Olympic Cheonggukjang: Reading the Signs in Koreatown

Korean Restaurant Los Angeles

Olympic Cheonggukjang resides in a double decker strip mall on Koreatown's southeast edge.

Getting a handle on Korean restaurants that specialize in dishes that aren’t DIY has become a trickier proposition, with increasing regionalization and menus that can span several pages, plus wall-mounted specials that are strictly in Hangul. At Olympic Cheonggukjang, the approach was clear enough, with an emphasis on their namesake soybean stew, Chung Guk Jang, but it wasn’t until after I ordered that other dishes emanated from the kitchen and became imperative. Clearly return trips were in order, and they paid larger dividends.


Korean Restaurant Los Angeles

Olympic Cheonggukjang features spare decor wood slabs on the walls that we later learned list dishes like abalone jook and a hangover stew touting pork blood.

Korean Food Los Angeles

Olympic Cheonggukjang’s banchan are pretty consistent. Tiny dishes may contain sour sheets of kimchi, crunchy chile slathered cucumbers, chile’d bean sprouts with scallions, acorn jelly cubes with scallions and soy, or beans stewed with syrupy soy sauce and sugar.

We ordered Daeji Bulgogi ($13.49) on our first visit, resulting in pork slices marinated in gochujang and soy sauce, pan-fried with onions and scallions until crusty and caramelized. This was a solid version of a nearly ubiquitous Korean dish.

Korean Food Los Angeles

Whether you order it or not, a bowl of signature Chung Guk Jang ($8.22) is bound to end up on the table. The pungent stew of three-day fermented soy beans, tofu, zucchini, onion and anchovy stock definitely packs some funk, and a lingering chile kick.

Korean Food Los Angeles

Galbi Jjim ($24.99/2 servings) is probably the best version of the comforting braised short rib dish in town.

They marinate large chunks of beef in soy sauce, sugar, garlic and “other vegetables” and cook the meat low and slow until it becomes tender and infused with radiant flavor. This savory stew is available spicy or non-spicy. Of course order it spicy, which actually isn’t very fierce. Olympic Cheonggukjang should consider bottling the remarkable sauce, and if they don’t, you’ll want to spoon it over rice until every last drop is gone.

Korean Food Los Angeles

Olympic Cheonggukjang is especially slick with beef tendon and ligaments, and even offer it on a plate with garlic and scallions – Ooh Jok Jub Shi – but we ordered the spare parts in sul lung tang, which goes by Ooh Jok Tang.

The cloudy beef bone soup already has scallions in it, unlike Young Dong, and it’s possible to spoon in salt, but kimchi doesn’t seem to fit in the case of this textural tour de force.

Korean Food Los Angeles

We can’t help but follow threads, and found yet another during our second meal, Jogi Gui.

A number of restaurants pan-fry corvina in Los Angeles, but Olympic Cheonggukjang’s owners apparently source the small fish straight from Korea, elevating the quality of the dish. We became believers in their Jogi Gui ($12.75) on a third visit. The corvina was the only dish we hadn’t ordered yet from the menu’s front page, and it was simple but very good, featuring crisp skin with good give and sticky pieces of flaky white fish.

Koreatown has a number of homey, hearty restaurants, and Olympic Cheonggukjang warrants inclusion in that category’s regular rotation for their galbi jjim, jogi gui and ooh jok tang.

Tags:

Joshua Lurie

Joshua Lurie founded FoodGPS in 2005. Read about him here.

Blog Comments

I have eaten several times at the Olympic Cheonggukjang whenever I m in the area. There is no question that their stew is one of the best if not the best in K town. I say this because I have eaten at just about everywhere during the last 40 years of frequenting the area.

Dr. Kang, great to hear from you. I’d be interested to hear what other restaurants you enjoy in Koreatown. I imagine Matt shares some of your favorites.

Yesterday, I enjoyed a great traditional meal at Youngsusan at Olympic and Vermont. It’s a little pricy but a great way to experience a food presentation for what Kings used to eat at ancient times. Various appetizers and main course that quite honestly you will have difficulty finishing due to the amount of food that continues to flow during the meat time. The food is immaculately presented and is very delicious. If you haven’t had it, we will have to try it soon.

Dr. Kang, I had a chance to try Yongsusan years ago, but not the top-level menu. It sounds like a return trip is well worth it.

Let me know when you are ready. Lets visit there with Matthew for an updated experience..

Leave a Comment