May 07, 2013

Chego! (Chinatown)


Roy Choi, Roy Choi, Roy Choi. 
The media seem to love him and LA is proud to call him homegrown.  What's his deal anyway?  Chego, that's what.  (chego roughly meaning "the best" in Korean).  No, literally, Chego.

I first tried Choi's rice bowl three years ago, when Chego was only a young pup, getting cozy in West LA.  I was only mildly impressed.  In fact, I might have used the terms, "confused and disappointed."  (What can I say?  I'm a purist).  But like many things in life, people change, circumstances change, life happens.  And by my 2nd, 3rd, and definitely by my 4th visit, I was craving Chego like a crack addict in denial.  They even have something called "Pina Krackalada" on their menu (I'm just sayin').  Soon enough, bowling with rice was my thing, even though I'm not big on bowling or rice (Am I truly Asian?). 

Chego may have temporarily left the Westside, but it's still around, this time giving some love to the Eastsiders (holler) with its new location in Chinatown.  So I went, hoping the food is still addictively good...

Well friends, good news; it's still damn good.

For lunch, I went with the Ooey Gooey Fries and Chubby Pork Belly Bowl  Why?  Because you really can't go wrong with those choices.

Ooey Gooey Fries -- beer-battered fries with sour cream sambal, monterey jack, cheddar, cotija cheeses, chillies, cilantro, and pickled garlic -- $6

Beautiful.

Chubby Pork Belly -- kochujang-lacquered Kurobata rice bowl with fried egg, pickled radishes, Chinese broccoli, water spinach, cotija, and peanuts -- $9

Mix, mix, mix!

Peek-a-boo, I heart you.

Menu with Pee-wee Herman

Jarritos (Mexican soda) chillin' with Milkis and Korean peach juice = delicious fusion.

For first-time visitors, the location may be easy to miss.  Chego is located on the bottom floor of the Far East Plaza.  The parking entrance is definitely easy to miss, but note that there are entrances both on Hill and Broadway.


Lunch hustle-bustle.


Note the Disclaimer.  Keep it real.

Minor suggestions to the restaurant:
The congratulatory flowers for grand opening are great, but it may be best to have them somewhere away from the eating area so folks with allergies can eat without getting a sudden allergy attack (that's for you, CC). Also, consider adding purse hooks on the bottom of the table for the ladies (and the murse-carrying men).  That's all.

Keep doin' your thang, Chego team! Because so far as I can tell, it's working out well.  I always like seeing the friendly Asian grandpa giving us the thumbs-up sign.  And as long as you do your part, we'll do ours -- eating chego.  Roy Choi, Roy Choi, Roy Choi.



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Chego on Urbanspoon 

cuisine: Korean Fusion (rice bowl)
location: Chinatown
hours: Tues-Sun, 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM (closed Mondays)
websites { C | yelp | facebook | twitter }
parking: Underground lot (free up to 30 min; get validation sticker at the restaurant)
seating: Indoor and outdoor
attire: Casual
notes: Don't want to stand in line?  Order by phone or online ahead of time! Menus are online.

4 comments:

  1. you're quick! i was going to check it out this weekend but was worried about possible lines.

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    Replies
    1. Go! Call in your order ahead of time to avoid lines.

      PS - It's amazing how quickly I can turnaround reviews when I want to. I still have month-old photos waiting their turn. Oops. :)

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  2. I think I saw you sitting by the window taking pictures and vigorously mixing up your rice?

    -creepy fan (ha)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That was me! Hope you enjoyed your meal too. :)

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