There’s something a little perverse about sitting in a restaurant and being forced to cook your own food. It has the smack of washing dishes because you came up short on cash. But at Woo Lae Oak, it’s all part of the charm as Korean Barbeque get a classy Beverly Hills overhaul.

Previously, I’d only been to Korean BBQ restaurants where I was the only white person and had to order by pointing to the menu or making swimmy fish faces and chicken clucks to indicate my selection. I had enormous pride in the fact that the condiments set before me were nameless, unrecognizable and unspeakably pungent, yet I ate them with gusto! To pasteurize the experience felt wrong and weak. But stepping inside the La Cienega monolith, I realized, maybe I was too hasty in judgment.

The dining room is cavernous but cozy as happy diners busily work over the grills recessed into the center of each marble table. I was greeted by the seductive smells of sizzling meats permeating the air. Unlike previous florescent lit, harried experiences, Woo Lae Oak takes no issue with a party lingering over the table for hours, grilling and chatting away. The lighting is dim, the atmosphere sophisticated but comfortable and the air is heavy with the promise of bites to come.

The biggest issue with this kind of dining experience is that you are olfactorily accosted from the moment you enter the room. Even after you order and everything arrives, you still have to cook it. It’s like tantric eating. Luckily, there’s Jap Chae, slippery, soy sauce-y stir fried cellophane noodles and vegetables, and Pa Jun, a sizzling pancake of shrimp, calamari and scallion with a spicy dipping sauce, to keep the hunger pangs at bay. They also bring kimchi, sesame bean sprouts, delectable spicy pickled daikon and romaine tossed in a fiery vinaigrette for you to munch on or use as accompaniment for your BBQ. (The daikon is addictive! I went through two plates as my prawns cooked.) If you can’t possibly wait for your Ga Ri Bi (Scallops) or Dae Ji (Spicy Pork Tenderloin) to grill before your eyes, the Un Dae Gu Jo Rim is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever eaten. Black cod, rich and succulent, is simmered with daikon in a sweet and spicy garlic soy sauce that produces a tenderness that makes you feel like you should make out with your plate…and then the chef…and then the lovely waiter who brought it to you. (Sidenote: The entire staff is male and remarkably attractive. Can you say “Girls’ Night”?)

In the BK spirit of Have It Your Way, Woo Lae Oak offers wonderful traditional dishes as well as incredible reinventions. Most importantly, everything is perfectly seasoned, divinely prepared and fresh as a spring morning which is imperative when you’ve got raw food flying all over the place. One friend actually told me a story about accidentally eating some raw chicken that he’d brought home and had intended to cook later. He was completely fine. Now THAT is a testament to quality! With a little bit of patience and elbow grease, Woo Lae Oak offers one of the best meals in town. Get cookin’!

Woo Lae Oak
170 N La Cienega Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
310.652.4187
www.woolaeoaksoho.com

It ain’t Korean without Kimchi. Growing up, my mother liked to keep a bottle of this crazy stank but delicious spicy pickled cabbage in our fridge. One jar will pretty much last you a lifetime but every few years our bottle would slip from its perch and break, unleashing its toxic stench. The smell is unrivaled…but so it the taste. Here’s how to make your own.

Serves…as many as can hang!

1 head Napa cabbage, about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons hot chili paste
1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 scallions, finely sliced

1. Remove outer leaves from cabbage.
2. Cut cabbage in quarters and remove the tough inner core. Slice into 1/2-inch slices.
3. Put into a colander, add salt, and mix well.
4. Place over a bowl and let drain, covered, until wilted, about 2 hours.
5. In a large bowl combine the vinegar and sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the chili paste, ginger, garlic, and scallions and stir.
6. Rinse the salt off the cabbage.
7. Dry well and add to the vinegar mixture. Stir to combine.
8. Put into a sterilized glass jar and pack the cabbage down; add enough water to cover. Close the jar and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. This is spicy and gets spicier the longer it sits. You can adjust the chili level to your own taste.
9. Enjoy!

This sauce mixture can be used with any number of vegetables. Switch out the cabbage and try it with Daikon root!!!! I’m obsessed!!!!