Kang Ho Dong is an entertainer from Korea, where he does the MC, comedian works, and also owns several chained restaurants. His Korean barbecue business was then transported to America, with stores opening in various locations in California, New York, even Hawaii!
Kang Ho Dong in K-town Los Angeles (street view) -
It's hard to tell how busy the restaurant is looking at the empty street, well, because that's not the main entry. Take a turn on the corner and you'll find an entrance leading to the plaza where many restaurants gathered -
The guy on the comic poster? That's Kang Ho Dong.
The plazas in Ktown rarely get so crowded till night falls, but this one was already filled with cars before noon -
Customers waiting in line -
Little quite area inside the restaurant, which soon will be packed once they let more customers in -
And it'll look something like this -
By the way, we got there around 11:40 a.m. on a weekend and still waited for around 45 minutes before getting a table. Crazy, especially considering there are so many other good Korean barbecue around the area.
Before we even started, the grill is already half-set with egg mixture on one side, creamed corn on the other. There are also small selection on banchan, dipping sauce, and salad greens -
Secret house sauce with wasabi on the side -
Onion strings -
Besides the leafy greens, there is one other type of shredded salad with mostly bean sprouts and scallions from Kang Ho Dong -
It's well seasoned compared to the lighter leafy greens. Since the restaurant does not provide neither the duk bo sam (rice paper) nor the thinly sliced pickled radish like the majority of other Korean barbecue joints do, most customers eat the grilled meat with this salad instead. Good in a way, forcing us to eat more veggies while the sole purpose of this meal was to devour meat, large chunks of meat.
Menu (click on the image for an enlarged view) -
Beef selection -
Love the funny comic drawing of Kang Ho Dong in the background.
Pork selection -
Combo -
Meal selection -
Drinks -
The bells, just ring it if you need server's attention -
Must have Korean beer -
The server does most of the grilling and cutting the meat into bite size pieces for you. I personally prefer it this way especially after numerous experiences of dining out with friends who claim they can do a better job and took over the barbecue tongs. Let's just leave the hard work to the well trained professionals.
Premium seared pork belly, beef tongue, outside skirt -
Large chunks of meat (great!) -
Sliced rib eye and beef tongue -
The beef tongue is slightly thicker than usual ones, especially when compared with most of the all you can eat places -
The server will start with the beef -
We got two grills, one seems to have heat distribution issue because the egg was never cooked through even till the end. The server wasn't too responsive with our doubt that the grill is not working right, she only kept asking us to be patient.
Good thing we can steal the eggs from the other grill and it's refillable. Some of the grilled meat oil drizzled down to the egg mixture, therefore adds more flavor (and chances of clogged artery) to this pleasant side dish.
Something raw first while waiting for the meat to be ready, beef tartar with raw egg yolk and pear strings -
The fruity sweetness from the pear was key to the tartar.
Yes! the beef is ready -
The wasabi wasn't quite as pungent as expected. So just be brave and mix it all together with the secret house sauce.
Special pork neck -
Marinated boneless short rib -
Eating with garlicky lettuce shredded salad -
Prime rib eye -
Grilled till about 30% cooked through -
Then the server will come over the cut the meat into large bite size pieces -
Just pick it up when the beef reaches your desired rareness -
Endless meat -
And the portion of short rib even overflows over the grill -
Got too lazy wrapping the meat with lettuce towards the end -
Kimchi stew, only if it helps washing down the beef fat -
Shaking lunch box, before -
The server will first show you what's inside the lunch box then close the lid, followed by 10 seconds of shaking action. Tough job. I would love to order this one more time just too see them shaking the lunch box over and over again (evil grin).
Shaking lunch box, after -
We appreciate the 10 seconds workout session that gives us this nicely combined rice mixture. Dried seaweed dominates the flavor.
The server usually cooks the pork last -
Here's the proof that the egg mixture was never cooked through from our side of the grill. Only the surface looks somewhat congealed into a thin layer -
Pork belly in the process -
Love it when most of the fat has been rendered with slightly burned crunchy edges -
Our bill for 8 people, quite a bargain -
Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong is not as refined as Park's Barbecue around the area, but the price is a lot more wallet-friendly. If you're looking for something better than all you can eat Korean barbecue without over the top price tags, Kang Ho Dong can be a good choice.
Cindy's rating: 7
Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong
3465 West 6th Street. Suite 20
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 384-9678
*Parking available on the street and inside the plaza
Honey Pig BBQ in my memory was one of the decent Korean barbecue restaurants in Los Angeles. That's why when it opened in Orange County, Irvine to be exact, this place has always been on my pocket list ever since. Unfortunately, the food in Irvine location didn't quite live up to its fame and my expectations.
The Honey Pig BBQ in Orange County is located on Jeffrey, between the 5 freeway and Trabuco road.
Orange County, especially Irvine = great outdoor space. It does come with a hefty price.
No reservation needed for Honey Pig BBQ. However, if you're familiar with this area, you'll noticed that at the same time, there are already people waiting in line for all you can eat Korean barbecue, especially the All That Barbecue about five minutes drive away.
Store design -
Piggy menu -
Click on the image for an enlarged view -
Meat selection -
Lunch menu at a bargained price -
Waitress started the fire for our grill -
She also put a bowl below the hole on the grill, so all the fatty oil will be collected without accumulating inside the grill -
Dipping sauce, sesame oil with salt on the left, chili paste on the right -
I used a lot of chili for Korean barbecue. As of Irvine and Tustin area, I think Shik Do Rak still has the best chili paste compared to Honey Pig BBQ, Gen, and All That Barbecue. It's has more kick and actually spicier with a little bit of tang.
Miso paste in the front, garlic slices and jalapeños in the back -
Dduk bo ssam, rice paper used in wrapping grilled meat and other side dishes -
Pickled radish wrap, slightly sweet and sourish. It pairs well with oily grilled meat, in which the refreshing flavor balances off the heavy tasting protein -
Lightly seasoned salad in the back and leafy greens in the front, which can be used as other type of wrap for the pork belly -
Before we started grilling any meat, our waitress laid the banchan around the rim of the grill -
Lots of kimchi and lots of bean sprouts, but that's almost about it as for our banchan -
Then it goes the chadol/beef brisket $17.99 -
Brisket is always one of my must have items at a Korean barbecue joint. It's not necessarily my favorite cut of meat, but it tastes very delicious when wrapped in either the rice paper or pickled radish, along with a little bit of kimchi and salad greens.
Pay closer attention, the fat is dripping away to the hole on the right side. Such a clever design -
You can wrap the beef slices in either rice paper or pickled radish. Some people like the brisket to be just about cooked through. However, try grilling it a little bit longer, the crunchier edge works very well with thinly sliced and slightly cold radish -
Picking up the whole thing requires some practices. The key is don't get too greedy before mastering the skill -
Bean paste soup -
Non-marinated beef tongue with butter $19.99 -
The beef tongue is on the lean side, so spreading the butter all over the grill prevents the meat from sticking.
There are also a few pieces of tofu as one of the few banchan selections -
Beef tongue, always a delicious item to order at a Korean barbecue place -
However, around this neighborhood, I think Gen Korean BBQ has a better version with more tender texture and beefier flavor.
Signature pork belly $19.99 -
The black peppercorn on top is more for garnishing purpose, you won't really taste the spiciness from the fatty pork -
It actually take quite a while to cook through such thickly cut meat. However, the fat gets rendered down during the process so there's no extensive greasy feeling when biting into the pork -
Look at all the oil flowing towards the hole on the grill -
When the pork is about ready, the waitress will help cutting the meat into bite size pieces. You can eat it right away or let the pork belly cook a little bit longer for extra crunchiness -
Grilled pork pairs well with salad greens. Top the pork with additional pickled banchan, perhaps with a little miso paste and chili sauce to spice up the flavor -
I would say along all three items ordered, the pork belly is the only one that got my thumbs up and worth the a la carte price tag. All other things you can simply get at an all you can eat Korean barbecue joint for much less money.
Overall Honey Pig BBQ ain't bad at all, especially for the decent pork belly. It just that the price paid for a la carte items here well surpassed the regular price as to all you can eat Korean barbecue, which is around $20 per person. At an all you can eat joint, you also get to try at least 6 different types of meat for the same price. In addition, there are not too many banchan/little dishes varieties at Honey Pig BBQ. As a result, it might not seem as much worth the money when comparing to other options around the area.
Friends who tried Honey Pig BBQ actually recommend ordering kimchi fried rice in the end, saying it might be the best dish at the Irvine branch. Unfortunately, the three dishes ordered were already a pretty long stretch for two people. Perhaps next time?
Cindy's Rating: 6
Honey Pig BBQ
14171 Jeffrey Road
Irvine, CA 92620
(949) 651-9005
Some of the all you can eat Korean barbecue restaurants around Irvine:
$20 for endless steaks, galbi, bulgogi, and more! - Gen Korean BBQ and Yakitori Bar
All that Barbecue (delicious been tongue)
Shik Do Rak (delicious brisket)
