Jjamppong zizon ( 짬뽕 지존 LA ) — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Overall not bad. Had better and many are worse. Jampong - Regular Spicy - 2nd best dish here - soup is one of the better ones in LA KOREATOWN but was grainy for some reason. Good flavor, seafood base, slight spicy kick. Lacks seafood ingredients- no shrimp and only small bits of squid and few small clams. $19 - yikes...7.5/10 Jajang - Regular - decent jajang myun- again really lacks a lot of ingredients but given price point not bad. Decent jajang flavor and hits the spot. Ive certainly had better but not the worst. $13. You can upgrade to extra noodles for $3 if you want to share which is better value imo. 7/10 Tongsuyook - probly the best dish here - the pork was tender and not overcooked like many places. The dipping sauce was rather uneventful- again no ingredients - no pineapples, nothing really. $24 for med. 8.5/10 Fried Dumplings - worst out of the group. I thought for $14 for 10 dumplings it would have been good but these are really no better than deep fried Baek Sul brand frozen dumplings. Deep fried too instead of pan frying so much more grease. Again $14 for 10. 4/10

Couple other points - 1. Its located where you have to pay $3-$5 for parking. ?(I believe they had sign they validate but I forgot to) 2. It's located in an office bldg bottom floor so parking/finding restaurant is a bit tricky I had to park and then walk all the way around bldg since the lobby doors were closed. 3. They do seem to use a small amount of msg which I am sensitive about but this is on the low end which I appreciated.

Would I come back? Given the prices ($110 w tip for 2 adults 3 kids) probably not. If I was there doing business in the building maybe but I wouldn't go out of my way to go. It's a decent take the traditional Korean noodles and maybe if your a super spicy enthusiast than maybe it works for you but I am not so the regular flavors didn't...

I've been into Korean food A LOT lately, so I'm always looking for new, comforting Korean foods. What better place to search than in the heart of Koreatown?

Parking: Every man for themselves. Paid metered parking in front or paid parking garage in the back. Follow the signs to public parking. Complimentary 3 hour parking. $5 + service fees after 3 hours paid via online.

Ambiance/Environment: This spot was larger than I expected! Plenty of indoor seating for all group sizes! No outdoor seating. Very clean inside. Interior is what you'd expect from a Korean restaurant.

Service: We were greeted once we walked in. Everyone was nice, and throughput was extremely quick after placing an order through the tablet. They brought out our food on a cart. We were checked on once and given new water bottles later on.

Foods:

1. Sweet & Sour Pork - The pork was evenly fried. There was a generous amount of sweet n sour sauce on the side. I drenched the pork with the sauce. It was gooey and delicious.

2. Pan Fried Dumplings (5 pcs) - Can't go wrong with a classic appetizer. The dumplings were crunchy on the outside and decently packed with filling.

3. Jjamppong- aka spicy seafood rice noodle soup. Wooo, they do not mess around when it comes to their spice levels. The soup was definitely spicy and flavorful. It had a slight fishy taste, but the spices overpower that. There was a generous amount of seafood, and the noodles were thin and short.

4. Jjajangmyeon- aka black bean sauce noodle. The black bean sauce was thick and flavorful! There was a generous amount of vegetables, no protein. The noodles were long and cooked well.

5. Shrimp Fried Rice - This was served with black bean sauce on the side. The fried rice was simple, and the shrimp was cooked well. The black bean sauce gave it more flavor.

Pricing: Everything was worth it! Will definitely be...

Want subpar service? Lower-end quality food? We’ll look no further, this is for you. The self claimed “luxury” quality jjamppong they provide is in fact, the complete opposite. They do not include shells of any sort from seafood to amplify the quantity of the food. However, really it’s to increase efficiency. If you know, they traditionally include shells.

I went at by 10:30, when they opened. I was the first customer and was seated. However, the waiter informed it’ll be a bit late - sure, shouldn’t take more than 15 mins since traditionally these foods don’t take more than 5-10 to come out. Nope, it came out after 35 mins - longest I’ve waited for jjamppong in my life. When asked, the lady and the guy appeared as if I’m bothering?

If you’re not ready, simple don’t seat me (another reviewer). In fact, if you’re so disorganized and can’t lead cooks to be ready by opening, consider opening later.

Everything is rather simple - bottles water, radishes, etc come in plastic packages. So much for luxury - it’s all disposables to increase once again, your efficiency. Which btw you ironically seem to fail at.

As for jjamppong, the best part was the noodles. Great texture and consistency. Soup didn’t taste like the traditional jjampong with smoky flavor from the wok. Tasted like a hybrid mixed with kimchi. Why import Korean ingredients when you can’t get the flavors right? Seafood..see my picture with mini clam. The quality is from an oriental market that’s been in the freezer for a month. It shriveled up from being stuck in the freezer.

Ambiance was poor. All the open spaces, and you seat two people a foot next to me - why? I don’t recommend this place and will never return. Lucky I at least left a tip...