June 19, 2011

• Song of the Day
  

  Eating Around in L.A. – ONDAL 2 - we ventured into this Koreantown eatery known for their spicy korean crab soup, kkot geh tang (꽃게탕). Korean “kkote geh” or flower crab, is a popular crab cultured in Asia and offers a flesh that is more generous than Atlantic or Maryland blue crab but more flavorful than Dungeness crab which is quite popular here on the West Coast. Ondal 2 specializes in special stews and soups of this wonderful crab in a bright and spacious restaurant. Generally the smallest order of the kkote geh tang, or brothy stew, serves three to four, and considering that we are having five hungry people here, we decided to share the five-crab order which is considered as a medium order.

  

  A very generous spread of banchan, or side dishes, came with our meal…..notable ones were the raw sliced sweet potato, potato salad, sweet seaweed dust, octopus, egg custard, and a whole mackerel pike fish…..
  

  

  The first part of our meal was the stew with stuffed crab shells. Mushrooms and bitter greens added flavor while the spicy broth was absolutely delicious. One of the waiters prepares the crab pieces for us. Pretty much all of the cooking, while done on the tabletop, was done by the staff, who were very timely and professional. They then stir in kong-nah-mul or young bean sprouts, which soak up the broth and get to a translucent tender in just a few minutes of simmering in the broth. The crab pot is excellent – succulent and flavorful.
  

  

  Here at Ondal 2, they only use female crabs. The server takes the crab shell and begins to add crab roe, rice and bean sprouts into the shell. And tops it off with a nice shot of crab-flavored soup from the hot pot.
  

  For the last part, using mainly the broth and other solid ingredients of the stew, the staff creates a delicious fried rice or bokeumbap, the best way to savor every last bit of flavor from the soup. Kimchi is added while additional broth is ladled in to keep it moist. Meanwhile, we finish off the rest of the crab pieces that were floating around and removed from the stew. The rice starts to get crispy on the bottom. This crispy bottom is a gourmand’s delight (ask any paella-lover).
  

  

  

  Overall the meal is very delicious, though perhaps a larger order should be had for groups of 5. Every part of the meal was a wonderful iteration of the flower crab’s flavors, which was fresh, pristine, spicy, and rich. Cost is around $25 per person, which is reasonable, though not particularly a bargain for Koreatown. Still, for a once-in-a-while treat (and culinary adventure), there are very few places much better than Ondal 2.

  ONDAL 2 | 4566 W Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016 | (323) 933-3228

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