Makani gets my vote as L.A.'s most underrated restaurant opening of 2018. It baffles me that the Korean-flavored spot in Venice isn't popping up on more heat maps and best lists as we close out the culinary year. But so be it. It just means more deliciousness for those who are in on the secret.
Open since May in a gritty-chic corner of Rose Avenue (a street I think of as Abbot Kinney's introverted sister), the space was once home to Hostaria del Piccolo and Pono Burger. The latter's owner, Makani Carzino, gave license here to Korean-American chef Kevin Lee to go wild on a menu that boldly mixes traditional Seoul zing with SoCal freshness: Kimchi and fragrant Minari dropwort herbs blanket a whole fish. Braised beef tongue finds its bliss among curry leaves and tomatillo. A bowl clinking with tiny clams is spiced to the hilt with chili de árbol alongside chicharones. Definitely go here with friends rather than office mates because you'll want to share as many dishes as possible and not even think about work.
Lee arrived in the U.S. from Korea at age 16 and grew up in the kaleidoscopic food scene of the San Gabriel Valley. He learned his trade at Le Cordon Bleu and distinguished himself in the kitchens at Lazy Ox Canteen and Bäco Mercat before taking the 10 freeway west to Makani. I spoke to Lee about a dining experience worth seeking out before everybody else does.
How do you describe what you're doing with your menu at Makani?
I'm trying to do honest with foods that taste really, really good. I've spent most of my life in L.A. but I was influenced by Korean food, so both those worlds come out in my dishes. Some people call it neo-Korean. To me, it's Korean-Angeleno food, or maybe just Angeleno food. It's all the flavors I grew up with.
What are your earliest food memories after coming to the U.S.?
I remember when I was going to high school, my friends would take me out to eat burritos. I thought that was American food. I didn't think of it as Mexican. Or we'd have Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwiches, and it was the same experience. These weren't ethnic foods. They were just what was delicious.
Who were the early food influencers in your life?
My mom is a great cook. She came from Chungju, the region in Korean best known for food. Once she got here, she did all kinds of combinations in the kitchen. She would be making pizza, making dumplings, making other foods. Everything tasted good. Dad would make chili. Then we'd go out for food in the San Gabriel Valley and it would be everything from Japanese to Mongolian to Italian.
Professionally, Jose Centeno at Bäco Mercat was my biggest influence. He's so good at combinations that other people wouldn’t think of, and he's very spontaneous. With the Bäco sandwiches, he'll put together ingredients like pork belly and harissa and pickle, and it's all delicious.
There's an explosion of Korean-inflected menus in Los Angeles right now. Wolfdown, Bites and Bashes, Majordomo, Makani. What's going on exactly?
I think it's the bold flavor that people like. And again, combinations that haven't been overdone, ingredients that are new to people. Korean chefs are creating their own style, and maybe even pushing each other to experiment. It means more competition but it also means it's not boring to eat in Los Angeles.
Name a couple dishes people shouldn't miss on your menu.
Definitely, I'd say the clam dish. It's Manilla clams, and I use Chinese black beans, Mexico chile, fresh feta, Thai basil. They're all different tastes from my memory but all on one plate. I also love the skirt steak, which I do Ssäms-style, with sesame oil and sea salt, horseradish turmeric cream, scallion salad, perilla and gem lettuce.
Where do you eat when you're off work?
Mom and pop restaurants. Thai places. Curry. Korean, of course. Not as much fine dining places. I love the meat soup place in Koreatown called Han Bat Shul Lung Tang. Chunju Han-Il Kwan is a home-food restaurant with fish stew that I love. I am also a fan of El Flamin' Taco, a taco truck in Koreatown. I guess I just love a lot of different flavors.
