The casual spot resides along the north side of Cordova, near the intersection of Lake Ave, a perfect respite for locals and office denizens who've gotten sick of the fast food and chain restaurants lining the boulevard. A previous Korean restaurant charmingly called Seoul Bros. used to occupy the space, but Cham seems to capture an optimistic zeitgeist better, with a large airy space and a wonderfully done chalkboard menu hovering over the kitchen.
Cathy, the Gastronomer, invited me to check this place out, which is only walking distance from her apartment. The perplexing menu doesn't lead to a logical order, with the $5 Garden Vegetables leading to a number of grilled meats such as bulgogi and pork bulgogi as an additional $6. At first I thought the $6 meats included the vegetables. Who would order the vegetables by themselves, anyway? I stomached the $11 cost for pork bulgogi (high for K-town standards, but reasonable on the whole for what you get) and also ordered a few "tofu wraps", containing seasoned white rice and topped with various toppings of delectable stature.
The pork bulgogi came on a sizzing platter, the seasoned red meat on a bed of sliced onions, much like one sees along Wilshire Blvd. Instead of rice, we got the spread of "saam" wraps, fresh butter lettuce leaves, wide sesame leaves, and pickled korean turnip slices.
A dollop of cold buckwheat noodles gave the accoutrements a flair while a spoonful of gochujjang, a customary condiment for these wraps, came along for the ride. I gobbled up the self-made wraps with ease, noting the authentic flavor of the pork bulgogi. Eventually the onions carmelized and picked up the delicious marinade. Wolfing down these flavorful bits give me a particular pleasure.
My tofu wrappers, essentially pockets of fried tofu skins, came filled with seaweed and arugula, neither of which were particularly appetizing. Arugula, currently a hot green item in kitchens, doesn't really mesh well with Korean food. The peppery, lemony flavor is an odd pairing. We also received a free watermelon salad, studded with feta cheese and the arugula. It didn't work, the flavors clashing on the palate.
On the bright side was Cathy's superb bowl of dukbokki, in this instance flavored with bulgogi meat, cute elongated mushrooms, and broccoli. The thick spears of rice cake held together well in the sauce and made for a carb-tastic entree. (yeah, I just used that word). I'd definitely order this again, especially for the modest price ($5 or $6, I believe).
Cathy's tofu wrappers bested mine, with toppings of fresh minced tuna sashimi and crab salad. At the same price as the vegetarian options, they're easily worth ordering.
On the whole, Cham seemed less fusion, but that might work for its success. Sometimes modest fusioning works better than all out confusion. With the execution that the kitchen brings to the plate, and a basis on the authentic cuisine, I'm quite certain the bistro will have a nice following. Now would I rather eat here than K-Town, probably not, but maybe the bright, modern decor will pull away from the smokey, dingy places on 6th St every once in a while.
Cham Korean Bistro
851 Cordova St.
Pasadena, CA
chamkoreanbistro.com
11AM - 9PM, Monday - Saturday
626-792-2474
9 comments:
I rarely visit a resto twice, but there's something about Cham's bold flavors and fresh ingredients that makes me crave it! Your photos are not helping one bit.
Cathy: yeah, I have to say that photo of the pork bulgogi looks mighty delicious.
"Ideal flavors" is a stretch, but I had a good first experience at Cham, primarily due to those rice cakes. The seared tuna bibimbap was light and pretty good when tossed with the three sauces, but the high ratio of raw vegetables to rice meant we were eating a salad instead of a rice bowl. I definitely like the restaurant's mission, which is to donate almost all the money to charity to help feed people.
Even with your and gastronomyblog's posts, I can't bring myself to drive all the way to Pasadena when K-town is just next door.
And far less expensive.
Josh, I didn't get to try the salad bowls, errr.. bibimbaps, but I'm judging it mainly on the rice cakes and pork bulgogi marinate. I should have mentioned that the place existing to send money to charity is a wonderful cause.
Weezermonkey: yeah probably not worth the trip for you if you're out there in Koreatown.
I start school on the 31st and now...I really can't wait :)
discovered your site from gastronomy--great photos and reviews! there's not a whole lot in pasadena so this looks good when a trip to K-town is not in order.
I didn't know this place existed! Is it new? Looks like a good lunch place to try next time for you, me, KFP? And Cathy too if she wants to come back twice
That looks delicious, matt. You may not know, or you may, from my tweets but I am akways looking fir good eats in Pasadena for those occasional days I am in the office. Tx.
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