Oct 2014

Lunch at POT – Los Angeles (Koreatown)

Pot | Lunch | Koreatown - Los Angeles

Now that The Astronomer and I are ten weeks away from welcoming our baby girl into the world, we’ve been thinking a lot about how our dining rituals of showing up without reservations and waiting in long lines will need to be revised quite soon. Not one to miss out on the latest hot spots, I’m hoping that lunchtime outings and dining early will keep me properly in touch with the L.A. restaurant scene with a child in tow.

Which brings me to POT, Roy Choi’s stupendous Koreatown spot that now offers lunch. While snagging a seat at dinnertime can be tough, lunch is a decidedly child-friendly affair with an al fresco dining option. God, I’m starting to sound like a mommy blogger…

Pot | Lunch | Koreatown - Los Angeles

The lunchtime menu is slightly abbreviated from the one offered at dinner, with scaled down portions and a few fun additions including Spam banh mi and classic bi bim bap.

Pot | Lunch | Koreatown - Los Angeles

The Astronomer and I started our lunchtime feast with an order of the “Stash” ($5), a sweet, salty, and umami-fied party mix of dried squid, peanuts, cashews, beef jerky, potato chips, dried pineapple, seaweed, wasabi peas, dried anchovies, and sesame seeds. I’d be the first in line to buy this stuff if it were bagged and sold by the pound. A killer beginning, for sure.

Pot | Lunch | Koreatown - Los Angeles

We also dug into some damn fine “Fried Dumplings” ($7) that were served with a spicy soy-based sauce.

Pot | Lunch | Koreatown - Los Angeles

For our first main, we shared the “Stoned Bibimbap” with grilled shrimp ($13). This perfectly satisfying rendition was decked out with a runny egg, crispy rice, and a generous heap of red pepper paste to set our mouths afire. The addition of dill pickles among the usual vegetal components was unexpected and delightful. Pro tip: let the crackling subside before digging in for properly crispy rice.

Pot | Lunch | Koreatown - Los Angeles

The chilled “Noodle of the Day” ($11) provided a cooling counterpart to the bi bim bap, especially the radishes and string beans.

Pot | Lunch | Koreatown - Los Angeles

On the side was a kick-ass “Potato Pancake” ($11) served with the same righteous soy-chili sauce as the dumplings. We couldn’t help eating just one more golden slice even though we were already stuffed.

Pot | Lunch | Koreatown - Los Angeles

To finish, I hopped on over to the caFe in the lobby for a slice of black sesame butter mochi. The combination of streusel and black sesame totally hit the spot.

Lunch at POT: Come and get it. Kid or not.

POT at the Line Hotel
3515 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Phone: 213-368-3030

Koreatown haunts that haunt my cravings:

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3 thoughts on “Lunch at POT – Los Angeles (Koreatown)

  1. Awww, that’s awesome!! Only 10 weeks away, could be a Christmas baby… ;D Enjoy this quiet time. Eating out will definitely be different in the years to come with the little one in tow, but with good childcare, you should have no problem on date nights!! Thank god for date nights, they keep me sane.

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