Chego's Chubby Pork Belly

Chego's Chubby Pork Belly, originally uploaded by ~db~.

Once there was a restaurant called B's Wonton Noodle House. It was special. And now it's gone.

So imagine my surprised pleasure when, on my way to get some duck at Kim Chuy, I found that Roy Choi has moved his brick and mortar restaurant Chego into the place formerly occupied by my beloved B's. I quickly abandoned my plans for duck.

Gone are the tables, replaced by stools and a counter wrapping around the wall. The place was full when I arrived, populated by a considerably younger crowd than during the building's previous incarnations. And despite the occasional odd looks from old-timers, this is a good thing.

Also good was the service. Everybody was very pleasant, and after the place cleared out and settled down a bit, I was able to talk to Barry, the person who brought my food, and had a nice conversation about the place and its move from the Westside. They had just opened the new place on the previous Saturday and are still getting used to it. But judging by what I saw, there shouldn't be a problem with drawing the customers. Even better if they are folk who normally don't come to the area.

But the best thing is the food itself, which was pretty great! Well, at least the Chubby Pork Belly I ordered. It's a "kochujang-laquered Korobuta rice bowl w/ fried egg, pickled radishes, water spinach Chinese broccoli, cotija, and peanuts." It was full of texture and very flavorful. The chunks of pork were as generous as they were unctuous. It had just enough heat and the peanuts gave a very complimentary roundness to the vegetables' crunch. The only minor issue I had was the egg was fried hard. It would have been nice if it was fried easy, so the yolk could have run out and mixed in with everything else. Other than that small quibble, it was a fantastic lunch and I'm sure to be back. Chubby Pork Belly, about $10.