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All Hail "King Dumplings"
The Official Recession has enveloped us for seventeen official months. It’s still no reason we can’t enjoy life. This is LA -- we have a ton of inexpensive options! A Recession Obsession is truly fantastic, whether you've recently been downsized or are about to cash a large commission check. We last obsessed via a Taco Crawl in Highland Park, and Tacomiendo's meaty tacos in West LA. Today, we obsess...
Tucked just away from the almost big-city feel of Wilshire Boulevard, rests a typical strip mall at 7th & Irolo. The parking lot's dark pavement separates one of LA’s most common commercial settings from a greenish shack standing alone on the corner. Korean letters spell out the restaurant's name, Yu Ga Ne, for the neighborhood's many Korean literates. Thankfully, for us gringos, the facade also reads “Authentic Korean Dumplings.”
Of the few dumplings served here, King Dumplings are the regal favorite. A plate of six fatter-than-you're-used-to dumplings cost a mere $4.99. Good news. They’re really good. That's why Yu Ga Ne is LAist’s latest Recession Obsession.
Someone Hail The King
I order the pork King Dumplings, also offered with beef. Featuring chopped leek, these dumplings are as juicy as they are savory. These grenade-like pork bombs are not only admirable for their stature, but their juicy, zesty flavor, which makes a return trip seem wise.
When one’s order is relayed to the waiter, an instant crackle and sizzle sounds from the open kitchen. It’s then I find myself gazing at the menus items pictured on the wall. “Should I have tried something different this time?” That’s when my eye will catch a foot-tall red “C” near the establishment's metal door.
"C" is for...
While I’m no stranger to rumors that the Health Department’s C-grade stands for “Chinese,” I know Korean starts with a K. (If your restaurant earns a "K" it would need to serve a mix of swine flu and bubonic plague with a side of kim chi.) Then they arrive.
A dish of soy sauce accompanies these chopstick-chores. The dumplings make it their wont to wiggle from my chop sticks, and swiftly plopp into this dark lubricant of mastication, Jackson Pollacking my shirt. Be warned. Of course, a side of complimentary kim chi is served. While not mandatory, the absence of kim chi is considered a surprise in this neighborhood. (I feel like the K*Town Denny’s at Vermont and Sixth owes me some from the one time I tricked myself into dining there.)
As The Official Recession continues to remove the "recession proof" from the vocabulary of the now humbled, we musn’t lower our standards. Good thing there's no need to be picky when one can medicate hard times with steroidal dumplings.
- Yu Ga Ne ("Authentic Korean Dumplings") Koreatown | 698 Irolo Street | Los Angeles 90005 | (213) 480-1289
- Metro: Purple Line Wilshire & Normandie
Links: Recession Obsessions in Koreatown: here, here and here.
Photos by Caleb Bacon for LAist
Do you like Korean dumplings? Where do you find them? Comment Below!
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I'm fond of Trader Joe's veggie dumplings as a snack! I always find it hard to find vegetarian ones around town. More suggestions, anyone?
Love those TJ dumplings!
Here's a trick I learned to make them come out just as good as the steamed dumplings you get in most Asian resturants.
Buy a vegetable steamer. It's a little raised stainless steel rack that folds out like the petals of a flower and will fit almost any sized pot or pan. You can find them in most grocery stores where they sell kitchen stuff.
If you already have a rice steamer those work great. If not a little water in the bottom of a medium sauce pan. Make sure the water isn't higher than the bottom of your steamer rack. Put your heat on medium. Stack in your dumplings and in a few minutes VIOLA! Perfect!
I like those too! I'm planning on going on an Esotouric tour of the San Gabriel Valley. They stop for dumplings (the tour is called blood and dumplings). They say you can request a vegetarian option. My boyfriend is set on trying soup dumplings which are... wait for it... dumplings filled with soup, so I hope to vegetarian ones of those. Anyway, rather than K-town, I'd say to research Monterrey Park or El Monte.
Do you have the website link for that tour? Thanks MMM.
http://www.esotouric.com/bnd
Here ya go. They do tours on Saturdays, and this particular one they do every 2-3 months, so it must be popular.
I did the Main Street Vice and Hotel Horror tour with them downtown in March and it was fab. I'm jonesing for my brother to visit so we can do the Bukowski tour.
C is for Caleb!
I just can't do it! I used to be very against the big red B's too, but Huarache Azteca made the B ok.
Looks delish and all, but working in restaurants means I know how easy it is to get an A....
Bacon- I'm glad you survived that one.
To be fair, if there was an infestation or something, they would have been closed down for at least a few days. I've also heard that not having at least 2 doors between the kitchen and bathroom can earn you a B, so some restaurants find it impossible to get an A.
(I'm I the only one who thinks it's ridiculous how easy it is to get an A? I mean, the Taco Bell near Warner Bros, where employees don't wear gloves, has an A.)
Thems look good! I want some dumplinnnnnngsssss!
mmmmm, dumplings...
Caleb Bacon has the greatest research job on LAist, hands down.
I moved in next to this place in November and noticed the C grade immediately. I can't believe that they still have it 6 months later.
So I just checked the LA Public Health website and it turns out that they've had the C grade for 17 months now.
I worked in a restaurant that had a 96% and I can't even begin to tell you how gross that place was, so this dumpling place seems unconscionable to me. Several major violations including NO HOT WATER?
Check the report:
YOOGANE DUMPLING
698 S IROLO ST #111
LOS ANGELES, CA 90005
Click here to see map
Red Highlighted Violations Denote High Risk. Click on the violation for more details.
Current Score: 72 C
Violations: 001 HOLDING OF PHF - MULTIPLE SERVINGS (MAJOR)
007 HANDWASHING - EMPLOYEE DID NOT WASH HANDS
016 CLEAN / SANITIZING - FOOD CONTACT SURFACES (MAJOR)
017 NO WATER / NO HOT WATER - FOOD PREPARATION FACILITY (MAJOR)
043 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS / CHEMICALS (MINOR)
047 DISREPAIR
048 NON - FOOD CONTACT SURFACES - NOT CLEAN (MINOR)
049 STORAGE
051 WIPING CLOTHS - NOT CLEAN / INADEQUATE SANITIZER / STORAGE
054 DETERIORATION / UNAPPROVED MATERIALS
055 NOT CLEAN
058 OTHER INSECTS (MINOR)
063 HOOD - NOT CLEAN / DISREPAIR / MISSING FILTER(S)
068 DRESSING ROOM / PERSONAL ITEMS
Inspection Date: 07/23/2008
Establishment Type: Restaurant
Inspection History
Inspection Date: Score Letter Grade
01/03/2008 76 C
Excellent research. This is my fave: "055 NOT CLEAN"
Too true. It is next to impossible to find the veggie option at TJs anymore and I haven't found an alternate source.