Best deals in town: a three course $64 dinner at David Chang’s Majordomo in Chinatown

In our series highlighting affordable tasting menus at upscale restaurants in L.A. we've visited Mozza on Melrose, Beverly Hills steakhouse Matū and Baar Baar in DTLA. Today, it’s David Chang’s Majordomo in Chinatown.

Despite writing about food for a decade, I’d never dined at one of David Chang’s restaurants, save for one time — my brother and I ducked into Momofuku Noodle Bar on NYC’s Lower East Side for some soft-serve ice cream many years ago.

That’s not to say I wasn’t a fan. I’ve been a regular subscriber to Lucky Peach magazine since its inception and avidly watched his PBS series, The Mind of a Chef. Both of these nurtured my mind as a food writer.

For me, Chang broke down culinary barriers with his food and restaurants, bringing together Korean, French and American influences, making it all both cool and approachable. He also helped bring Korean flavors into everyday language, through the lens of someone who grew up in the United States with immigrant parents.

But when he finally moved to L.A. in 2018, and opened Majordomo, I felt like .... I'd moved on. His once cutting-edge, family-style dishes now seemed overly expensive and not for me. We'd grown apart.

So, when I recently heard about the restaurant's new three-course dinner, Monday through Wednesday, for $64, excluding tax and gratuity, I decided it was finally time to immerse myself in the full Chang restaurant experience.

While the restaurant is in Chinatown, it’s not where you’ll find most other eateries and shops. It’s located behind a row of buildings that face the Historic State Park along Spring Street, on a remote block. A bright neon sign is one of the only markers.

The glowing neon sign along Naud street in Chinatown is one of the only markers letting you know arrievd at Majordomo.

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Gab Chabrán

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LAist

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Upon being seated, I was met by a flurry of service folks, ready to provide me with whatever I needed. They even offered me a couple of copies of Lucky Peach, “in case I didn’t want to stare at my phone the entire time,” as the general manager told me. As someone who feels like I stare at my phone too much and feels a sense of numbness and dread as a result of endless scrolling, it was if they could read my mind.

The menu

The three courses included steak frites, hamachi crudo, and a mixed leaf salad for $64. (No dessert, which didn't overly bother me as I don't really have a sweet tooth).

While pairing a Japanese starter with a French main course may have once been fresh and daring, it now seemed a little normcore to me. Ironically, the new style that Chang had introduced has become standard American modern fare. An impressive achievement for him, but a little wistful for me.

After placing my order, the waiter asked if I wanted anything else "in case I was hungry," which made me wonder if there would be enough food. So I chose to add one of their bings, a Chinese flatbread that’s a mash-up of a crepe and a papusa, for an extra $12. More on that in a bit.

Three large slices of yellowtail tuna arrived first, larger than you might expect for an opening small plate, floating in a dressing of ponzu sauce and lightly garnished with chives. The bright, tangy flavors, combined with the richness of the tuna, provided a clean, refreshing start to the meal.

The Hamachi crudo dotted with ponzu sauce, and chives

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Gab Chabrán

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LAist

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Next came the bing. I’d opted for the eggplant, and the soft, spongy texture of the bing flatbread served as the perfect vessel for the smooth, silky eggplant spread, which I applied and found myself gobbling up in quick succession.

Whether it was intentional, this was the same time that the loose-leaf salad hit the table, which felt like an afterthought. While the palm sugar vinaigrette dressing had moments of thoughtful flavor, it felt lacking, especially as a standalone course. While I forked each bite of the lettuce, I began to wonder — would it have killed them to include a few tomatoes or a slice or two of avocado to give it a bit of personality? This is California, after all; why not celebrate it?

The mixed Leaf Salad made with palm sugar vinaigrette left something to be desired

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Gab Chabrán

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LAist

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It was finally time for the steak frites. The hanger cut steak arrived with a lovely browned char on the outside, and a tender, juicy flavor on the inside. It was served with their B.S. fries, named after podcaster and sports magistrate Bill Simmons, a friend of Chang’s.

According to the staff, one day, Chang and Simmons waxed nostalgic about a specific fry, which served as inspiration for the triple-fried spuds. The crispy fries were delivered so hot that when I took my first bite, the inside of the fry exploded in my mouth, burning me.

Despite the slight pain, it was delicious, especially when paired with dips of the rich and creamy béarnaise sauce.

The digest

Overall I enjoyed it. I'm a big fan of steak frites, and I thought it was good value, even though I wasn't a massive fan of the salad. The waiter's suggestion may have played against me — I would have been full just eating the three courses, without the bing. But the food was excellent, and the service top-notch.

As for trying the David Chang experience — it was a bit like seeing a celebrity you've worshipped for years in the flesh. Still impressive, but not what you'd once envisioned. Maybe I need to get those old ideas out of my head. I'd happily return to experience it again, perhaps with a larger group — and a more open mind — so that I can try some of the family-style dishes.