Kkondae KBBQ - Review - Koreatown - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"Kkondae might be slang for “grumpy old person,” but this Korean barbecue spot is clearly a place for people who aren’t afraid to let loose. There’s a 97% chance you’ll leave with a constellation of oil splatters on your shirt, and the space leans hard into the pocha aesthetic with metal tables, low stools, BTS songs on loop, and a few Jinro frog statuettes staring at you. The pork cuts are miles better than the beef, so the best bet is to order the first combo on the menu, which comes with belly cuts in varying thicknesses—thin strips that get crisp and chewy like bacon, and thicker slices with chunky layers of fat. The staff cooks everything for you on sizzling grills, including the kimchi that you should absolutely wrap each slab of pork in. Save room for the final boss of fried rice that they make with all the leftover porky juices. Food Rundown Frozen Pork Belly This cut is common in South Korea, and freezing the pork belly is meant to give it a snappy, chewy edge. Kkondae’s version mostly gets there, but we wish it were sliced just a tad thinner so it would crisp up more. We prefer the regular thin pork belly here, which cooks faster and gets to a better bacon-meets-samgyupsal texture. photo credit: Cathy Park Pork Collar The pork collar is the only thing in the pork combo that we wish we could skip. The meat is tough and dry, without that fattiness you want from a cut of pork. Namul Lunch Box Ignore the name—this isn’t a lunch dish (Kkondae doesn’t even open until dinner). It’s the fried rice finale, cooked right at the table at the end of the meal. The rice and greens come packed in a lunchbox-style container, and it soaks up the leftover pork flavor once it’s stirred on the grill. There’s no better way to close out a meal here. photo credit: Cathy Park" - Cathy Park