Chego (Chinatown, LA, CA)

Located at:
727 N Broadway
Unit 117
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Date of Visit: 9/15/13


     When i heard that they were opening up a Chego in Chinatown i was really excited. I really wanted to see what the fuss was about. Since i never ventured out to their other location at Culver City or chased their food truck around LA. Because well... I'm a lazy ass. And for those of you who don't know, Chego eateries/food truck is associated with the wildly popular Kogi food trucks that has been popping up around LA for quite some time now. Granted I've never tried them either... But I've heard good things! God I'm lazy...

      One thing you may notice when you're trying to find Chego is that you can easily miss it since you won't see it from the street. It's stationed in the middle of the plaza. So unless you're looking for the place or walking by you won't know this i place is here sadly.
      This eatery has got kind of a small space. Though it must be much more space to them since they don't have to work out of a food truck.They could probably seat up to 14 people at the max inside? But there are plenty of benches outside. Unless it's during the lunch/dinner rush or in some cases a Doyer game lets out.

      The staff here were really friendly. Granted you only come to contact with them when you're ordering and picking up your food. Which came out rather quick. (Approximately 6 min)

     

Korean-fried, w/ shaved green onions, sesame and fried polenta patty - See more at: http://eatchego.com/#sthash.9EpiczOi.dpuf

      "3pm Meatballs" - Korean-fried, w/ shaved green onions, sesame and fried polenta patty. Whoa man talk about being loaded with flavor and it has quite a kick to it. Wish i could just get a bottle of the stuff and put it on everything.

      "Ooey Gooey Fries" - Beer-battered, w/ sour cream sambal, monterey jack and cheddar cheese, cotija, chillies, cilantro and pickled garlic. Hands down my favorite. The fries were just so crispy and nicely fried. Even with all that topping sitting on top i expected it to go soggy really quick. But nope. Still crispy.

     "Tiny's Prime Rib Rice Plate" - w/ fried egg, water spinach, Chinese broccoli, creamed horseradish, roasted garlic paste and shallots. Man oh man there was so much going on one plate. Like the other dishes, they served up a lot of interesting flavors. The meat however was just a little tough and overdone for me. But thats just me being nit-picky.
      One thing I noticed while i was there, is that everything is so complex. Every dish had so many elements layered on top of each other. Each layer then added more color and flavor that's just complementing the other. The dishes here came off really rich and tickles the five tastes (salty, sweet, bitter, sour and umami). If this is what Korean comfort food has to offer... then I'm definitely head over heels for it. 
     So as a thumbs up homage to Chego: