Located in a strip mall with many other Asian businesses, this is an unassuming, down-to-earth, family-run Korean restaurant in Gardena. I dined here with as a party of two on a Saturday night at around 7pm, and there was no wait, though the restaurant was mostly full. The interior is small, but clean, and you can see the restaurant owners making the banchan themselves!
Regarding the banchan - it's some of the best I've had in the L.A. area, and that's saying a lot. Some notable highlights are the bean sprouts, which are delightfully crunchy, with just the right amount of sesame oil, and the mushrooms, which have the most amazing, deep flavor, enhanced by some sort of traditional Korean dressing that I couldn't quite place. Different types of kimchi, potatoes coated in a sweet sauce, as well as some sort of scallion jeon (Korean pancakes) are also included in the mix as well, and they're more than happy to refill the dishes!
As for the main dishes, I got the Gamjatang (Pork Neck Bone Soup with Potatoes), which came with a generous serving of pork meat on the bone, and lots of hearty potatoes in the soup! The broth is rich and flavorful, yet not overly so - it still has a clean-tasting flavor to it. Rice is also provided with the soup, as well as a large portion of cilantro, which complements the flavor of the broth perfectly, since it's the perfect balance of cilantro's peppery flavor and the soup's richness. The soup was warming to the bone, and I was impressed by the portion of meat on the bone!
The person I was dining with got the Spicy Cold Noodles, which was also a good-sized portion. The sauce was just spicy enough, and the noodles were cooked perfectly - not too soft, with the perfect amount of bite. It also comes with some vinegar to add that great acidity to the dish, and the little pieces of beef also serve to add a different texture!
The prices at Dong Nae Gil were very reasonable - both the Gamjatang and the Spicy Cold Noodles were $14.99 with generous portions for each, and the banchan is great and pretty much unlimited. Service can be slow, especially when it gets busier (there's not many workers, since it seems to be just one family running the restaurant), but everyone seems very nice. Next time, I'd definitely like to try the Bossam (Korean Pork Belly with Cabbage Wraps), since that seemed to be their most popular dish!
All in all, I would definitely recommend coming to this spot - it's an amazing hole-in-the-wall find with delicious and authentic food, and it's great to support small family-owned businesses! read more