Mountain — Restaurant in Los Angeles

It's no doubt that this place is tiny. Come here with a group of 2, be cautious with a group of 4, but any more than that....forget about it. This place qualifies as the 2nd smallest dining room I've ever seen (1st being an NYC Dim Sum spot).

There's a big menu on the board. Most people will talk about number 1 on the menu, Abalone Porridge, which I tasted, but I opted for the Cow and Ox Foot Soup. Ox anything seems to be delicious no matter how you have it.

-=-Abalone Porridge-=- Oh it's exactly what you think. It's rice porridge. The abalone flavor doesn't quite make it out like the signature dish as I thought it would. But low and behold, the banchan (side dishes) make up for it. There's this cubed beef banchan that makes it all better. Crack that raw egg into your rice and your day will be better.

-=-Cow and Ox Foot Soup-=- If you don't fancy a rice dish, this is a good soupy alternative. Your insides will warm up with this one. Again, you need to leverage on the banchan to enrich your soup. Get those beef banchans in there. There's a sweetness to this one which is similar to the Galbi Jjim Soup at Seongbukdong. If you haven't had that one yet, that's another good one to bookmark.

I was between a 3 and a 4 stars, but being an ajumma run 24 hour spot, that should entail some...

This restaurant was one of our family's favorit for more than decade. But after try several times, I felt taste is different. Especially Avalon soup. This has to be cooked, boiling from the raw rice but I felt they made it from cooked rice. Because I could see watery around it. Even I am not so sensitive to taste.

And I think meat in soy sauced banchan is also not same taste before like before some meat smell that has not professionally made. And Kimchi is not tasteful as before. And other food is also not same but something not right.

What happen to this restaurant? one day, I heard chef was talk to waitress in Chinese. Before chef was a Korean speaking woman. I think owner has been changed.

If owner has changed they should change name. like Mountain 2 something. They cannot advertise 35years restaurant etc.

As a regular customer who loved Mountain, I really regrets about this. Original owner shouldn't let someone use their name and history just with transfer short time technical cooking skill.

I never write view comment in my life until now.

산의 주인이 바뀐것 같습니다. 맛이 다릅니다. 특히 그 유명한 전복죽에 물기가 도는게 그냥 밥을 저어서 만든것같다는 느낌입니다. 너무 안타깝습니다. 굉장히 좋아하던 식당이라. 주인이 바뀌었으면 이름을 그대로 사용하면...

One of the most underrated spots in this plaza of good food places. I'm secretly glad all of you guys tend towards the flashier spots here, with their giant platters of meat, blowtorch maneuvers, and oversized banchan spreads. Because it means I can dodge all of you and sit right down here where I always have a cup of warm barley tea and enjoy a meal that reminds me of what my friend's mom might make for me.

A lot of the food in this little square is flavor-packed, impressive-looking, and super loud. But the food here is quiet, more humble, and will give you that most uncommon sensation in most dining experience: a sense of comfort in your gut and your noggin. So if you want a place to show off to your friends about how much of a meat head and culinary badass you are, stay away from my little gem.

But if you want a place that'll make you smile, remind you a bit of home (even if you're not in any way, shape, or form Asian by any stretch of the imagination), and make you feel like you exist, then maybe you and I can share a meal a few seats apart at Mountain cafe together.

That abalone porridge is...