mdk noodles (Myung Dong Kyoja) — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Hands down one of my favorite places in Ktown (possibly even my favorite spot, come to think of it). Inexpensive but absolutely delicious Korean dishes load the menu, which has just enough food choices to allow a variety of flavors without being too big, so each individual dish is prepared pretty much flawlessly. My favorites are the shrimp and pork dumplings (pictured here) with their big chunks of well seasoned sweet/savory shrimp and juicy shreds of pork, and the kalguksu (Korean chicken soup), a light and savory soup loaded with beautiful soft noodles, wood ear mushrooms, dumplings, julienned squash, and onion. If I am with a big enough group, I'll also grab an order (or two) of the pork dumplings and the bibim guksu (lightly spicy and sweet sauce-covered cold buckwheat noodles with julienned vegetables and a hard boiled egg). And I can't forget to mention the two side plates of kimchi that they bring out with every meal. The white kimchi is pretty standard, but perfect - it is slightly different every time I go (because of varying fermentation times, I would imagine), but it usually has a really nice mild vinegary flavor that complements any of the dishes with heavier red sauces. The red kimchi is just unreal - if you love garlic (and I love love garlic), you will be blown away by this and will keep coming back here for this alone. If you bring any friends or loved ones along and eat a lot of this, hopefully they're also into garlic... because your breath may smell like it through the evening and into the next day, too! The staff are courteous and always pay attention to the amount of kimchi you have left on your plate, ready to spoon on another heaping portion whenever you need it. There's also parking in a lot just down Harvard street for $1 at the time of this review. Ugh, I shouldn't have written this review when...

After a long day at Universal Studios, dumplings and noodles sounded like a good way to refuel from hours of walking and standing in lines, and a quick Yelp search brought us here. This was my first experience with Korean noodle soups and dumplings, so I probably can't give the most informed opinions.

I thought the best part of dinner was the kim chi. I'm not a fan of really sour kim chi, so I was happy to find that MDK's was fresh tasting, sweet, and really garlicky. It might be the best kim chi I've ever had. The world would be a much better place if all kim chi tasted like this.

We had different types of dumplings, but the chicken dumplings were my favorite ones. Unlike the slightly pasty skins of the pan fried dumplings, the steamed chicken dumplings had delicate, thin skins, and the inside was filled with well seasoned chicken. The spices gave the chicken dumplings a distinct Korean flair. It's even better with some of the fantastic kim chi.

The big disappointment for me was the Kal Guksu. The noodles were a bit too soft for my taste, and the chicken broth wasn't very flavorful or robust. Light broths are great for noodle soups, but they need to have lots of developed flavors to enhance the noodles and other ingredients. MDK's broth was just kind of bland. I liked the variety of the toppings such as the dumplings and ground beef, but they weren't very interesting without a flavorful broth. To make it taste better, I just threw in a crap ton of kim chi. It definitely gave it a lot more flavor, but I feel like it should be tasty straight from the kitchen. I shouldn't have to add anything.

Although dinner wasn't exactly perfect, I'd definitely come back for the...

Some things to keep in mind if you’re contemplating on trying this place:

They have parking structure around the corner and they validate it for a discount.

Their specialty is Kalguksoo which is known for being super garlicky (yummm!!! Just take some mints with you 😉) and having beef in it. There’re many different kinds of Kalguksoo, but this is their version of it - what made them stand out in the first place.

It has subtle taste. It’s not as strong in flavor as some other popular Korean food you’ve tried like soft tofu soup. It’s supposed to be this way... however, Korean people like to add kimchi sauce, black pepper and/or soy sauce based seasoning (which they have on each table) for more flavor. Try adding some of these if you want to be adventurous 😛

I’ve tried the original location in Myung Dong, Korea, and relatively, I think the portion is a bit smaller here. But the flavor was as good. Well, they provide free extra noodle here, but you must finish it. Otherwise it’s extra $5 (can’t take it to-go).

This is not a place to go for ambiance. It’s not hip, it’s not pretty, it’s not well-decorated. It’s a place where many families have enjoyed from generation to generation to have good time with each other and to enjoy the food as is. If you’re looking for a good interior vibe, might want to consider somewhere else.

It’s pretty busy there, so make sure to press the button on your table for service.

All in all, it wasn’t disappointing to me :) the service was good and their kimchi was on point! Garlicky (of course), hint of sweetness, and fresh just like how it should be...