I went there recently for brunch with family and really enjoyed it, nice atmosphere. Food isn’t chow worthy but certainly not bad. It’s a cute back patio and nice to be surounded by the park
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It’s totally walkable from the E line.
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The Rooster was actually really great, and yet couldn’t survive because of the parking. I hope this place overcomes that, or at least has valet. Wonder why no alcohol? Rooster had a license…
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Not sure when the previous restaurant closed or what the rules are in Santa Monica… but in LA a license can transfer with a set amount of time or it will lapse and the new place will have to go through the process again.
It’s a fast casual concept meant to be replicatable similar to Mendocino Farms.
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H&H was grandpa’s go-to.
Jincook is now open in Santa Monica according to their Instagram with a surprise app/dessert offered through end of August. Plan on giving them a try after a couple of weeks.
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I was always disappointed by The Rose, but visited Best Bet a week before they closed and was impressed. Gonna try to make it to this one. Jason Neroni testing out his new concept at Esters Wine Shop next Wednesday, Aug 21st.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C-YYORSSpld/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
From the Insta Post: And so it begins, on august 21 starting at 4:30 @pizzeria_nero will be hosted by @esterswine in what will kick off a number of dinner series in and around los angeles, california & the country.
while we wait for the brick & mortar to finish, we are doing a “proof of concept” run. You will be able to get some your Best Bet faves, the godzilla, the groot, ode to franco some new creations & a few other surprises. For dine in or to-go.
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You get Ess-a-bagel here or Utopia, now you’re talking. H & H, imho, are meh.
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Was planning to post but have been overwhelmed at work.
I went this weekend. I’m def not well-versed in Korean cuisine, but I thought it was perfectly respectable and enjoyable (esp the marinated dumplings, which they offered for free b/c of their grand opening). I had the tofu soup; partner had the mushroom curry. I don’t quite get the idea of offering the curry rice in a stone pot, but both were tasty enough (haven’t been to Seoul Tofu, so I can’t compare).
Service was very polite.
Based on the one visit, I’d be happy to return.
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Forgot to ask: is kimchi supposed to taste slightly diff from the pickled radish in the ban chan? It did in this instance (w/ the kimchi being less acidic and having a bit of a deeper flavor). Wasn’t sure if that was intentional or just a result of having opened recently.
FWIW, I enjoyed the slight difference in flavor profile.
Just want to make sure I’m understanding your question correctly. Are you asking if napa cabbage kimchi (baechu kimchi) is supposed to have a different flavor when compared to pickled radish (chicken-mu - not kimchi or kkakdugi)?
If yes, they should have totally different flavors. Pickled radish is made with vinegar, sugar, and salt and is not spicy. The acidity you’re tasting is from the vinegar.
Baechu kimchi is fermented and can have a pretty long list of ingredients, including korean pepper flakes (gochugaru), garlic, fish sauce, etc.
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Thanks for clarifying (and to @robert, as well).
I always assumed kimchi only referred to the napa cabbage!
The dish I was referring to looked like the pic for kkakdugi.
There was pickled dish that tasted like what you’re describing, but it had onions and cabbage and maybe one other ingredient? It was notably sweet.
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There are soooo many different varieties of kimchi and they’re all delicious 
Even if the napa cabbage and radish banchan were both kimchi, there is often variations in ingredients in the paste that is created for each vegetable. Also, the flavor and texture will change based on how long the kimchi is fermented for.
Back to your original question, yes! They should taste different and all that really matters is whether you enjoyed it or not!
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Could have been a cabbage muchim. There’s a roughly infinite number of dishes that can be served as banchan.
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Def wasn’t the first one (no discernible spiciness and absolutely nothing red in it).
Can’t tell if it was the 2nd. There was a taste of soy (or, at least, something salty and umami). No sesame seeds, and it was sitting in a fair amount of liquid (which was a brown color and quite watery). A bit too sweet for my taste.
Are these the banchan you received? I got it from the Jin Cooks in Glendale Yelp page
Top right: baechu kimchi (napa cabbage)
Bottom right: jangajji (soy sauce pickles - there’s a good amount of sugar in this one, so it might be the sweet one you’re talking about.
Bottom left: kkakdugi (radish)
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Yes (for the bean sprouts one)!!! I was doing an internet search on ban chan, but your method of looking at Yelp photos is way more efficient. And I think we got the one in the upper left, but w/ exponentially less topping (is there something spinach-y underneath?).
But the three you pointed out are dead-on. I had assumed the watery brown liquid was a diluted soy sauce, but I wasn’t sure (until your post). Our radishes were way less red (which I assume, from your post, is just a natural variation based on how much paste is added and how long it has been fermenting).
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