrapped in Shrimp Paste -This was a surprisingly delighful dish. The creaminess of the yolk and the saltiness of the shrimp paste complement each other perfectly

Sauteed Kangaroo with Black Pepper -I can honestly say I like
Kangaroo. I can also honestly say that I wasn't too sure about it before it was placed in front of me. it had a nice texture and was very moist. This was served fajita style. Meat nice and tender.



Sauteed Boar -The reason I give this dish a two is because the flavor of the boar was not there. The curry seemed to overpower this dish. I love boar and I love Thai curry but the under note of the coconut dominated this dish. Don't get me wrong, the curry sauce was great but put together and it was a curry dish with boar that I couldn't taste.



Manila Clams -This was a great dish as the liquor of the clams with the garlic, bell pepper and chili added a very robust flavor. .


Water Spinach -This was one of my favorite dishes. The water spinach was nice and tender and sauteed to perfection. Reminds me of rapini.


Bok Choy and Garlic -I love it when Bok Choy is cooked right and it definitely was here sauteed with garlic..

Alligator -This reptile was tasty.I have never had alligator like this. I have always eaten it ground as a burger. It was kind of scary to see the claw and I must admit I was intimated. But, what the heck, I ate it. It was a bit chewy and the actual claw really had no taste but again the sauce was good. The menu says minced alligator which is misleading because there is nothing minced about this meat. Sesame rice crackers were served with the alligator.



Snake -Now this slithering reptile definitely needed some work I can not really describe the taste. It was served wrapped in a "lot" leaf as it reminded me of a stuffed grape leaf dolma. It also had a bitter after taste and there was a crunch, I just don't know what it was.

Shrimp and Pig Ear Salad was nicely presented with the plate surrounded by shrimp chips

We were given rice paper, noodles and veggies to wrap the grilled shrimps.

Here is the evidence, we finished the catfish.

Phong Dinh Restaurant
2643 San Gabriel Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770
(626) 307-8868