porky delights at don dae gam

most restaurants do not advertise to their patrons how rotund their buttocks may become after heifing at their establishment. but don dae gam makes no apologies for it and proudly displays the roundest swine's behind for you to look at and aspire to as you stuff your face silly with all kinds of their delicious porky offerings. not at all intimidated by a potential expanding behind, my dining partner and i dropped in for dinner this past saturday night.

surprisingly, this sister restaurant to park's bbq was rather empty which was a godsend for our grumbling bellies. we were seated quickly at a round aluminum table, woot. the banchan that was brought out to us was standard fare though i quite enjoyed a marinated version of kimchi that reminded me of vietnamese pickled mustard greens. ah...when conical hats meet korean kats.

after a quick huddle over our menus, we decided to go with a combo meal for the best bang for our buck. for $49.99, the combo #1 allowed us to choose two different kinds of pork bbq, a side dish from their "something more" category, and beer/soju. since there were only two mouths that night, albeit big mouths at that, the best deal for us was a combo meal.

although don dae gam offers beef, it seemed counterintuitive to order cow when such a big fat pig was emblazoned on their menu. we decided to choose the special pork neck meat and the seasoned black pork belly as our two porky choices and a side order of fried kimchi rice balls from their "something more" category.

pork neck. WOW. i can't quite say i've had it before and texturally, it reminded me of pig's feet but without the gelatinous element to it. however, the chew was similar. it was LOVE. if i was a vampire, i would forgo your neck and head straight for the swine's. DELICIOUS i tell ya and i would certainly crave this odd piece of meat.

the seasoned black pork belly was dangerously unctuous and was marinated with the same ingredients that one would find for galbi. but i must warn you that one must ENJOY fat to enjoy this cut of meat. i like fat so i likey.

the little football shaped fried kimchi rice balls were a delectable discovery that night as well. although a tad oily, the balls of mixed black and white rice were stuffed in an egg blanket. each bite seared into my memory the desire to return to don dae gam sooner, rather than later, for another order of these savory carb filled footballs.

the meal ended with their tofu and bean paste soup. as you can tell by the picture, we had quite a bit of heat in that bowl. i thought it was too spicy and my dining partner did not enjoy the fermented bean taste.

and rice crust in water, another unnecessary side for us that came along with the meal.

overall, the meal i had at don dae gam was spectacular and i only wished there were more mouths that night to justify over-ordering. not only was there no wait, but the service was quick and attentive....not to mention PORK NECK and FRIED KIMCHI RICE BALLS. and truth be told, my bum was quite robust as i waddled out of their doors that night. ahhh, i do look forward to waddling back through their doors again soon though. oh pork...i oink you.

Don Dae Gam
1145 S. Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(323) 373-0700

price: $$
verdict: omg, i love it!