Dae Bok Restaurant

Photographer Suji Lee has been encouraging us to go have blowfish for a long time. I'd never had blowfish before. I guess I had an idea that 1) too expensive and 2) potentially poisonous. Well I was wrong on both accounts. We planned last nights dinner to Dae Bok, 2010 West james M. Woods Blvd, LA CA 900006, 213-386-6660, a couple of weeks ago. The build up was fairly steep. The meal came in a soup or broth with crunchy bean sprouts, delicate cubes of tofu, delicious Korean cabbage and of course blow fish. As often is the case, lots of yummy side dishes. Suji was under the impression that eating blow fish in California was illegal. The rest of us thought if this restaurant has been here for over twenty years, how could they advertise blow fish if it's illegal? Anyway, the blow fish was subtle and substantive like shark meat. The broth was also "subtle". The blow fish dipping sauce was a soy sauce base with hot mustard. I have to say that maybe I don't have the educated palette one needs to truly appreciate blow fish. Some of our company said that you have to be Asian to appreciate the taste of the soup. Maybe? Overall, something was lacking in the presentation of the food. I don't know exactly what it was. Once we finished the fish and soup, they brought kim chee and a delicious rice and mixed it in the bowl the soup was in. This "closer" to the meal, a paella ala Korea was magnificent. Ahhh, it all made sense. The design of the meal ended on a full note and taste for me. Having said that, I did have this urge to stop by Tommy burgers and grab a chili burger but we ended up going to Scoops instead for some ice cream/gelato which was awesome. I had a scoop of chocolate rasberry and a scoop of peanut butter oreo.