Ondal & Korean Hot Pot

I’ve been to Ondal 2 on multiple occasions.  They serve a relatively lesser known Korean dish and the masses usually associate Korean food with Korean Barbecue.  

The Korean restaurant is a bit away from LA’s Koreatown, which could be a good thing depending on who you ask.  The good thing is you don’t have a parking issue.  The bad thing is you still have to pay a few bucks for valet parking.  However, there is street parking if you aren’t afraid of the grimy neighborhood. I grew up in the mean streets of Beverly Hills, so a little pot hole and dingy street light scares the shit out of me.

Ondal 2’s set up is like every Korean restaurant.  There’s the typical tacky wood tables and the service bell; I think I would have gone ape shit after 2 months of hearing the service if I was working at a Korean restaurant.  I would have been making threats like Kim Jong Un but with better hair cause I am from Los Angeles.  The restaurant is fairly small and does get packed, so reservations are highly recommended.  Ondal 2 serves Korean Hot Pot for a lack of a better description but it’s different types of stews perfect for that one cold night of the year in California.

Now, the food.

1. Crab Stew – The crab stew is cooked right in front of you.  The waitress throws in a few crabs then let it cook in front of you as she puts on your big.  The stew is a very large serving but it fairly cheap if you’re sharing among friends who don’t eat much.  The full body stew has a really nice taste to it and it’s pretty spicy.  How spicy?  It’ll give you the runs the next day if you’re not careful.

   

2. Beef Stew – The stew is served with different cuts of beef.  They add a bunch of nonsense that nobody ever eats like onions, mushrooms and a bunch of healthy crap.  I personally think it’s a waste of space in the bowl and in my stomach.  However, the beef pieces come out sweet and tender; the broth is also sweet and comforting like a girlfriend wanting you to buy her a new Louis Vutton purse.

   

3. Kimchi Fried Rice – Kim Chi Fried Rice is probably one of my favorite things to eat out of the Korean menu.  The good thing about Ondal is that they make right after you are done with your stew.  They even add in the leftover beef to the fried rice.  The fried rice had a nice color to it and the short round grain was cooked nicely.  However, the color isn’t as nice as Donald Trump’s tan.

   

Overall, I would recommend Ondal 2 for a comforting and relax experience like a night of Netflix and Chill.  It’s a fairly inexpensive meal and it’s filling.  Ondal 2 is the perfect stop for date night cause you could show your date that you’re cultured without paying too much for the meal.  Trust me.  She’ll love it as much as a hooker loves a herpes outbreak.

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