Miari Noodle House: Comfort Food at its Best with Excellent Veggie Rice Bowl and Fermented Soy Bean Stew

I found a good, old-school spot in Koreatown that serves rustic classic like fermented soy bean paste stew and garlic chive rice bowl, also known as buchu bibimbab. It's called Miari Noodle House (Miari Son Kalguksoo in Korean) in the mini-mall right next to Koreatown Galleria, my go-to market to buy Korean ingredients. I wasn't expecting a whole lot (yes, I judged a book by its cover) but got encouraged by the constant inflow of Korean families spanning three or more generations waiting for a table. The rice dish was nourishing (felt healthy too) and very refreshing -- perfect for LA's current heat wave. A mix of white and black rice topped with raw, glistening garlic chives (looks like grass), steamed bean sprouts, pickled radish strips, romaine lettuce and dried seaweed strips -- all brought together with some red pepper paste (see the after image below), sesame oil and sesame seeds. I know. Hard to go wrong, right?

The fermented soy bean paste stew, duenjang jjigae, was another nice surprise. Visually, it didn't look as thick so I expected it to taste watered down. Even though the broth was on the clear side, which is unusual for good stew, the flavor was very strong. I attribute that to a solid foundation of the broth using dried baby anchovies and kelp. The stew came with potatoes, zucchini, enoki mushrooms and scallions. I really liked this one, even better than Jang-an Duenjang, where the restaurant is named after this dish but the quality has deteriorated a bit over the years.

The kimchi was good. My only beef with this place is that the rice had been pre-made far too long ago so it was cakey and not as fluffy as it should.

I'd love to return to try its namesake, kalgooksu, or knife noodles, when it gets colder.

Natalie Peruvian Seafood Restaurant: Top Your Lomo Saltado with an Egg, Good Seafood Options

My friends and I wanted a seafood-oriented joint that wouldn't break the bank so we ventured to Natalie Peruvian Seafood located in a small, nondescript mini-mall in Hollywood. Let's just say this is our new go-to place and Mario's Peruvian's got nothin' on Natalie. The seafood was fresh, the meat was tender and the spicy green aji sauce enhanced all the dishes nicely. My personal fave is always the lomo saltado, except I had it with two over-easy eggs on top (called lomo montado especial). Seriously, what's not to like? Look at that beauty up top. The meat wasn't tough as in some cheaper spots (actually, even some fine dining restos like Mochica served tough meat -- what's their excuse?) and the generous portions of fries, tomatoes and onions were well mixed together and not too oily. 

We shared a bunch of plates including a mixed seafood in a cream lobster sauce with a giant potato on the side; fried whole fish with stir fried onions, tomatoes and shrimp fried rice (chaufa - Peruvian-Chinese food). The mixed seafood dish that included squid, mussels and shrimp was fresh and the sauce was not too heavy with just a hint of spice -- just wish it could have been a bit spicier as advertised (as well as the missing octopus from the mix). All in all, nothing that the aji sauce couldn't fix. The potato on the side would have been a good counterpoint to the spice but it ended up being just a garden-variety carb accompaniment to the protein. 

The fried whole fish was good in some parts but other parts of the fish tasted a bit like lead, much like Tilapia does sometimes. Not sure if it's a freshness issue but there were definitely parts that didn't have that taste. This dish came with steamed rice although we had a heaping plate of shrimp fried rice so barely touched the white rice.

The shrimp in the fried rice wasn't as fresh as the other seafood we had there and there were many but the rice itself was good -- not too oily or salty as in most fried rice dishes and well incorporated.

We got full from the get-go from muching on bread doused in that aji sauce before our meal came out.

I'd definitely return to try other Peruvian classics like ceviche featuring giant Peruvian corn kernels, papa a la Huancaina with all sorts of funky sauces over potatoes, and of course, the alfajor, aka crack. The description on the menu, "Peruvian shortbread cookie," doesn't even begin to do it justice. It's true that I'm mostly a fan of Chilean or Argentine alfajor but hey, as long as it's dulce de leche (or manjar, as it's called in Chile) sandwiched in a cookie, I'm going to guess I'll take to the Peruvian version just fine.

Check out my reviews of other Peruvian restos in Cali and of this fancier one in Marina del Rey. What about the venerable Pollo a La Brasa, you ask? Lovely people but not my cup of tea...