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…

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Koreatown haunts that haunt my cravings:

• Aladin Sweets & Market – Los Angeles
• BonChon Chicken – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Chicken Day – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Commissary at The Line Hotel – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Don Dae Gam – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• DonDay – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Dwit Gol Mok (DGM) – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Fat Fish – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Hae Jang Chon – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Hite Kwang-Jang – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Hollys Coffee – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Jae Bu Do – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Jeon Ju Restaurant – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Jun Won Restaurant – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Kobawoo House – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• KyoChon – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Ma Dang Gook Soo – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Mapo Kkak Doo Gee – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Miljip House of Noodles – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Mirak – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• OB Bear – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Olympic Noodle – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• POT – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Shoubo Izakaya – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Soban – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Tahoe Galbi Restaurant – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• The Prince – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
• Tofu Village – Los Angeles (Koreatown)