KOREAN STYLE FEED YOURSELF - OR A CROWD - AT VALLEY PUB.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic KOREAN PUB RESTAURANT is the way Valley Chugagib in Granada Hills describes itself on its business card. Consequently, it pours Bud and Michelob on draft, sells OB and Hite Korean beers in large bottles and also has bottled Sam Adams, Bud and Coors and a few variations of Korean soju, a beverage distilled from sweet potatoes. As a restaurant, the longtime On Li building with vinyl booths in a dining room that utilizes logs as its major decor touch serves up authentic Korean fare with, seemingly, chicken as its signature dish A signature dish is a recipe that identifies an individual chef. Ideally it should be unique and allow an informed gastronome to name the chef in a blind tasting. It can be thought of as the culinary equivalent of an artist finding their own style, or an author finding their own . But this is not the familiar bulgogi place, with tables sporting inset hibachis to cook marinated meats and such. Chugagib's kitchen serves up steaming hot pork and potato soup spiced with a fiery red chile broth in an iron kettle. The small size runs $12.95, medium $24.95 and large $29.95. Based on the amount of pork on the bone delivered in the small kettle one evening recently, the large one probably holds a whole hog whole hog Slang n. The whole way; the fullest extent: went the whole hog and ordered dessert. adv. Completely; unreservedly: swallowed the official version whole hog. . ``So what's 'bundegi'?'' I asked the waitress when I came across a menu item I didn't understand. ``Silk worms,'' she replied, ``but we don't have them tonight.'' ``Do you eat them?'' I asked. ``No,'' she answered quietly, wrinkling her nose. So I ordered the Korean egg roll ($7.95). Imagine my surprise at what arrived. It bears no resemblance to other Asian egg rolls. This dish is basically a rolled green onion and carrot speck omelet cut on the slant into oval slices that are fanned out handsomely on a large plate centered with a hillock hillock /hill·ock/ (hil´ok) a small prominence or elevation. hill·ock n. A small protuberance or elevation, as from an organ, a tissue, or other structure. of shredded napa Napa (năp`ə), city (1990 pop. 61,842), seat of Napa co., W Calif., on the Napa River; inc. 1872. There are wineries and factories that produce medical and electronic equipment, beverages, apparel, and plastic and wood products. cabbage draped drape v. draped, drap·ing, drapes v.tr. 1. To cover, dress, or hang with or as if with cloth in loose folds: draped the coffin with a flag; a robe that draped her figure. with Thousand Island dressing Thou·sand Island dressing n. A salad dressing made with mayonnaise, chili sauce, and seasonings. [Perhaps after the Thousand Islands.] Noun 1. . Quite a nice-looking plate. And if you think about it, an honest-to- goodness egg roll. I actually liked it much more than Chugagib's kim chi pancake pancake, thin, flat cake, made of batter and baked on a griddle or fried in a pan. Pancakes, probably the oldest form of bread, are known in different forms throughout the world. ($7.95) tried at another visit, also generously portioned but of rather pasty texture. Also rather disappointing one time was the spicy chicken ($10.95), here glazed spicy hot and sweet but rather dry overall under its sticky glaze glaze, in pottery glaze, translucent layer that coats pottery to give the surface a finish or afford a ground for decorative painting. Glazes—transparent, white, or colored—are fired on the clay. , a whole bird hacked into small pieces and way too much for us to eat even if it had been more palatable. A little better on that occasion was a mixed teriyaki ter·i·ya·ki n. A Japanese dish of grilled or broiled slices of marinated meat or shellfish. [Japanese : teri, glaze + yaki, to broil.] Noun 1. meat platter ($14.95), this time not too sweet, with moist slices of various meats in a mildly seasoned sauce. However, even in this dish there was one odd-tasting meat. It was left uneaten. A decision to try the Korean mixed noodle ($9.95) offering pointed out the language difference. It turned out to be a noodle mixture with one type of noodle and some vegetables, not a mixture of noodles noo·dle 1 n. A narrow, ribbonlike strip of dried dough, usually made of flour, eggs, and water. [German Nudel. . The slightly sticky glass noodles and vegetables, mostly sweet peppers, did, however, make quite a satisfying side dish side dish n. A dish served as an accompaniment to the main course. Noun 1. side dish - a dish that is served with, but is subordinate to, a main course entremets, side order . And like everything else ordered at Chugagib, a heaping portion. Larry Lipson, (818) 713-3668 larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com VALLEY CHUGAGIB Food: Two stars - Wine: One star - Service: Two and one half stars Where: 17840 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills. Hours: Open for dinner and drinks only from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Recommended items: Korean egg roll, Korean mixed noodle, pork and potato soup. How much: All dishes served in entree sizes priced from $7.95 to $29.95, except for side dishes of noodles ($2) and rice ($1.50). Combination meal and drink packages from $29.90 to $66.85. Wine list: Beer (from $3 a glass or bottle to $15 a pitcher) and soju ($10 each) emphasized here. Also wine. All major credit cards accepted. Reservations: Not needed as a rule except for large parties. Call (818) 360-3018. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: With a sign mostly in Korean, authenticity is key at Valley Chugagib in Granada Hills, where beer and soju (distilled from sweet potatoes) are the beverages of choice. Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer |
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