Chef David Chang opened his first Los Angeles restaurant Majordomo earlier this year. Located a little north of Chinatown in an area inhabited by warehouses, the restaurant serves small and large plates of Korean-inflected fare. Note: If you’re interested in how Majordomo launched from soup to nuts, I recommend listening to the “Pre-Opening Diaries” series on The Dave Chang Show podcast.
Parking is ample and easy in this part of town; however, the same cannot be said about reservations. I secured a table for two the day before out of sheer luck—someone must’ve just cancelled as I was perusing possibilities. Pro tip: plan ahead.
I find it impossible to discuss David Chang’s cooking without first acknowledging his reputation. For better or worse, the two are very much intertwined. As a culinary personality, he always seems to be bad-mouthing something or another or espousing self-assured yet unnuanced views on food and culture. All of this makes me shake my head in disappointment.
As a chef, however, his point of view in the kitchen has always piqued my interest. Since visiting Momofuku Noodle Bar back in 2007, I’ve kept close tabs on his whereabouts whenever I visited New York City—from Ssam Bar to Má Pêche to Milk Bar to Fuku.
While I have my views of the guy, both good and less-good, I wanted to experience Majordomo from a fresh perspective. All preconceived notions dissipated with each sip of my heady Old Fashioned ($14) made with rye, Bonji (a fermented, cold-pressed liquid seasoning), and bitters.
(more…)
