MoKo: Market Banchan, Asparagus Kochi & Braised Pork Ssam

Hello and welcome to Free Lunch, "Where You're the Reviewer!"

This week's installment, our 12th, takes us back to the neighborhood where we launched this series, Culver City. (Watch that first Free Lunch episode (at Green Peas) and you'll get a sense for how the concept has evolved.)

This week's reviewer, David Rozansky, is not just a foodie, he's also in the biz. Currently, he works as the sommelier and fromagier for one of Los Angeles' foodie Meccas, Surfas. If you love cheese, you should definitely take a look at his most recent selections.

We treated David to lunch at MoKo which is not far from his place of work. Aside from highlighting seasonal ingredients, another key ingredient to MoKo's "modern korean" offerings is the chef, Gary Robins, who hails from New York and has run the kitchens of several well-known restaurants in Manhattan including The Biltmore Room and The Russian Tea Room.

Given Robins' background, some critics were initially mystified by his involvement with Korean cuisine, wondering whether the food at MoKo could be considered truly Korean or just a reinterpretation of Korean cuisine. Either way, David really enjoyed his meal. Part of the success was planning, as David was very meticulous about what he ordered— market banchan to start comprised of watermelon namul, silken tofu, and kimchi, followed by asparagus kochi (skewers) and finishing with a braised pork ssam—and his evaluation of the food.

David did such a good job of reviewing MoKo that I think it's best to let his video do most of this week's talking. That said, though, we'd really like to hear from you. What do you think about this week's video? Have you been to MoKo?

Please post your comments below, and by doing so you'll become eligible to participate in Free Lunch. Also, if you have some restaurant recommendations for us, please add them to this discussion.

Keep on Lunching!

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MoKo
9540 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, CA 93232
(310) 838-3131