Chego – Palms/West LA

Chego means “the best” in Korean slang. I assume its more like an onomatopoeia for a noise you make when you taste something downright delicious. Executive Chef Roy Choi creates and isn’t afraid to recreate dishes with his LA-OG-Korean-Mexican-Hawaiian goodness. Chego takes Bibimbap (Korean rice bowls) and goes all Bi-Bim-Bap on them bitches. Scoops of rice provide a canvas for Choi’s flavor palette as he paints the city of LA with food. The Chubby Pork Belly (pictured above) is the menu’s anchor. Its straight up Korean but Chego adds a Mexi-spin with some cojita cheese and sweetness along with radish, peanuts, spinach, basil, fried shallots. And don’t forget the piggy. The marinade creates a camralized char around the diced chunks of pork belly.

I could go on writing about Chego’s rice bowls for days. I suggest losing all inhibitions you may have about food and dive in. Now to Exhibit A (pictured left). When Chego unveiled a burger on the specials menu, they tinkered with different toppings/sauces on a weekly basis and locked in on this meat wad. Half pound grass fed burger, cheese, mayo, chili sauce, fried shallots, wild arugula, Thai basil. The bun is grilled with a slight char. The burger has dimension…They call it a patty. Its more like a beef puck. Sweet, spicy, creamy, peppery herbs, caramelization and texture. Its a perfect picture and a ride down to flavor country.

So here’s the thing. Chego did have a dine-in restaurant, but there were some kitchen limitations and renovations needed. As we know it today, Chego indefinitely lives out of this truck parked out in front of Chego’s bones (pictured above). True OG! They still have seats and benches in front of the restaurant outside to enjoy a slightly down-sized menu. The staple items are still on the board, including interesting snacks like the Beehive Brussels Sprouts (pictured bottom right). Caramelized and deglazed w/ soy vinaigrette over yogurt curd and honeycomb, crowned w/ salsa ensalada, fried shallots and sesame. The sweetness of the dish combined with the salsa roja and sharp taste of the sprouts is a must try. If your were a Brussels Sprouts hater like me going in, you will be reintroduced to the veggie that once reminded you of steamed gym sock stench.

You can always tell when you spot a first-time Chego-er. Their eyes bulge a little, trying to get every element of Choi’s creation in focus. Then upon first chemical reaction of taste from tongue to brain, there is this inexplicable look on the face, as if they can’t believe this late in life they are now experiencing a new dimension of flavor. Chego will reinvigorate your soul and won’t even charge you more than $10 for a wild culinary ride through Korea Town, Little Tokyo, Mexi-Cali and the Pacific Islands.

Much love to the entire Chego crew!

Vitals:

• where to find us

  3300 Overland Ave
  Los Angeles, CA 90034
  323.380.8680

  CHEGO TRUCK LUNCH
  Tues-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm
  Take-Out, Order Online

  CHEGO TRUCK DINNER
  Tues-Sat 5:30pm-11:30pm
  Take-Out, Order Online

• our team

  GM: Jose Cervantes
  Sous Chef: Micko Ortiz
  Pastry Chef: Beth Kellerhals
  Executive Chef: Roy Choi